Over the years, we became more active in environmental work. What we are doing can be very different from time to time: making nest-boxes for birds, starting a hedgehog conservation programme, digging a pond, or making an information campaign for the rainforests. In 2005 we founded a project called FOREST KIDS NETWORK (FKN) as part of our conservation activities. We see FKN as a part of the international forest conservation movement.  It is our main goal to involve children and their families in forest conservation activities all over the world. Children are the future of everything on this planet and so, without them, long term conservation is not possible. Many environmental organisations have recognized this and have started to work with children. Now the next step has to be connecting more and more of these kids-environmental-projects all over the world.

What we want to do?

We will begin to make contacts between children involved in environmental activities and projects main focused on forest conservation. We also want to offer involvement to families of children engaged in these projects, if they are interested. But most of all, we want to connect children with trees, animals, wild forests and the spirit of nature. And in this way with their own hearts.

In 10 years of working with children in environmental education, we have gained a lot of experience.  The one main  thing that we have learned is that nearly all children love nature and animals and most of them want help to conserve them. Children often are very concerned about the situation of nature and wildlife. FOREST KIDS NETWORK offers children possibilities to become active in conservation, and most important, connect these children so their efforts can become successful.

What are we doing in Germany in the moment?

1. Paper campaign
Much of our daily used (wasted) paper comes from the destruction of the last remaining old growth forests. So we started a paper campaign at schools to inform children about their connection to forest destruction by using paper.

2. Traveling to different forests
More than 99% of ancient forests in Germany are destroyed. But there is still some remaining. Visiting these last stands and learning about former wildlife are reasons for us to travel in Germany and Europe. In summer 2005 the Outdoor-School Darmstadt organized a 3 week trip for families to the coastal temperate rainforests of British Columbia, Canada. We looked at the beauty of the rainforest and the destruction from “modern“ industrial logging and helped first nations in their fights to save their traditional landrights. Based on these first steps, FKN goes on travelling with groups in BC.

3. „Forest of the children“.
Together with the city government and the local forest rangers, we a creating a project called “Forest of the children“, where children have their own forest to greate environmental projects an are responsible for its conservation.