Forest get-togethers: hints and tips

38 Degrees members are getting together in parks, woods and forests all over the country to collect ideas, photographs, drawings and stories about how we want our forests protected for the future.

We’ll collect the ideas, photographs, drawings and stories about how we want our forests protected for the future using the 38 Degrees website and take them to our meeting with the forest panel, as powerful proof that there are hundreds of thousands of us who love our forests, and want to see them protected for the future.

What kind of photos?

We’re getting together to share ideas about what’s precious about our forests, as well as how we think they can be protected for the future. So, all photos that help to get the message across will be really important. Ideas from other 38 Degrees members include photographs of the surrounding forest and woodland areas we want to protect, photographs of people enjoying their hobbies in the forest, or just spending quiet time there relaxing. There might also be particular wildlife or plants in your nearby forest or wood that is rare, or perhaps a community project that’s helped make the woods a place that lots of people want to visit.

If you aren’t visiting a forest, you could have photos of people holding up signs with the words they think best sum up what’s precious about our forests. It will be easiest to share the photos if you take them on a digital camera, but if you prefer to use a film and then get the pictures developed, you can post them to the 38 Degrees offices using this address: 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE.

What kind of videos?

Really, the ideas for videos are mostly pretty similar to the ideas for photos. But you might also find that people are happy to answer questions about the future of our forests on camera. Questions like “What do forests mean to you?” and “What should happen to our forests in the future?” might be good questions to start with.

What other activities are there for people who don’t have a camera, or who can’t take photos?

We’re writing a factsheet with a few other ideas for how people might like to work together to come up with ideas on how to protect our forests in the future. We’re going to share it here as soon as it’s finished! But you could also get people to tell their stories about why forests matter and write them down, or some people might prefer to draw a picture. Others might like to make a tape recording.All of those would be a brilliant way to help the forests panel understand why we love our forests so much, and what we want doing about protecting them in the future.

To share your photos, videos, stories, drawings and anything else that will show the Forest Panel how much parks, woods and forests mean to you, click here.

Are there other tips you’d find useful about organising a forest get-together? Post suggestions here, and we’ll do our best to post some useful info. Sharing your questions on the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/peoplepowerchange) is also a good way to find out what other 38 Degrees members think.

You can also read more about organising a forests get-together here or see whether there is an event already happening in your area here. There’s a FAQ page which may be helpful too.