Prisillia Morley Loijens
About yourself
Evolving from a background in design and communications, I play an active role on the Kinatouan Foundation Board of Directors overseeing strategic development and external affairs. As Kinatouan continues to broaden its scope, I provide complementary perspectives to those of my scientific peers, blending strategic design, foresight, and inclusion to help assess challenges and gaps, gain insights into potential future landscapes, and identify intersecting opportunities to elevate our goals. Kinatouan Foundation runs the Selamatkan Yaki programme dedicated to Macaca nigra conservation, and aims to support more sustainability initiatives in Sulawesi, including the conservation of other endangered species across the region.
What inspired you to work in conservation?
Growing up in North Sulawesi, I have always felt a connection to nature, embracing how it shaped my interests and passion. Having pursued visual communication design over something more scientific, I discovered behavior change campaigns and ultimately found purpose in leveraging communications to connect environmental challenges with the rest of society. I learned how wildlife posters, and all those advertisements featuring Yao Ming and Maggie Q, placed across local hubs and international airports, were serving a bigger mission. I went from dreading a career in advertising and contemplating dropping out of design school, to incorporating conservation into my assignments, and developing a shark conservation campaign for my final project. Understanding these important links led to my pivotal role with Selamatkan Yaki in 2013, witnessing firsthand the impact of combining communication design, education, and social marketing, among other aspects of behavior change that keep me anchored to this field today.
What does being part of the ASAP Network of Women mean to you and what do you hope to achieve?
I am grateful and proud to be making waves alongside the ASAP Network of Women, especially as we collectively strive to lead with authenticity, while shaping our own visibility journeys. Connecting with this community has broadened my perspective on the various challenges faced by women leaders across Southeast Asia, and deepened my understanding on how we can learn, overcome, and gain strength from it, in our own different ways, with different approaches that fit us best, individually and as a group. The responsibility of driving Kinatouan’s expansion and shaping its future can feel overwhelming, but being part of this network surrounded by a group ready to step in during a time of need, gives me a sense of reassurance. This network provides a support system of highly capable women with diverse experiences and expertise, while also offering a safe space for valuable unlearning and re-learning, self discovery, and personal growth.
What is your biggest takeaway from the in-person retreat sessions?
I carried an inevitable fair bit of apprehension going into the retreat, as I wasn’t sure how far I’d be pushed outside my comfort zone, but I was grateful to experience the genuine, supportive, and safe environment grounded in trust, and most importantly patience. The team recognized when things seemed overwhelming, meeting me where I was while balancing encouragement with some healthy amount of pressure. I was allowed the space to ease in, absorb, reflect, and engage on my own terms. This became a lesson in itself; I was learning about my own process, while observing how to connect and hold space for others in theirs. Understanding my personal values also provided immense clarity on how closely connected they are with why my process is the way it is; a profound insight that is grounding and helpful in regulating myself, especially as I deepen my practice of visibility to self.