Mandela's Legacy - by Mila

            Parks, people, planet.  The central themes of the 2014 IUCN World Parks Congress were introduced to the sound of a didgeridoo and the sight of dancing by Australia’s First People.  Also at the opening ceremony was the announcement that we were sitting in a room of 5000 delegates, world leaders, park rangers, scientists, conservationists, activists and youth from over 160 countries- all strung together by a deep love for nature.  A sequence of speeches followed by world leaders such as the IUCN President and Australian Environment Minister; as amazing as it was to hear the words and breathe the same air as such influential people, it was the smaller-scale, less-expected moments of the opening ceremonies that stood out for me.

            Nelson Mandela spoke at the 2003 World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, and was honoured here in Sydney by his grandson, Luvuyo Mandela.  Luvuyo carried on his grandfather’s legacy of placing large importance upon the voices of youth and the next generation.  I think that I can speak for all of the young people in attendance when I say that Mandela’s tribute made me feel an inherent sense of pride at being a young person.  The tribute set the stage for the youth of the Congress to contribute, be heard, and be valued.  All we need to do is prove that we deserve it. 

            A visual performance that included acrobatics, dance, video and impressive audio power wrapped up the ceremony.  The performance was undoubtedly entertaining, yet also presented an important message that again stressed the importance of young people’s involvement in parks.  It began with a little girl’s first experience in an Australian rainforest- an experience that she carried with her for the rest of her life.  Even when living in the city, she was able to remember the feeling she had in that rainforest and resultantly escaped back into nature whenever possible.  The performance beautifully represented all of the research that has been put into the ideas of significant life experience, place-based learning, and connection between experiences in natural as a child and continued environmental consciousness later in life.  After a series of serious, professional (and frankly, somewhat dry) speeches, the final performance reminded the audience of the true beauty of nature- that it is playful, positive, care-free and fun.

                                  Registration complete- World Parks Congress, here we come!

                                                                Opening Ceremony