Who?
The citizenship project emerged in June 2017, after the fires in Pedrógão Grande, with the collective dream of seeing Portuguese forests reborn.

We are inspired by the principle of Syntropy¹ "Cooperation and Unconditional Love move all living beings to create more life". This paradigm shift in the way of looking at nature and the laws that govern life leads us to question human relations and the institutional structures, education and the current economy, all of which are currently based on the premises of competition and survival of the fittest. .

From this perspective, our motto emerged: “Think like a Forest”, which integrates the human being in and as an intrinsic part of the forest organism.

In response to the fires and the need to connect all people interested in acting for the regeneration of communities and forests, Reflorestar Portugal promoted the 1st Meeting for Forests, in September 2017.
With this event, a safe space was created to expand and disseminate this new paradigm of cooperation and unconditional love, between human beings and with Nature, in order to foster a National Regeneration Network, in response to the socio-environmental challenges we face .

Why?
Understanding that our planet's Life support systems are at a critical point of decline, we know that it is necessary to act collectively and in an articulated manner to have a quick and effective impact.
From the vitality of the soils to the quality of water and the preservation of biodiversity, concrete and transdisciplinary actions are urgently needed to respond to the crisis in natural ecosystems.
Avoiding the collapse of civilization and mass extinction is now the priority that we seek to reflect in our actions.
With this focus came the 2nd Encounter for Forests. A space of convergence where people are invited to be present to connect and work, through the practical experience provided by social technologies and collaborative methods.
Reflorestar Portugal proposes to hold this meeting every 2 years, ideally alternating the locations between the North and the South of the country, in order to enable a participation and contribution that is as representative as possible of the Portuguese and Iberian population.

HOW?
With the guidance of professionals, the creation of synergies between participants is facilitated, creating an atmosphere where everyone feels part of the construction of a new paradigm of collaboration. In this way, the understanding and creation of collective solutions to current social and ecological challenges is promoted, fostering the transition to a new culture, a Regenerative Culture.

GOALS
Of the wide range of objectives that can be listed in the Meeting for Forests, we highlight:

Provide a space for meeting and exchanging knowledge, so that different individuals can get to know each other personally and find points of convergence and understanding;
Connect and network between change agents in Portugal in the context of forests;
Increase individual and collective awareness of the current situation and outline possible lines of response to current challenges, where cooperation is the starting point;
Foster collaboration and the creation of synergies between projects, individuals, between the north and south of the country;
Encourage projects and actions with common objectives in Portugal's reforestation;
Empower individuals to be actors and creators of concrete responses on the ground;
Creating a sense of community and belonging to a national and global movement.
Facilitate the emergence of support networks, practical, emotional and technical, between projects and individuals.

Collaborative Methodologies

Collaborative Methodologies and Social Technologies are a set of processes developed and applied in the interaction with participants and appropriated by them, which prove to be important for the empowered and collective creation of solutions, promoting inclusion and a sense of autonomy and belonging of individuals, within a group. Were used:
Open Space Technology; Dragon Dreaming; Art of Hosting; World Cafe; Theory U; Meditation; Self-Massage; Circular dances.