Forest Friends

Forest Friend is a WWF-Indonesia and WWF-Germany joint program. The program allows its selected contestants (both from Indonesia and Germany) to bond friendship and share information online about forest protection activities, green lifestyles, as well as other activities related to forest and environment conservation. Forest friend is a competition in which selected contestants will organize online campaign to generate as many supporters for their natural forest protection campaign. For each supporter gathered, ten trees will be planted which means the more supporters they gathered, the more their contribution to forest restoration will be. Owing to 2010 as the Year of Tiger and International Year of Biodiversity, the restoration will be focused on Sumatran tiger’s critical habitats.

At the end of this competition, two contestants (one from Indonesia and one from Germany) gathering most supporters will get a chance to visit national park in Indonesia and Germany to see both countries’ forest and indispensable nature, then more importantly, to understand more about conservation issues related to it.

WWF-Indonesia and WWF-Germany will independently select its country’s Forest Friends contestants.

1. Yielding creative ideas from youth to actively contribute on forest and environment conservation efforts.
2. Inspiring and raising public awareness to participate in protecting, managing, and restoring/rehabilitating forest in Indonesia.
3. Broadening Indonesian youth’s perspective regarding issues related to forest and environment to global level as well as motivating them to purport green life style as their way of life.
4. Encouraging public to support and actively participate on WWF-Indonesia’s program.
5. Encouraging active Supporters or members of WWF-Indonesia to continue their support on conservation for longer term.

1. Indonesian Citizen, aged 18 to 25 years old (as shown on ID card, Passport, Student Card, Driving License, or Family Certificate)
2. Active member of at least one WWF-Indonesia’s program: Supporter WWF-Indonesia, RhinoCare program, SAHABAT Harimau program, Mybaby tree program, and other WWF donation program (as proven by donation receipt or above mentioned programs’ member card). Interested participant who have not join WWF-Indonesia program can join one of these programs before submitting their blog. More information about these programs can be found in www.wwf.or.id
3. Having a good English language ability and keen on working in team
4. Oblige to terms and conditions of Forest Friends competitions
5. WWF-Indonesia’s staff is not eligible to enter this contest
6. Individuals meet the above mentioned criteria may send their blog address, short bio data (stating full name, address, occupation, date of birth, telephone number, e-mail, and recent photograph), scanned copy of identity card, and proof of WWF-Indonesia program active membership.

Register your blog by filling online form in www.wwf.or.id/forestfriends. Your blog should confer articles (preferable with picture / short movie / PSA / jingle / other creative means) on the subject of “real action to conserve forest and environment”. In this stage, articles on your blog can be written in Indonesia or English.

Find out how to create your blog here

Date of submission: eligible blog address should be received by WWF-Indonesia before 15 May 2010

Blog Criteria:

• Articles written in blog and other creative ideas (for example photo / short movies / PSA / jingle etc.) must be original and belong to the contestant. Quoting or citing others’ book, website, picture, film or etc (including from WWF-Indonesia) is allowed but should include the copyright or source of the materials. Any violation regarding copyright issue will disqualified your entry.
• Submitted entry must be made by individual who is eligible to be contestant of Forest Friends competition
• Copyright of the entry owned by contestant. The committee (WWF-Indonesia) has the rights to publish it stating information of the copyright.

• Originality, initiative, and writing consistency
• Substance and correlation with theme
• Inspiring others to actively participate in conserving, managing and restoring/rehabilitating forest in Indonesia. Motivating others to maintain green life style as their way of life as well as encouraging public to support and actively participated in WWF-Indonesia’s programs
• Amount of public support to the submitted blog or creation(s) in submitted blog.

Three best bloggers from the selection stage will go to the final stage (which will be announced on 18th May 2010)

Final Stage

In this final stage, three bloggers from Indonesia will work online in one team with three bloggers from Germany (there will be one blogger from Indonesia and Germany in each team) in which each team will create one blog and gather public supports to win Forest Friends competition.

For final stage, WWF will provide online application—in English—for each team to be modified with their creative ideas and campaigning means to gather support (fans). Winner will be selected based on the amount of support or fans. Ten trees will be planted for each fan or support the contestants gathered. Therefore, the more fans they gathered through their conservation message the bigger their contribution to reforestation effort. All reforestation cost will be paid by WWF and sponsors.

Blog campaign for this final stage will start simultaneously on 4th week of May and close on last week of August 2010.

Award
Winner of Forest Friends competition will be awarded with:

1. One winning team (1 Indonesian and 1 German) will get a chance to visit one WWF’s field office in Sumatra and Germany (All expense paid and visa application will be arranged by the committee) where their journey will be covered by media.
2. Second and third place winners from Indonesia will be visiting one WWF’s field office in Sumatra (All expense will be covered by the committee)
3. During visit to Sumatra, winners in point a and b will have a hands-on experience in restoring Sumatran tiger habitat, patrolling and surveying for tiger research and joining other invaluable adventures in the forest with WWF team.

Once the winner is properly announced, the committee’ decision is final. There will be no correspondence about the outcome of Forest Friends competition. Should the committee found any violation (i.e. copyright and plagiarism), it holds every right to annul the winner.