Truth and Independence

A direct encounter with NGO founder Tom Amatt The Giraffe Heroes – who are they?

This podcast reveals the story about the origin of the Giraffe Heroes Foundation. What’s the organisations goal – who are those Heroes, the so called “Giraffes”? Listen to the pilot of our new podcast series “Stick your neck out!” The weekly podcast of the Giraffe Heroes Foundation. In this Episode you get insights from the founder Tom Amatt and get to know the particular vision this NGO has. We walk you through the process how to find and nominate people that stick their neck out and create a network among all of those, fighting for the common good, to make a difference.

Climate change, Environment, Civil courage, Common good, Bees and trees, Humanity, Society, Network, Impact, Commitment, NGO, Education, Bruno Manser, Social change/transformation, Giraffe Heroes Project

**Timeline:** 00:00 - Teaser 00:31 - Jingle 00:48 - Moderation: Whenever you hear the word 'hero' you probably automatically put the word 'super' in front of it and picture the Avengers beating up some alien things coming out of the sky over New York. These kinds of heroes are always good looking, they're built like a tank and they always have some distinctive outfit or cape which sets them apart from the rest of the group. Now, forget about that. The People on this Podcast are a true inspiration and it's their determination to do what is right, that makes them a superhero in their own unique way. Welcome to Stick your Neck Out! The Podcast of the Giraffe Heroes Foundation. My name is Yampier Aguiar Durañona and I´m gonna be your Host in this Journey. The Podcast to restore your faith in Humanity. Every Tuesday you´re going to get the chance to get to know one of the Giraffe Heroes, who they are and what they fight for. We are going to present you Inspiring Stories of People Saving Our World, making it better. Us, that is today’s guest Tom Amat, the Founder of the Giraffe Heroes Foundation and me. Hi Tom, thanks for being here today with us 02:02 - Tom, you are a Sinologist, you have started and run a number of companies doing business in China. 2017, you accidentally came across a book and this event has led you to found the GHF in the Fall of 2017. Tell us about your experience—what motivated you to create this organization? 03:20 - The foundation is called Giraffe Heroes Foundation tho you don’t call your “Heroes”, Hero, you like to call them Giraffes. Why is that? 04:50 - Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are generally placed on a pedestal for doing the work not being done by other sectors, while often also working to compensate for the damage done by those same sectors. What kind of work does the GHF and what is the vision behind this initiative? 06:30 - Who has benefited from your program and how have you made a difference? 07:24 - I wonder if this foundational work with a lot of clever and well intentioned actions all over the year, so to speak won’t manage to have a deeper impact on society. What do you think about it Tom? 10:18 - Some people say foundations have often worked like this: setting up a project, financing it for a few years, getting into the newspaper - and then inventing the next nice project. What is your next nice Project? 12:16 - The Giraffe Heroes Foundation is an NGO. What is the hardest part of running an NGO, like what are the daily obstacles that you need to combat to keep your NGO afloat? 14:39 - The foundation describes its mission as “cariying the effort further by identifying new individuals engaged in the cause. Also, by organizing them into an interactive community which will have their own voice and, gradually, achieve the powers necessary to create a new trend”. What does that mean in today’s context? 17:23 - These Giraffes, are in the front lines of social change, taking risks for their causes, hanging in there year after year, and not waiting for "them"(be it the society, political leades or whoever) to solve the problems, including fighting for sane climate policies, social justice, public health, safety and human rights. Can you tell us a little bit more about these People? Who they are, how they get selected? 19:42 - To many of our listeners GHF is a whole new idea they know about just now. If they want to join hands, what’s the easiest way they can reach out? 20:21 - Outro: Thank you, Tom Amat, for your visit. Next week you´re going to be talking to Andre Wermelinger, a Giraffe hero and co- Manager of GECA, the newest Initiative of the Giraffe Heroes Foundation. Among other things you´re going to be talking with him about his nomination as a Hero, his organisation “Free the bees”, the Crowdfounding campaign we’re initiating and the rewards that free the bees are offering for the ones who support this Initiative.

This was the first Episode of Stick your neck Out! The Podcast to restore your faith in Humanity. I´m Yampier Aguiar Durañona. We are proud to share every week inspirational stories from remarkable individuals. Stories that come from many different places. Each Giraffe's story is unique with the underlying theme of overcoming challenges present in all. Take a look at each individual experience, and although each person is different, they all have one thing in common: Heroism. We want to hear your stories, too. If you'd like to tell us about your front-line hero, visit us at giraffe-heroes.eu. You´ll find the Giraffe Heroes Stories every Tuesday on Spotify, iTunes, our Homepage and every other place, where you hear your podcasts Join us again next week!