Celebrating success at Ellen’s Campus

After four months of hard work, we completed our first-ever language e-learning for British Council. We all cheered: “We did it”.  Then our director, Gerry van der Hulst suggested we should celebrate this with a trip to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus, a place some of us had heard about but never visited. The team agreed that this was an excellent idea.

The trip also was a study tour. We made teams and each team had to study different aspects of how they educate visitors about Gorillas, like how they use games, storytelling, and interactivity. We looked at how they lead visitors through the exhibition and garden, how they use branding and digital and audio resources.

Upon entering the gate, we were greeted by two circular buildings surrounded by lush green plants and a welcoming billboard outlining the campus areas. At the gallery entrance, we received booklets from a front desk attendant, providing an overview of the exhibit, maps for navigation, and a fun scavenger hunt that enriched our learning experience.

The campus comprises three main buildings, we visited the Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery. We started exploring the front area, which consists of walls with shared gorilla facts, stunning pictures showcasing Rwanda’s geography, and questions posed by other visitors.

We then moved on to the Dian Fossey exhibit, which includes a timeline of her life from birth to her untimely death in 1995. There was a display case containing personal items, including the ticket she bought for her first trip to Rwanda, which surprised me since it demonstrates how thoughtful people were to safeguard Dian Fossey’s belongings as memories. They also made a replica of Dian Fossey’s hut, decorated with traditional carpets and personal belongings, featuring her fieldwork notes, messages, and videos of the forest.

I continued and saw two figures standing. They were printed skeletons of a silverback gorilla and a human being, demonstrating their similarities and differences. At first, it was quite confusing, but then I realized that it was meant to teach about the amazing friendship that can exist between them, and how they grieve when they lose their loved ones.

Walking silently, I arrived at the Hall of Fame section where the most well-known gorillas are presented. There is a touchscreen where you may select the gorilla you like best. My choice is the one named Titus, who appears on the 5,000 Rwandan francs note. We also played a game on a large screen where the objective was to learn and imitate gorilla vocalisations, which we found enjoyable.

We took a tour of the jungle using a 360-degree virtual reality headset. It felt as though we were in the volcanoes, up close and personal with the gorillas. On the other side, a science table was set up, featuring an interactive session, where anyone could read the results of scientific studies conducted about gorillas.

Those who had completed the interior tour proceeded to a garden where they could try finding virtual gorillas, using a tablet with augmented reality. Gorillas like Pokémon! By the end, my team seemed a little tired and hungry. We took pictures around the campus as we waited for lunch.

We ate lunch on the Gallery’s rooftop while admiring the chain of mist-covered volcanoes. This concluded our tour of the campus.

We went on to Ruhondo Resort where we spent the night. Before sleeping, each team shared their observations about the setup of the center. We were reminded of the importance of teamwork, dedication, and continuous learning. This memorable trip served as both a reward for our hard work and an inspiration for our future projects

Christella Uwicyeza