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INTRODUCTION TO THE ELEPHANT QUEEN OUTREACH PROGRAM Human–wildlife conflict is one of the most urgent and complex challenges in conservation today. As Kenya grows, our footprint extends ever deeper into once-wild habitats, fragmenting vital ecological connections and heightening tensions between people and wildlife — to the detriment of both. The Elephant Queen Trust responds to this challenge via an innovative, immersive conservation storytelling outreach platform (TEQ Outreach). Using film, theatre, music, puppetry and dance, it brings conservation to life — helping communities and schools understand, value, and coexist with the wildlife that shares their world. Born from the multi-award-winning film The Elephant Queen, the Outreach program has, since 2021, travelled across Kenya, prioritising schools and communities where human–wildlife conflict is a daily reality. During Phase I (2021–2023), and in collaboration with over 50 conservation and civic organisations nationwide, TEQ Outreach reached more than 135,000 people across hundreds of schools and communities. The program inspired wonder, curiosity and empathy for wildlife, celebrated biodiversity, and opened dialogue around coexistence — especially among children. Building on this success, Phase II now marks an ambitious new chapter. With newly developed educational resources, enhanced equipment and a growing team, TEQ Outreach is back on the road — engaging, inspiring, and amplifying the call for wilderness appreciation and peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife.
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BACKGROUND TO TEQ OUTREACH Conceived by ‘The Elephant Queen’ filmmakers, the Outreach program is led by a passionate and dynamic team of Kenyan conservation engagement specialists.
The team have travelled across Kenya aboard a customised 4x4 lorry carrying state-of-the-art screens, projectors and theatre equipment. They have followed a strategically planned nationwide circuit, reaching thousands of people daily, with a focus on the greater Tsavo, Mara, Laikipia and Samburu ecosystems.
At the heart of the program is the multi-award winning film, The Elephant Queen which chronicles the life of elephant matriarch, Athena, and her herd, exploring themes of love, loss, and resilience. Projected on giant solar powered Airscreens in either English, Kiswahili, or Maa, the film inspires an appreciation of elephants and biodiversity, thereby fostering empathy towards wildlife amongst audiences of all ages.
The film has convinced me that if I wake up one day and all our wildlife is gone, I will have failed in my responsibility to protect our natural heritage. 13 year old student, Kasigau Primary school
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Each film screening is followed by an interactive theatre performance of The Trial of Athena, a thought provoking production which challenges perceptions of human-elephant conflict, stimulates conversation and provides a platform for sharing and dialogue around the challenges of human-wildlife coexistence.
This compelling mix of evocative storytelling and engagement is revolutionising conservation education and nurturing an unprecedented sense of responsibility and stewardship towards the natural world amongst the children and communities.
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The TEQ Outreach team in action! “We have lived with elephants all our lives, but it is only today, on TEQ Outreach in northern Samburu seeing ‘The Elephant Queen’ film, MILESTONE 1 that we truely understand them” ‘How to save Africa’s Elephants” Maasai Elder - Amboseli
The Times Magazine
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PHASE I SUCCESS With two years of experience ‘on the road’ in this Phase, TEQ Outreach achieved notable success.
MILESTONE 1 Pioneered an unprecedented mobile conservation education strategy – using stateof-the-art technology to bring the transformative power of film, theatre and conversation to some of the most remote communities and schools in Kenya.
MILESTONE 2
Set new standards for conservation education through the training and employment of dynamic Kenyan conservation, theatre & engagement specialists who demonstrate the profound value of open dialogue about human-wildlife coexistence and biodiversity consciousness.
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MILESTONE 3
Mt Elgon
Samburu
Established a nationwide 24,000km ‘Kenyan Conservation Education Circuit’ with an associated database which provides all the information required for any outreach program to efficiently deliver educational content to thousands of people living around protected areas.
Laikipia
MILESTONE 4
Nairobi Maasai Mara
Tsavo Coast
Amboseli
KENYAN CONSERVATION EDUCATION CIRCUIT
Proven scientifically that TEQ Outreach community screenings have had a dramatic impact in building tolerance, knowledge and awareness towards elephants. See the links below for more:
Shimba Hills
The Elephant Queen: Can a nature documentary help to increase tolerance towards elephants? Nature Films Can Transform Attitudes Towards Elephants, Study Reveals. The Elephant Queen: How A Wildlife Documentary Inspired Rural Kenya.
MILESTONE 5
Covered 24,000km, reached over 135,000 people in 180 communities and 226 schools, and in so doing, supported and mentored over 50 existing conservation education programs across the core focal areas.
School screenings
226
Community viewers
Student viewers
64,630
Theatre performances
Community screenings
180
43,495 82
Theatre viewers
27,385
Total viewers
135,510
Never has anything of this quality, scale and vibrancy ever visited our people. Its impact is visible on the faces of the men, women and children who are experiencing it and is it clear that their attitudes and perspectives towards elephants and wildlife have been changed forever. We must however keep building on what has been achieved and there is no better way than through inspirational programs like the Elephant Queen Outreach, for the challenges we are facing here in Samburu are growing each day. Moses Lesaloyia, Milgis Trust
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LOOKING AHEAD PHASE II (2025–2029) With the success and impact of Phase I so clearly demonstrated, Phase II marks a bold four-year expansion — deepening engagement, amplifying impact, and strengthening the value of the Kenyan Conservation Education Circuit as a national platform for transformative conservation learning. 2025 — Preparation & Relaunch The first half of 2025 was dedicated to preparation — a focused period of team expansion and training, conservation and wilderness immersion, theatre script development, rehearsals, and creative collaboration. This phase consolidated the program’s foundations and renewed the team’s shared purpose, while also completing preparation of new creative resources: two feature films (The Elephant Queen and the Emmy Award–winning The Elephant & the Termite), alongside two accompanying theatre productions (Trial of Athena and Radio Pori) both exploring human–wildlife coexistence. In September 2025, the program returned to the road, retracing the Phase I outreach circuit with updated resources, strengthened delivery capacity, and renewed momentum. Between September and December, in collaboration with Save the Elephants, Big Life, Wildlife Works, and Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, the outreach team delivered a tightly coordinated program of screenings and performances across schools and communities reaching over 12,000 people of all ages, catalysing dialogue around coexistence. 2026 — Consolidation & Delivery 2026 will be a year of focused delivery and consolidation. The program will retrace its Phase I route bringing the new films and theatre to all partners, fine-tuning engagement strategies and wherever possible, embedding the literacy component more deeply within schools and communities. As always, the emphasis will be on quality of delivery, with film, theatre, puppetry, music, dance and mentorship driving emotional connection and fostering human-wildlife coexistence. 6
2027 — Growth & Expansion With solid foundations in place, 2027 will mark the beginning of expansion. A second outreach team and customised 4×4 lorry will be deployed, doubling the program’s reach. 2027 will also see the introduction of The Queen of Trees — a film of profound ecological and cultural significance — alongside a new theatre production that deepens conversations about biodiversity, co-evolution, and interconnectedness. Together, they will broaden the program’s reach, particularly for secondary and tertiary institutions. 2028–2029 — Strategic Delivery & Regional Exploration The final two years of Phase II will focus on sustained delivery and regional exploration. All three educational resources — The Elephant Queen, The Elephant & the Termite, and The Queen of Trees — will continue touring with their corresponding theatre productions, each enriched by music, puppetry, dance, and mentorship. A comprehensive impact evaluation will assess behavioural and attitudinal change, while partnerships will be developed to pilot regional collaborations in Tanzania and Uganda. Throughout Phase II, The Elephant Queen Outreach will continue to unlock imagination as a tool for transformation — using story, performance, and creativity to shift perspectives, foster empathy for wildlife, and nurture a generation inspired to coexist with nature.
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In the face of the global climate crisis, one of our most imperative tasks as conservationists is to inspire one another - young and old - to tackle the challenges ahead with informed consideration, determination, enthusiasm, optimism and love. The Elephant Queen Outreach program, through its film, its theatre, its ethos and its exceptional team, does just this. Michael Dyer, Director, Borana Conservancy
News has spread, and having heard of the impact of the Elephant Queen Outreach program, we are determined to facilitate the film and theatre coming to communities and schools around Mt Elgon National Park. As the Mount Elgon Foundation, we are committed to taking every step possible to foster human wildlife coexistence, and we see the Elephant Queen program as integral to this. Aiden Doyle, Trustee, Mt Elgon Foundation
INSTAGRAM WEBSITE
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