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Women and Veterans “Plug In” to Electric Forest with “Her Forest” and “Electric Forces”

March 26, 2018 By Lia Tabackman

As a festival known for promoting experimentalism and community-based work, the minds behind Electric Forest take pride in encouraging festival-goers to go beyond just “visiting” the forest and instead find ways to contribute to the festival’s collaborative and creative vision.

Enter The Plug-In Program: a series of creative opportunities designed to encourage Forest family to deepen their connections, harness the power of community and add to the magic of the forest through contests, themed campgrounds, workshops, art installations and a variety of other creative pursuits.

Among the opportunities are “Her Forest” and “Electric Forces;” programs designed to encourage women and veterans to deepen their festival experiences through connecting with individuals who have faced similar life experiences.

Launched in 2016, “Her Forest” is a collaborative camping experience designed for female-identifying festival attendees to connect, inspire and learn from each other while experiencing Electric Forest. The program includes the opportunity to camp in a designated “Her Forest” camping area, listen to women’s leadership seminars, and take part in activities to encourage women to connect with each other in new and innovative ways.

The “Electric Forces” program found its roots in 2013 as a program designed to encourage military men and women to work behind the scenes of Electric Forest. The program was originally inspired by the stories of Pat and Tim, two young, wounded veterans who were deeply moved by their experiences in the Forest.

“My friends took me to Electric Forest in 2012 when I was still lost. It changed my life. Everyone at that festival became my family within a few days and I can honestly say I think it saved my life.” Since then, Electric Forces has strived to nurture healing and to build connectedness between U.S. military veterans and music festival communities. Electric Forces activations have included shared storytelling, group camping, site-build volunteer opportunities, and more.”

For this year’s Forest, the program has been redesigned to through another “Plug-In” project; “The Wish Machine.” Through the “Wish Machine,” veterans are invited to work with the Electric Forest staff through internships that will allow them to integrate their experiences into the festival to create an environment conducive to healing from PTSD, anxiety, stress, and trauma.

Check out the videos below to learn more about what “Her Forest” and “Electric Forces” have to offer, then head over to the links below to apply or reserve your spot in the program. We’ll see you in the Forest!