ABBIE BARNES

SONGTHRUSH PRODUCTIONS, BRITAIN

“Spend more time in the wild! Especially if you experience mental health issues, put your boots on and get out there.”

Abbie has thousands of miles under her boots. She will tell you it doesn’t take expeditions to the few faraway most spectacular places to experience magic … because the magic, the discovery, the adventure, the chill, the “being at your limits”, the magical first time moments … are very close for newbies … starting with the Grand Garden Campout!

Abbie's story

Abbie also started filming documentary films as an early teen to add a youth voice on the environment, on sustainability, on good people with solutions and on what to do.

As she discovered there’s more than ‘plastic pollution’ out there, but a world full of wonder, peace, birdsong and trails dating back thousands of years charged with stories we know from history text books, breathtaking mountain peaks and epic storms, she changed the ‘problems lens’ for the ‘awesomeness lens’ to share her discoveries with others and kick their butts to get out there themselves, since …

“We will protect only what we love, and we will only love what we know and enjoy”. Can you imagine a better speaker for purposeful media projects at school?

Abbie also is very open about her turbulent psycho-emotional alchemy – also known as ‘mental health’ – and if she can through those storms, we all can. Of course, she has tips on how to manage those challenging moments. It can be very simple.

Altogether, Abbie is a fantastic coach for all of us to get our butts up and have fun exploring, marching and waiting for those WOW moments that will certainly come if we give our most precious – our time – and make an effort to be most awesome; precisely like in a love companionship – with the Living Planet, and wow, does SHE make magical gifts in return!

TOPICS

mental health

nature films from a youth perspective

natural + cultural heritage * fascinating surprises

filmmaking

outdoor hiking life

tips and tricks, fun, food, equipment, well-being, safety, hygiene

wild foods

youtube channel + patreon community development

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PREPARATION

View some of Abbie’s videos. form teams, take on clips and report highlights to the group with a favorite scene and screenshot printed out. Put it up as exhibit. This kaleidoscope of hiking and documentation will give you many ideas for the future.

#bemoreawesome profile

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ACTIONS

The Grand Garden Campout

You read that right! Start simply with a campout in your home’s garden, with a tent, a light, a comfy bedding, a meal and some good night tale.

Take a nice pic and tell us about it!

Plan a set of Micro Adventures

Form friendly teams of 3 to 5 and pick a direction, East, Southwest etc. scout interesting spots, places you like to visit, activities you plan, such as swimming, visit to a donkey farm, bat museum, cheesery … (view toggle below) … then combine all your travel paths and goals and activity plans on one big common map. Add some big challenges such as strenous mountain hikes etc. that raise questions “how to make it” while still having fun.

What questions arise?

Go on a Micro Adventure

Yo, go hike and camp out in the most fascinating environment nearby … as you can tell from Abbie’s videos, the most appealing scenery is mountains, lakes, rivers and crossings, old buildings, wild meadows, small and big animals, pittoresque villages … seek out such spots along your way and a neat place to stay overnight, preferably a few but not too many people around.

Further destination tips

national park
nature reserve
cultural heritage
historic walking trails

They add good content to feed your curious mind and make the land come alive; it also adds to stories and tales to tell.

Tip: form friendly teams of maximum 5 and head out to different directions! North, East, Southwest etc. Plan your path… and map your discoveries. Then, back in camp / in class, share your discoveries, add them to the collective map, so that the region becomes alive with story and neat places and secrets for all of you to check out later with friends, family or peers that you guide.

If you’re worried about comfort and hygiene, you find pertaining videos in her collection.

Shoes : no need for boots – comfortable runners are perfectly fine!

Clothes: comfy, can get dirty. You don’t want to be handicapped in your movement by having to pay attention to stay sterile. Get dirty! Get wild!

Sponsor / co-produce Abbie's next film

Yes! Abbie has expenses, and even when it’s just $300€ for travel, food, new gear … they need to get from somewhere. You can pitch in and will get mentioned as co-produce in film credits. Make her day.

We always wonder what Abbie will do, when someone gifts her $1,000 to discover a trail in Eastern Europe or so… will you find out?

Abbie's Action Guide

Boostclub Profile