Why adventure matters in learning
Alicja Pietrasz is Impact's Digital Marketing Executive
Last winter, I chose to do something different. At Impact, we’re encouraged to take some time each year for volunteering, and that sparked an idea.
The story begins a few years ago when I was backpacking across Central America. I was in Mexico, where I met my dear friend Ulises Ledesma. Beside showing me the best places to eat around Yucatán, he mentioned that whenever possible he volunteers at a sea turtle rescue centre. He told me all about saving eggs from nests, which are often stolen by birds, and how only a small percentage survive until hatching. He invited me to join the volunteers one day. That was the moment the seed was planted.
Fast forward to last winter when I found myself back in Mexico, using some of my volunteering days to work with Ulises and Project Tortuga in San Pancho. Soon I was patrolling the Pacific beach at night, looking for sea turtles laying their eggs. During the day, I visited the Turtle Conservation Centre to ‘clean the nests’ and carefully remove the baby turtles that had hatched. Each evening at sunset, once they had gathered some strength, we released them into the ocean. I will always remember the sight of those baby turtles running instinctively toward the enormous waves the moment they touched the sand, knowing that years later they would return to that very same place to lay their own eggs.
Where culture comes in
At Impact, our culture sits at the heart of everything we do. It’s not just words on a page – it’s lived and felt. We have 12 guiding principles, crafted by the people who work here to reflect the things we all care about, believe in, and stand for. They capture what’s special about the way we connect with each other and with our clients.
In the two weeks I spent at Project Tortuga, I helped save over 4,000 baby turtles. This experience reminded me how deeply meaningful work becomes when we’re supported as whole human beings – not just employees. It was about:
Embracing adventure
Adventure isn’t just something we talk about – it’s part of who we are.
Our guiding principe of adventure pushes us to take bold steps, embrace challenges, and step beyond our comfort zones. It’s embedded in our mindset, in our hearts and drives us to seek and embrace risks, to be bold and work beyond the edge of what’s comfortable. Learning from these experiences is essential to our growth and central to our beliefs and our work.
Loving wild places
We deeply respect the unmatched power and beauty of wild places.
At Impact, wild places remind us what really matters. They unlock learning, spark creativity, and free us from limitations. We strive to care for them in our work and influence our clients and communities to do the same.
And most of all: Being real
We are a place where people can be themselves.
I am proud to work for an organisation where it’s who you are, what you stand for, and how you show up that counts. Honouring your true self and representing your own thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and ideas is valued and appreciated.
Living our guiding principles
Volunteering with Project Tortuga wasn’t just about turtles; it was about living our guiding principles. It showed me that when an organisation truly cares about its people and their passions, it creates loyalty, motivation, and a sense of belonging that no pay cheque can replace.