UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland start cooperation – a mobile game about forests to be designed
UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland have agreed on cooperation to work together in order to strengthen the relationship between forests and young people. The cooperation includes creation of a mobile game about forests to be used by scouts allowing them to see forests from a different point of view.
“Scouts spend a lot of time in forests. Instead of replacing traditional activities such as hiking and camping, the game will complement them. It will allow us to motivate the younger generation to learn about forests and the opportunities they offer from a completely different perspective,” explains Anna Munsterhjelm, President of the Guides and Scouts of Finland.
“The Guides and Scouts of Finland is a natural partner for us to cooperate with,” says Pirkko Harrela, UPM’s Executive Vice President, Stakeholder Relations.
“The forest is a familiar environment for scouts as a hiking and camping site, while sustainably managed forests are the source of the raw materials we use in our recyclable products.”
“Games and mobile technology offer a new and inspiring way for young people to gain new information. Together with the Guides and Scouts of Finland, our goal is to develop a game that will encourage the younger generation to learn about forests and the different species that live there, as well as the variety of ways that wood can be used,” Harrela continues.
“We will attend the Slush event taking place next week on 11-12 November in Helsinki with the intention to find mobile game developers with whom we can work together in this project,” says Paula Savonen, UPM’s Manager, Marketing & CRM, Wood Sourcing & Forestry. Savonen will oversee the cooperation and development of the game with the Guides and Scouts of Finland.
“We share UPM’s interest in renewal and bold experimentation with new operating methods. One of the key areas in the strategy pursued by the Guides and Scouts of Finland is proactively searching for partners, because such partnerships are the best way of developing interests for the younger generation. For an association such as the Guides and Scouts of Finland, partnerships are a means of creating future operating methods,” says Kaisa Koistinen, Director, Public Affairs and Communications at the Guides and Scouts of Finland. Koistinen has been in charge of preparing the project.
UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland can be seen working together for the first time at the Helsinki Forest Fair at the Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre on 6-8 November. The Guides and Scouts of Finland will arrange a programme for schoolchildren at the UPM stand on Friday 6 November. On Sunday 8 November, the Guides and Scouts of Finland will give a presentation on the Tulevaisuuden Tori stage, informing the audience about what you can do and learn in the forest.
