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THEAMBASSADOR

THEAMBASSADOR

Volume 3 • Edition 3OCTOBER 2013

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AREYOUREADY?

PERU PRIMER

Less than a month to go until the Youth Ambassadors enter one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world!

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AMBASSADOR OCTOBER 2013

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FOUNDERS’ MESSAGE

Bob & Ray reflect on the preciousness that is life.

i2P HIGHLIGHTS

i2P continues to make headlines, Greg Wells completes an ironman and Scott Dinsmore teaches us to Live our Legend.

EXPEDITION PREVIEW

A look ahead to next month’s Expedition Peru.

GLOBAL PARTICIPATION

Post-Expedition reflections, as well as a sneak peek at the curriculum for Peru!

OFF THE i2P BOOKSHELF

I2P Communications Coordinator Todd Shannon reviews “Running with the Pack - Thoughts From the Road on Meaning & Mortality”.

YOUTH AMBASSADORREPORT

The Peru recruits have us in stiches while they prepare, and a reflection from two Utah YAs on Transforming Tomorrow.

i2PROFILE

A look at two incredible i2P guides, and reaching for the clouds with Salesforce.

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REGISTER YOUR CLASS TODAY!

httP://I2P.foRcE.coM/PERU

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MESSAGE

To say that life is an incredible thing is an understatement. In this issue of The Ambassador we have some examples of the wonderment that life can bring. Starting with the educational topic for our upcoming Expedition Peru, the benefits delivered to us through ecosystems! It’s mind blowing to think the total economic value delivered to us through ecosystem services and natural capital is greater than the global gross national product delivered on an annual basis! Be sure to follow along as we explore the eastern slope of the Andes and descend into one of the most biodiverse places on the planet and learn about the benefits and services provided by our planet, to our planet!

We also have two other examples from people who made big changes in their lives and took steps toward living the life they desire and they share with us that we all have the capacity within ourselves to do the same!

The first is Scott Dinsmore and his incredible life outlook to “Live Your Legend!” It’s a simple saying that holds a powerful life message that we can all learn from. His outlook is infectious and we warn you it just might change your life!!

The other is very personal to everyone in the i2P family and that is the story of Greg Wells. A close and dear friend to everyone at i2P he experienced a true life scare and instead of giving in, he fought back and came out the other side with a renewed vigor and outlook on life. His 1% rule is not only inspirational but is something we can all incorporate into our lives.

As we mentioned at the top, life is precious and something to be revered. In this issue of The Ambassador you will truly be Educated, Inspired and Empowered. Please enjoy, and we will check back after Expedition Peru!!!

All Our Best,

Bob And Ray!!!

RAY HAS BEEN GETTING SCHOOLS PUMPED UP FOR EXPEDITION PERU!

OCTOBER 2013

HIGHLIGHTS

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I2P IN thE NEWS

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

On August 1st, staff writer Sean Silcoff wrote a compelling recap article about the Gobi Desert crossing in The Globe and Mail.

Titled “Ray Zahab’s incredible 2,300 kilometre journey across the Gobi desert”, the article is available here: http://bit.ly/14Ay8RD.

CNN INTERNATIONAL

On August 5th, CNN International featured Ray during a 5 minute segment titled “Why this man ran through the Gobi Desert”. It looked at the challenges, trepidations, and triumph of Ray’s incredible journey! The full interview is available here: http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/internation-al/2013/08/05/exp-gobi-expedition.cnn

OCTOBER 2013

EXPEDITION AFRICA ALUMNI SASKIA VAISEYWON THE 2013 TOYOTA EARTH DAY NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR DISTINgUISHINg HERSELF THROUgH ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY SERVICE, EXTRACURRICULAR AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, AND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE.WE’RE SO PROUD OF HER!

coNGRAtS SASKIA VAISEY!

For more info: http://www.earthday.ca/scholarship/winners.php

HIGHLIGHTS

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THE GLOBE AND MAIL

i2P Ambassador Kevin Vallely and Team’s Last First Expedition - an attempt to cross the Northwest Passage by rowboat and highlight the devastating effects of Climate Change - was covered in The Globe and Mail on September 4th, 2013.

The article, titled “B.C. rowing team abandons Arctic crossing amid treacherous weather” revisits the narrative of the journey and the ultimate decision to stop due to extreme weather.

For the entire story, please visit: http://bit.ly/197kMjV.

SoLEfIt’S SEcoND RUNNING WIthoUt BoUNDARIES SEMINAR tAKING PLAcE NoVEMBER 2ND.

Advertised as a thought provoking evening of exploring the powers of our minds and abilities to transcend limitations, the event will feature Dr. Greg Wells, Dr. Terry Orlick, and Ray Zahab. All proceeds will be donated to impossible2Possible’s youth programs.

It will explore the chemistry of our brains, the power they have over setting physical and mental barriers, and how we can learn to navigate these processes.

In addition, the event will feature the premier of a short film documenting Ray’s expedition across the Gobi Desert on a large HD screen with Dolby surround sound. Don’t miss out; Register today! For more information, please visit: http://www.solefit.ca/event-management/event-registration?ee=2.

OCTOBER 2013

“MR. VALLELY SAID EVEN thoUGh thEY fAILED to REAch thEIR DEStINAtIoN, thE ExPEDItIoN WAS A SUccESS BEcAUSE It hIGhLIGhtED thE ExtREME WEAthER thAt coMES WIth cLIMAtE chANGE, AND thE tEAM’S BLoG Got A Lot of PEoPLE DEBAtING thE ISSUE.”

HIGHLIGHTS

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DR. GREG WELLS - fRoM ILLNESS to IRoNMAN

Editor’s Note: The following is a first-person account from i2P Physiologist Dr. Greg Wells on his journey from - in his own words - nearly dying from a heart infection to finishing Ironman Canada this past August.

This summer I found myself staring out of a bus window looking at the mountains outside of Whistler BC on my way to the start line of Ironman Canada. 12 months earlier I had a heart infection that left me completely wiped out for months. I got it because I was working like a madman, moving houses, my wife was finishing grad school and we had a 2 year old at home. I was exhausted and my immune system was like an open rotating door. What started as a simple cold ended up as a heart infection that kicked my butt (exhausted, sick, tired, heart pain, etc…). This was my wake up call and my chance to really implement what I’ve long been preaching. To get better and stay better by focusing on the complete health picture: nutrition, exercise, stress, rest, AND most importantly actually taking small steps and getting better by small increments. I set a dream and then move towards it slowly and with lots of 1% gains! So to make this happen I ended up grabbing my iPad from my bag while I was in emergency and registering for the ironman on the spot.

Then the hard part. I had to start training again. I was pretty messed up so my first few training sessions consisted of 20 minute walks. I thought that this was a low point for me as a former competitive swimmer, water polo player and marathon runner. I saw two people out training together, having fun and so fit that they could jog and chat at the same time. Clearly they did this every day. And now look at them. Healthy, happy and fit. I kept walking. Walking eventually turned into running.

To support the return to training and health I slept a ton. 8 hours a night religiously. That’s a lot for most people these days but research shows that that is the amount that we need to eat well and to recovery properly. Sleeping better helped me to work better too. Eating really well was also huge. It took a lot of time though - even though I was training better and eat-ing better it still took almost 4 months before I started losing weight on the scale. So if you’re trying to live better stick with it! Changes take time.

Slowly over time the training, eating and sleeping better added up. 1% at a time. It was amazing how much I was able to change my body, my mind and my life by getting outside and exercising a little bit every day. Sometimes we only make the changes we need to make when we hit the crisis point. My crisis point was staring at a heart monitor in an emergency room and thinking about dying and then deciding that was not going to happen (yet!). I hope that by reading this I can inspire you to get out there as well. Eat better, sleep better, move better, live better and work better! All it takes is 1% a day and amazing things can happen.

PS I finished the ironman. It hurt. A lot. BUT I feel great! More 1% gains to come. New Dream already set… beat my time next year!

Congrats Dr. Wells!GREG FOCUSED DURING THE 180KM BIKE.

OCTOBER 2013

HIGHLIGHTS

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LIVE YoUR LEGEND!

Scott Dinsmore is proud to be a donor to impossible2Possible (i2P). Scott founded Live Your Legend (LYL) in 2006 after the realization that your career and therefore your life is not solely about building a resume but about “finding the work that I [Scott] couldn’t not do”. He quit his so-called dream job that ironically made him want to “slam his head through the computer monitor” and began to develop the basis for LYL. He read over three hundred books, interviewed people in the work force and did field studies. What he found was that 80% of the workforce in fact didn’t enjoy their jobs just as he hadn’t. All this research made Scott the expert in the eyes of many of his acquaintances and people began to approach him asking him for advice. Scott met with people to discuss their situations and of those that he sat down with 80% of them quit their jobs within the next two months - a statistic in which he holds great pride.

Eventually Scott began LYL with the goal in mind of creating a community where people could take the risk of chasing a career that makes them happy. A culture that did not deem this risk unacceptable and in fact encouraged it. He encour-aged those involved to define their self-strengths, recognize their values and pay attention to the everyday aspects of life that they enjoyed. Evaluating the above, allows us to define what success is to us as an individual and therefore allow us to grasp the passing opportunities that have the potential to be our passions- the work that we couldn’t not do.

Next he introduced the idea that impossibility is largely a figment of our minds (sound familiar i2P?!). By trying new things, pushing yourself out of the comfort zone, and achieving your individual meaning of success, we can build confidence. This confidence will allow you to reach even further into the impossible. Scott emphasizes the importance of surrounding ourselves with passionate and positive people. Passion and enthusiasm is contagious as many of us have learned from spending time with the i2P team and motivation from inspiration is a powerful tool in attempting the impossible.

Scott’s contributions to i2P are very much appreciated and we are grateful to have such a positive role model in our midst! Thanks Scott! If you are interested in finding out more about LYL visit the website: http://liveyourlegend.net.

TO LEARN MORE: LIvEYOURLEGEND.NET

OCTOBER 2013

HIGHLIGHTS

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i2P tRAIL RAcE REPoRt

On the morning of August 25th, about 200 people lined up to venture through Gatineau Park in Quabec Canada. With the opportunity to run 15km, 23km, 38 km, or 52 km, this wasn’t a race but a celebration of trails and the human spirit. Hosted by impossible2Possible, Natural Fitness Lab and xczone.tv, the trails featured beaches, single track, country paths, open fields, cabins and lakes. In the spirit of the love of the sport, there was no timing and all proceeds were donated to the i2P Youth Ambassador expedition program. The event also provided the opportunity to sell i2P clothing. All told, the event raised approximately $2,500!

Dave McMahon, the run director, states that he and Ray Zahab “envisioned a low-cost running festival which would remove all the anxieties associated with racing and emphasize fun while supporting i2P.”

It appears that the event was able to do just that! Laurie Colon (a participant and i2P supporter), when asked what her best moment on the trail was: “It’s pretty hard to find one best moment during the i2P run because the whole thing was really amazing. It was great seeing people I haven’t seen in awhile, and it was great meeting so many people that I had “known” but not yet met face to face. Every single person involved with impossible2Possible, to me, are family. The organization surrounds itself with so many incredible people. Again - it’s the ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I love that! There are so many good hearts throughout i2P. Running with Kathy and Sarah during the i2P run was the best, and trying to find our way was an adventure. Gatineau Park is beautiful and I wouldn’t mind getting lost in the park for a day, or two, or three…”

“We were thrilled to see so many people show their support by running and wearing our i2P gear!” said Kathy Adams, wife of Ray Zahab, and one of i2P’s Directors. “We had many wonderful volunteers helping out at the event...everything from working registration, to directing runners at the various check points, to selling clothing, etc. We were also very fortunate to have three of our former Youth Ambassadors come out and volunteer at the event! Before the race started Ray gave a brief overview of i2P, thanked everyone for coming out and supporting i2P and wished the runners luck. I was fortunate enough to find a babysitter at the last minute and decided to run the 15k with a few friends. It was a beautiful day for the run! We are very grateful to be surrounded by so many amazing supporters of i2P and we look forward to next years run!”

To learn more about the run, you can visit: http://www.xczone.com/i2prun.htm.

OCTOBER 2013

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EXPEDITIONPREVIEW

The 8th stop in the impossible2Possible World Expedition Series is Peru. The route for the i2P Expedition Peru is one of the most biodiverse on the planet, crossing 11,000 feet in elevation, from the high Andes plateau to the bountiful ecosystem of the Amazonian jungle in Manu National Park. A team of five Youth Ambassadors will attempt to run a marathon per day for 6 consecutive days! As the elevation changes over the course of their journey the i2P team will travel through one of the richest gradients of ecosystems on the planet.

ExPEDItIoN thEME

The i2P Expedition Peru will focus on Ecosystem Services. Ecosystem services are the collection of benefits that ecosystems provide to humanity. The ultimate goal of the education program is to provide Youth Ambassadors and learners following the expedition, the knowledge and tools needed to:

• Describe ecosystems, • Establish the value of ecosystems, • Describe the impact of human activity on the ecosystem, and • Develop strategies to mitigate the loss of ecosystem services.

PERU

Lima

Cusco

Manu

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EXPEDITION PREVIEW

OCTOBER 2013

oVERVIEW

The Youth Ambassadors for Peru bring a well-rounded academic and athletic background to this Expedition!

They are (from top left):

• Amanda Dunkin Iowa, USA

• Abbie Newton Michigan, USA

• Mollie Patton Alberta, Canada

• Michael Goodwin Brisbane, Australia

• Jenny Kenmir Ontario, Canada

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YoUth AMBASSADoRS

To start us all on the same page we will define an ecosystem as a community of living organisms in conjunction with the non-living components of their environment, such as plants and animals living among air and water. Then, ecosystem services are the suite of benefits that ecosystems provide to humanity. For example, when you throw old food out in your backyard compost, the process of that waste biodegrading is an ecosystem service. We may not often realize it, but ecosystem services surround us and are a large part of our daily lives!

YoU JUSt Got SERVED (BY YoUR EcoSYStEM!)

i2P Expedition Peru is around the corner, and waiting for us are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Starting in the high Andes plateau, the Youth Ambassadors (YAs) will run at 11,000 feet of elevation and then descend into the Amazonian jungle. Through their journey, the YAs will encounter a vast range of plant and animal species and a continually changing natural environment. Hence, the educational theme will emphasize ecosystems and more specifically ecosystem services and their value to humanity.

Global ParticipationTHE

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ECOSYSTEMSERVICES!

ECOSYSTEM SERvICES: ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE

“ALthoUGh WE oftEN hARDLY REALIZE It, EcoSYStEM SERVIcES SURRoUND US AND ARE A LARGE PARt of oUR DAILY LIVES!”

PERUvIAN AMAZON: A RICH ECOSYSTEM

As these questions are discussed, key themes to be considered will include sustainability, adaptability, and resiliency of ecosystems. Furthermore, the value that humanity assigns to each service will be an important consideration. How valuable is the process of waste biodegradation in your backyard compost to your daily life? Depending on the value we assign services like this, how much effort should we as humanity put into preserving ecosystem services? As you go about your everyday life, start mulling over these questions to see what ecosystem services you can identify, what kind of value you would assign them, and what about your daily activities you can do to protect these services.

The Youth Ambassadors and i2P followers will gain the knowl-edge and tools needed to describe the ecosystems in which we live or travel, establish the value of ecosystems to humanity, describe the impact of human activity on the ecosystems, and develop strategies to mitigate the loss of ecosystem services. At the end of each day of running, the YAs will be asked to think about four questions:

What ecosystem services is humanity taking from the ecosystem?

What is the long-term impact on the ecosystem from the use of this service?

Is this ecosystem service sustainable?

If not sustainable, how can the behavior of humanity be adapted to ensure the sustainability of the ecosystem service?


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TEACHERS! FOR MORE INFORMATION,PLEASE E-MAIL US FOR THE EXPEDITION PERU CURRICULUM OvERvIEW!

“oUR PERU YoUth AMBASSADoRS ANDI2P foLLoWERS WILL GAIN KNoWLEDGEAND tooLS to DEVELoP StRAtGIES toMItIGAtE thE LoSS of EcoSYStEMSERVIcES.”

LEARNING oN thE RUN: CHANGING EDUCATION ONE STEP AT A TIME.

This month, i2P and Expedition Utah was featured in Trail Runner Magazine. The article touched on the power of i2P’s Experiential Learning Program, and is available for reading here: http://bit.ly/Lgnw0D.

Tremendous excitement and anticipation precedes each i2P expedition, but what about after an expedition has been completed? What do i2P followers value and expound upon from the journey after it is over? For some it may be a connection made with a particular Youth Ambassador that fosters meaningful and lasting inspiration and encouragement. For others it may be the educational theme that engages their interest and further shows them the possibility of learning through adventure. Others take to their own fitness challenges and find inspiration through their fitness achievements. To help us understand post-expedition impact, a few teachers and students shared with us their post-expedition thoughts.


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“thE fItNESS chALLENGE hELPED ME to BE MoRE fIt, coNfIDENt AND oVERALL fEELING LIKE I WAS AthLEtIc! I REALLY tRAINED hARD foR thAt chALLENGE AND I tooK It SERIoUSLY. I AM NoW tRYING oUt foR thE BASKEtBALL tEAM. MY fAVoRItE PARt of thE ExPEDItIoNS WAS WAtchING thE YoUth AMBASSADoRS cRoSS thE fINISh LINE. WhILE WAtchING thE BotSWANA ExPEDItIoN, I WAS AMAZED At thE PERSEVERANcE, AND DRIVE thAt thE YoUth AMBASSADoRS hAD to KEEP GoING. I ENJoYED thE StoRIES AND It tAUGht ME to hAVE A MoRE PASSIoNAtE DRIVE AND NoW WhEN I StARt SoMEthING I WILL fINISh It!”

- SARAh ABDALLAh (14, D’ARcY McGEE hIGh SchooL StUDENt)

“I foUND It INSPIRING AND It tAUGht ME thAt WhAt KNocKS YoU DoWN YoU cAN ALWAYS GEt BAcK UP fRoM!.”

- MIKAYLA RAMSAY (13, SYMMES JR. hIGh StUDENt)

POST-EXPEDITIONTHOUGHTS

OCTOBER 2013


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“thE ExPERIENcE of tALKING WIth thE I2P UtAh YoUth AMBASSADoRS IN thE SPRING AND ShARING oUR JoURNAL REfLEctIoNS oN RESILIENcE AND WhAt It ActUALLY MEANS to US AND hoW WE hANDLE It EVERY IN oUR oWN LIVES REALLY chANGED MY PERSPEctIVE oN thIS toPIc. I USED to thINK I NEEDED to BE SoME KIND of SUPER hERo to cALL MYSELf “RESILIENt” BUt I WAS WRoNG. I REALIZED thAt JUSt MAKING It thRoUGh A hARD tIME AND BEING AWARE of hoW I DID thIS IS ENoUGh to KNoW I AM cAPABLE.” - ShANoN VEZINA (14, SYMMES JR. hIGh StUDENt)

“I fELt LIKE WE WERE IN thE JoURNEY WIth thE YoUth AMBASSADoRS AND It fELt REAL! I LoVED It!”

- NAYLA AYoUB (14, SYMMES JR. hIGh StUDENt)

they’ve racked up years of debt, or fallen victim to financial fraud. Empowerment comes from understanding the basics of planning properly, anticipating bumps in the road and overcoming them in ALL areas of our lives in order to make a better tomorrow. Undoubtedly, empowering a new genera-tion of youth by helping them relate to these valuable lessons will result in enriched lives and more stable communities. Join the i2P youth ambassadors as they explore these lessons and much more over the course of their journey into the most exotic places on earth.

“oVER thE LASt fEW MoNthS I hAVE NotIcE A DRAStIc chANGE IN MY StUDENtS PARtIcIPAtIoN RAtE IN cLASS. I hAVE NotIcED thAt thE StUDENtS ARE LooKING foRWARD to ExERcISING AND BEING ActIVE.

WE ARE Not ASKING thEM to Do A 50K RUN BUt SIMPLY SEt SMALL GoALS AND IMPRoVE oN thEM. I PERSoNALLY hAVE IMPRoVED IN ALL ASPEctS of MY LIfE AND I cREDIt thAt to thE REMARKABLE INSPIRAtIoN of oUR I2P YoUth AMBASSADoRS. thEY coNtINUE to PUSh thE LIMItS AND thEY ARE BREAKING NEW GRoUND AND thAt INSPIRES US ALL!”

Carlos Brown, a Teacher at Symmes, had this to say:

We sincerely strive to make i2P expeditions a source of inspiration and empowerment to all who follow along, especially for youth. Part of i2P’s mission is to help support the next generation of leaders that will take care of our world and the people in it. As i2P followers like you become motivation through i2P expeditions, you in turn motivate others within your own social spheres, and ultimately a domino effect is in motion and people around the world are motivating each other to make positive change wherever they go!

As part of Expedition Peru, with the support of Transamerica, i2P Youth Ambassadors will continue to build student awareness of the importance of gaining financial knowledge and building personal resilience. As adults, we know that the ability to make informed financial decisions is essential to well-being at every stage in our life. However, basic financial lessons are often not learned at a young age leaving young people to learn these essential life skills the hard way—after

BooKShELfOff of the i2P

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Mark Rowlands is a Philosopher who runs as a hobby; Mark Rowlands is a runner who thinks for a living.

Which of the above statements is most true? Well, in his own words, he claims that “most of the serious thinking I’ve done over the past 20 years has been done while running.” That makes me lean towards the latter.

His latest release, Running with the Pack - Thoughts From the Road on Meaning & Mortality, explores the connection that he feels exists - and to which many of us can relate - between running and the feeling of mental clarity.

His vehicle for this analysis is a series of anecdotes of some of the most significant runs of his life - from the age of 11 as a boy in Wales, to being a lonely young ex-pat Professor who passes his time exploring trails in Ireland, and ends with a hilarious take on a mid-life Marathon that he runs without absolutely zero training. The “Pack” that he refers to are his dogs Brennin and Nina, both part-wolves that seemingly enjoy running more than the author.

The book is an honest, passionate, and witty account about the importance of seeing the act of running as “play” rather than “work”, and about truly absorbing your surroundings and how you feel when you are putting one foot in front of the other. According to Rowlands, “Play is when you’re so absorbed in an activity you forget everything else other than what you’re doing. Once you reach the run’s heartbeat, the place of dancing thoughts, goals have long been left behind… you are running only to run.”

The book is cerebral without feeling overly academic, and engaging even if you are not interested in philosophy. It is one that I’d highly recommend to runners of all ages, and especially to anyone who is looking to rediscover their passion for running or has ever felt their motivation beginning to wane.

Otherwise, happy reading and until next time!

BY: TODD SHANNON

IN thE NExt ISSUE:: WE REVIEW “JOURNEY TO HART’S HALO” - THE WE(E)PRESS RELEASE FOR WHICH A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS WERE DONATED TO i2P AND HELPED FUND EXPEDITION AFRICA2012.

OCTOBER 2013

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hoW DoES A YoUth AMBASSADoR PREPARE foR AN i2P ExPEDItIoN?

By: Emma Morley

From the backcountry in Alberta to the woods of Australia, our Peru Youth Ambassadors have been hard at work training for next month’s expedition, and in more ways than just running. Abbie, Amanda, Mollie, Mick, and Jenny share their progress with us on the i2P Alumni Blog, and from what they have reported there is a lot more to expedition preparation than just physical training. From establishing good nutrition to managing social media to understanding each other’s accents, Team Peru is working on mastering it all. The title of Youth Ambassador sure holds a lot of weight!

If you have been keeping up with the blog, you may have noticed the Youth Ambassadors mentioning their weekly Skype meetings. Each meeting is designed to focus on a different aspect of the upcoming expedition. One of the first of these was understandably about the training plan.

How in the world does just anyone get up and train for back-to-back days of distance running in a mere few months?

Abbie briefed us on the beginnings of their training plans, generously constructed by Michael Stashin, Derrick Spafford, and John Zahab. Admittedly, there was some language learning to be done—things like a “low cable single leg waiter bow” and the “stability wall overhead static press with slow hip flexion” were previously foreign concepts. Aside from figuring out the technical parts of training, Jenny and Mollie expounded a bit upon the mental challenges and advantages of running. Through-out the daily stresses of life, training can offer an outlet for the mind. Mollie says, “When I’m out back it all calms down; there’s something about bounding around, jumping over things, crawling under barbed wire, getting drenched in downpours, plastered in mud, (eating), and being in the open that brings the focus back!” Jenny explained how training is not always hunky dory. Sometimes voices of inadequacy get in your head, but the important thing to focus on is how to respond to these.

Will you submit to self-doubt and give up or will you push yourself past your worries and build your castle of confidence?

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THEIR BLOG!


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Youth Ambassadors are not just runners. Amanda discussed the four pillars of being a Youth Ambassador: recognize, respect, model, and support. Recognize that our actions can not only reflect ourselves but also the people and programs we associate with. Respect others and appreciate similarities and differences that allow us to connect. Model positive values in your day-to-day life—Amanda’s tip: “As soon as a negative thought comes into your mind, say three positive thoughts.”

Finally, support those that surround you and the values you find important. While these attributes are important for Youth Ambassadors to acquire, they are universal and work in all places, times, and cultures. Try them out!

Of course everyone by now knows about Mick’s accent, or for some, his lack of accent. Despite the various dialects of English shared among the Peru Youth Ambassadors, they have overcome all accent barriers and communicate with complete ease. Mick informed us on their nutrition meeting with expert Holly Grant. Lots of nutrition before, during, and after training is crucial. Lucky for the Youth Ambassadors, this means eating a lot to make up for all the energy they are using. As Mick says, “Without fueling our bodies, we’re not going to get through one marathon let alone the six.”

As Team Peru continues preparation for the fast coming Expedition Peru, follow their progress on the i2P Alumni Blog at i2palumniblog.wordpress.com. In addition, follow them on Twitter (@JennyKenmir, @molliebreea, @AmandaDunkin , @MickGoods, @AbbieNewton6, @GOi2P). They appreciate all the support they can get!

“AS SooN AS A NEGAtIVE thoUGht coMES INto YoUR MIND, SAY thREEPoSItIVE thoUGhtS”

foLLoW ALoNG oN tWIttER!

@ JENNYKENMIR

@ MoLLIEBREEA

@ AMANDADUNKIN

@ MIcKGooDS

@ ABBIENEWtoN6


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tYING It ALL toGEthER

During Expedition Botswana 2012, i2P incorporated our sponsor Transamerica’s Tomorrow Makers® message into the i2P curriculum. The message taught youth valu-able lessons about financial literacy, and provided tools to plan for the future, allowing them to become stronger individuals. This education program continued into the Utah 2013 expedition, and will also help convey lessons of financial literacy and resiliency on future expeditions.

These lessons empower students, showing them that by setting goals to prepare for a challenge, an individual will have a much better chance at being successful. There are times in any situation where you may hit a roadblock, making your goal seem impossible to reach. These are the moments that separate those who have practiced and those who have not, allowing prepared individuals to be resilient, achieving their goals.

OCTOBER 2013

By going through school you obtain an important subset of skills, but outside of time spent in the classroom, it is up to you what you want to learn. It is important to try new things, and through experiences, learn about many different perspectives. This helps one obtain a diverse, practical, and applicable base of knowledge. One’s knowledge base can always be expanded upon, so it is important to build it up continuously by getting up off your couch and experiencing new things.

After knowledge has been gained through experience, it can be applied in many different or even unexpected scenarios in which life may take you, opening doors in the future. Knowledge such as the geology and paleontology from Expedition Utah will not only open doors for the youth ambassadors on the expedition, it will offer a brighter future to any student following along.

Before trying anything, it is important to be prepared and know how to successfully approach your task. From running marathons to being financially literate, it takes lots of practice, and countless hours, to successfully achieve a goal.

BY: ZANDER AFFLECK

“BY GoING thRoUGh SchooL YoU oBtAIN AN IMPoRtANt SUBSEt of SKILLS, BUt oUtSIDE of tIME SPENt IN thE cLASSRooM, It IS UP to YoU WhAt YoU WANt to LEARN. It IS IMPoRtANt to tRY NEW thINGS, AND thRoUGh ExPERIENcES, LEARN ABoUt MANY DIffERENt PERSPEctIVES”


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Without the advice and help of others it is so much more difficult to learn and practice these valuable skills. This makes it important to have a support network, that builds into a team. Having a team allows people to look at a problem in many ways, exploring different options in the fight to accomplish a goal. After setting a goal and setting a course to accomplishing it, it is time to put your head down and get the job done.

Like running 255km in a week, it can be challenging to save money. Doing so can be very rewarding, letting somebody experience something new, whether it be travelling to a new country, or getting the house they’ve always wanted. It is not easy sticking to a plan.

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Even if everything possible has been done to prepare, a speed bump can arise to try and stop a goal from being reached. When someone is having trouble they must keep stumbling in the right direction and show that it is not how hard they tripped up, but how quickly they kept pushing forward. The ability to be resilient in the face of an obstacle is crucial to eventually overcome a challenge.

i2P brings together education, athletics and financial literacy, which helps broaden the horizons of not only the ambassadors, but all the youth following the expeditions. By learning about these three unique, yet critical fields, the youth can become more multidisciplinary people. Having received skills that can be used in many different niches, tomorrow is starting to look a little bit brighter.

A multidisciplinary person will be a leader, a respected person in the community, somebody everyone looks up to. Your knowledge makes you who you are. So who are you going to be?

ZANDER SHOWING RESILIENCE IN UTAH

“WhEN SoMEoNE IS hAVING tRoUBLE thEY MUSt KEEP StUMBLING IN thE RIGht DIREctIoN AND ShoW thAt It IS Not hoW hARD thEY tRIPPED UP, BUt hoW qUIcKLY thEY KEPt PUShING foRWARD. thE ABILItY to BE RESIL-IENt IN thE fAcE of AN oBStAcLE IS cRUcIAL to EVENtUALLY oVERcoME A chALLENGE”


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tRANSfoRM toMoRRoW

After months of preparation, Day 1 of Expedition Utah started in the highest of spirits, but it was not long before the first of many challenges confronted us. Each day had its own special: Dehydration Day 1, Heat Horror Day 3, Gnarly Knees Day 4, Killing Achilles Day 5, and Mosquito Massacre Day 7 to name a few. Miraculously, we lived through it all with minds, bodies, and high spirits intact! This was only possible through the practice of resilience.

My biggest lesson in resilience came on Day 6 when severely inflamed Achilles rendered me unable to run. The initial impact of deciding not to run left a default invitation to think of failure. But failure of what? The inability to run was only a failure if my end goal was to run every single mile/km planned, but that number held no lasting substantial value. A more meaningful end goal was to finish the expedition a better teammate than I was when I started, a better role model, a better learner and teacher.

To Milah Savoie, a student of Adriana Rossi at Symmes Jr. High in Gatineau, this is resilience. “I think to myself and refer to resilience as reaching my goal. . . think of it as building blocks to [the] future.”

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I was tempted to wallow in self-pity, but I realized the way I thought about this besetment was a choice. While I may not have had control over my circumstances, I had complete control over the person I wanted to be in the end. I wanted to be like the people that inspire me: courageous, optimistic, and persevering.

In Hannah Elkington’s words (Botswana 2012), I needed to “fail forward.” I needed to “overcome adversity and persevere through trying circumstances” with a good face.

As each teammate battled a specific challenge, fellow teammates held the responsibility of offering support. We joked that the pace keeping watch we had was like the ring in Lord of the Rings, thus a burden to carry. Whoever had the duty of wearing it needed the respect and obedience of the others—without cooperation with the watch bearer, our pace would be inconsistent and our covered distance unknown. We needed to think as a team, not for ourselves. This is an aspect of social entrepreneurship: selflessness.

BY: EMMA MORLEY

“tRANSfoRM YoUR toMoRRoW® WIth A LIttLE RESILIENcE, SocIAL ENtREPRE-NEURShIP, AND fINANcIAL LItERAcY. IN fAct, MAKE thAt toMoRRoW BEttER thAN toDAY, AND WhILE YoU MAY Not REALIZE It, othERS WILL NotIcE. YoUR INfLUENcE IS BoUNDLESS, AND AS A toMoRRoW MAKER YoU hAVE thE PotENtIAL to BEttER thE WoRLD!”


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The expedition was made possible by tens of volunteers that never complained. Ever. I could have left my jaw dropped in amazement at their examples the entire trip, but for the sake of returning their smiles I kept it closed. Inspired by these examples, I wanted to mimic the same attitude of optimism and enthusiasm, especially to those students following along. After all, Skype meetings with these students before and after the expedition proved they were our biggest fans. They were fascinated by our challenge and I wanted to show them that we were accomplishing it not through athletic elitism but through mental and social stamina. When everyone is a social entrepreneur, you actually have more minds caring about you than just your own! So think of others and take the initiative to lend a hand.

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To top this cake of resilience and social entrepreneur-ship, we need financial literacy. As a carefree elementary scholar I knew little about anything financially related besides the word “save.” A few years later and with a few more expenses to pay, I still find that word “save” to be the most significant in my financial vocabulary. More often than I would have predicted I find myself thanking that little youngster I was for saving what I earned. Those savings have been a source of relief in times of pricey and unexpected events. My financial literacy continues to expand with more elaborate savings plans, payment methods, income strategies, and the like, but it all stands on the foundation of saving. Now you are set. Transform your Tomorrow® with a little resilience, social entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. In fact, make that tomorrow better than today, and while you may not realize it, others will notice. Your influence is boundless, and as a Tomorrow Maker® you have the potential to better the world. If that sounds daunting, think of bettering someone’s world. That someone will be inspired to better someone else’s world, and so begins the domino effect.

To the Youth Ambassadors for Peru, remember your teammates and your crew and take in every joy and discouragement, triumph and stumble, laugh and pain. Your adventure will be life changing!

EMMA AND THE TEAM IN UTAH!

Kat became involved in impossible2Possible(i2P) in 2009 when she saw Ray’s TED talk about his record-setting trek to Antarctica. Kat had recently traveled to Antarctica, was an ultra runner, and was a graduate student specializing in adolescent psychology, so Ray’s message of teaching our youth with adventure inspired her. The talk empowered her to contact Ray with a message of support and Kat became an educational advisor to i2P and a team member of Expedition Amazon.

As a member of Expedition Amazon’s educational team, Kat was fortunate to learn from the Youth Ambassadors demonstrations of teamwork, positive energy, and spirit of adventure. She is tremendously proud of i2P’s Youth Ambassadors and how they have become examples of how to educate, inspire, and empower others. Seeing the tremendous accomplishments of the Youth Ambassadors encourages Kat to continue to push the boundaries of her experiences to succeed, whether it is in work or adventure. Being part of the i2P team has helped Kat realize that we are all capable of extraordinary things, particularly in the presence of good preparation, a sense of humor, and a strong team.

Since Expedition Amazon, Kat has completed her doctorate in Clinical and Developmental Psychology and is now a research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado. Kat loves living in Colorado because she can hike and camp with her husband and dogs, ski, and train for her next endurance adventure: Ironman Boulder.

ROFILEA LOOK AT PEOPLE IN THE i2P FAMILY WHO ARE DOING THE ExtRAoRDINARY

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Hannah first heard about i2P in 2008 in Antarctica. She had just returned from skiing 700 miles coast to South Pole, as had impossible2Possible (i2P) Founder Ray Zahab, along with Kevin Vallely and Richard Weber. They all collided at the Union Glacier base camp on the way back north and the chemistry was instant. Two days later Ray had asked her if she would get involved with his non-profit organization.

In 2010 she joinedhery first i2P expedition to the Brazilian Amazon and again in 2011 to the Salar Di Uyuni in Bolivia. On both occasions she volunteered as a mentor to the five extraordinary Youth Ambassadors (YAs), and both were truly life changing expeditions. She was so impressed by the fortitude and determination of the young adventurers, their ability to find deep reserves of strength and endurance and their ability to support each other as a team. It was one of the greatest honors of her life to assist on those expeditions and support those YAs in achieving their goals. She feels that the i2P model is so clever in its ability to have such a far reaching impact on so many children and young people across the world. Sitting in a hut in a massive thunderstorm in the middle of the rain forest, watching the YAs talk live by satellite to thousands of children in classrooms all over the world, was humbling and inspiring.

She carries those moments with her every day, even now.She continues to work as a field guide, mostly in remote polar locations such as Antarctica and regularly enthuses to her clients about her experiences with i2P, and they never fail to be inspired.

HANNAHMCKEAND

GUIDING ONWARDS ONE ACTIVE ADVISOR

KATBELENDIUK

OCTOBER 2013

ROFILEA LOOK AT PEOPLE IN THE i2P FAMILY WHO ARE DOING THE ExtRAoRDINARY

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Salesforce.com is the enterprise cloud computing leader. Its social and mobile cloud technologies—including flagship sales and CRM applications—help companies connect with customers, partners, and employees in entirely new ways.

Cloud computing is a delivery model that allows access to any application over the Internet. It provides enterprises the fastest path to success. Unlike client server and mainframe, purchasing of hardware, software or infrastructure is not necessary. With a subscription model, clients pay fixed predictable monthly payments with no large, upfront capital expenditures. Salesforce.com also has automatic upgrades three time a year; meaning that customers are always getting the latest innovation so that they can focus on their business, not technology.

Salesforce has a firm commitment to innovation and leadership. They have had industry analyst recognition from IDC and Gartner, and have been cited by Forbes Magazine as the world’s most innovative company for two years in a row.

impossible2Possible is dedicated to inspiring, educating, and empowering young people to make a positive impact on the

global community. Salesfoce.com is a company that is very concerned about helping non-profit companies around the world to reach their missions, and for that they have the Salesforce.com Foundation. Salesforce.com Foundation is based on a simple idea: Leverage salesforce.com people, technology and resources to improve communities through-out the world. Their integrated philanthropic approach is called the 1/1/1 model. Salesforce.com helps impossible2Possible design web forms in which the students, teachers and schools can register for our expeditions. The i2P team can then access the application and can see all the contact information of the students, teachers and schools and can contact them for interviews or launch mass emails to send out newsletters/annual reports etc. Salesforce.com is helping us to improve the way we connect with students and teachers all around the world.

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Thank you!

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MISSION & VISION

The mission of impossible2Possible (i2P) is to use the platform of adventure and tech-nology to educate, inspire, and empower the global community to reach beyond their perceived limits and make positive change in the world.

The vision of i2P is to cultivate a generation of leaders who, through direct experience, education, and the use of groundbreaking technology, are prepared to pioneer social and environmental action throughout the world.

GOALS

Before action and change must come education and awareness. Through a 21st century education program grounded in experiential learning and reciprocal communication, i2P makes use of television, film, the internet, and other groundbreaking new media to deliver social, environmental, historical, cultural, and scientific issues from around the world directly to the classroom.

i2P’s Youth Ambassadors, world-class explorers, advisors, teammates and friends host high-profile adventures, designed to push their physical and mental limits, in some of the most socially and environmentally sensitive regions of the world. These journeys allow the explorers to act as conduits of inspiration, while using the theatre of adventure to introduce the global community to the notion that nothing is impossible!

i2P provides the platform, resources, and spirit to assist people, young and old, and from every situation and circumstance, to get involved in their global community and make a difference.

educate

inspire

empower

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i2P ExPEDItIoNS fEAtURE INStANt coMMUNIcAtIoN & UPDAtES foR thoSE foLLoWING ALoNG At hoME!

LIVE tWo-WAY VIDEocoNfERENcES BRING StUDENtS DIREctLY to thE ExPEDItIoN REGIoN!

OCTOBER 2013

Join our mailing list at http://i2p.force.com/TheAmbassador

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Editorial Team

Ray Zahab

Editor-at-Large

Grant Mowbray

Editor

Bob Cox

Editor in Chief

Editor

Matt Howe

Todd Shannon

Art Direction Content Supervisor

Kathy Adams

Distribution provided by:If there is anything you’d like to see in “The Ambassador”, or if you would like to learn more about i2P, please contact Kathy Adams at [email protected].

comments? questions?Suggestions?

OCTOBER 2013

Contributors Breanna Cornell Jessie Lilly

Emma Morley Holly BullJill Gilday

www.impossible2possible.com

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