Angela from Detroit, Michigan will help expand the Electric Forces program thanks to the Wish Machine
In December 2016, Electric Forest HQ launched a brand new fan participation initiative called the Wish Machine. The First Granted Wish for 2018 goes to Angela from Detroit, Michigan who wants to help improve military veteran’s lives with Electric Forces.
The Electric Forest Wish Machine calls upon the Forest Family to submit wishes that encourage the spread of positivity beyond the magic of the Forest into the real world. Since its inception, the Wish Machine has collected over 5,000 wishes, large and small.
Angela explained that her plan was to resign from her role at the Veteran Affairs and dedicate herself to developing more creative and collaborative healing and growth opportunities for veterans. Specifically, she wished for the opportunity to re-imagine the Electric Forces program by inviting veterans who struggle with PTSD to more fully integrate into the festival landscape, bringing specific military experiences to a wide variety of operations at Electric Forest 2018.
With Angela’s wish, the Electric Forces program will now go through a new evolution in 2018.
It will start by expanding Veteran participation in Electric Forest and fully integrating the program into the experience of the Forest. New paid internships that relate to veteran duties and skill sets will be available.
These include jobs and learning opportunities in areas of festival transportation, power, community relations/leadership, and more. Electric Forces will also offer expanded support groups and workshops on veteran PTSD and anxiety suffered by millions of civilians.
According to Angela:
There are shared similarities between these conditions. We can all help each other by sharing comping mechanisms, fostering social understanding, acceptance and inclusion, and creating opportunity for personal and community growth.
For me personally, this hits home. I am a military veteran and served in the United States Army for eight years.
Anxiety and PTSD is real. Apart from seeing my friends go through the pain, I have as well. It can be quite crippling. After meeting someone at EDC Orlando who told me about this program, it makes me happy to see things like this.
Electric Forest acknowledges the issue and offers plug-in programs like Electric Forces. This year, I will be taking part in the Electric Forces program as part of the build-crew opportunity. I am excited to be part of this program that has brought joy, community, and family amongst veterans in the forest.
The Wish Machine and Electric Forces are just another example of Electric Forest’s commitment to giving back.
The Electric Forest “Plug In” program has many different offerings available for the forest family to enhance their experience. We’ve also got the details on other “Plug In” programs like the ecology program and the women and educators program.
Tickets for both weekends of Electric Forest 2018 are still available.
