This summer, we will be walking the length of the River Medway on an epic 9-day journey that will enable us to deepen our friendship with the river. Inspired by the desire to further listen to, honour, and care for the river, we will be running a programme that unites all of our three streams – practical, sacred, and legal – with the objectives of raising awareness, creating connection, participating in conservation, building data, empowering action, inspiring creative engagement, fostering community, and advocating for the Rights of Rivers.
The main daily activity will be walking. However, we are also developing a programme of activities that fall within the practical, legal, and sacred streams.
Practical
Citizen Science and Conservation - We will be gathering data throughout the pilgrimage using our Ripple Effect water testing kits. This will help us gain an understanding of the catchment as a whole at this specific point in time, contributing to the pre-existing data. We will also be running litter picks, invasive species removals (where possible), and documenting wildlife.
Environmental Workshops - We will be running different environmental workshops to inspire sustainable living practices and more river-friendly behaviours.
Legal
Advocate for Rights of Rivers - Throughout the journey, we wish to collaborate with the different communities to co-create a charter and pledge to the Rights of the River Medway, joining a national and international movement of people that seek to treat nature as a living ecosystem, rather than a dead entity.
Sacred
Nature Connection - We will be running nature connection exercises with the aim of inspiring a new relationship with the river, opening up space for gratitude, love, and care. This might take the form of the different water ceremonies that we have run in the past, as well as nature workshops.
Art & Creativity Workshops - We will be running different environmentally-themed art workshops using natural materials. Our aim is to generate nature-inspired writing an poetry; to invite storytelling sessions by the river; and to co-create a community art piece that celebrates the River Medway, unity, and community. The river is our muse!
We are looking for different volunteers to help us both in the planning and production of the pilgrimage. If you are interested in signing up, please contact us at hello@formedway.org.
