In 2027, the 16-20 year age group (District Fellows) of youth movement Woodcraft Folk turn fifty years old!
In celebration of the milestone, the movement have launched DF archiving project ’50 years of the DFs’. The project plans to celebrate DFs achievements over the past five decades in order to support them to continue organising as autonomous youth in the fifty years to come.
The main mission of the project is to organise and collect a DF archive. While Woodcraft Folk’s archived history is currently being preserved within the special collections held at UCL following the ‘100 years Spanning 100 Objects’ arching project- many items related to the DFs are missing.
Woodcraft Folk are calling on its members and supporters, old and new who have any connection to DFs to share any past DF memorabilia with the movement to help them fill in gaps in the DF archive.
This project is co-ordinated by Delilah Wallbank. They are an ex-DF who has extensive experience working in archives and libraries across London. Previously, they have written a book chapter and several zines on DF history.
50 Years of DFs Project Officer, Deliah Wallbank says:
“It was the DFs who invented Woodie Hoodies, who pioneered peer mental health support, and who produced ephemera ranging from badges and videos, to newsletters and banners. If you have a box of DF shirts under your bed, a collection of papers in your attic, or a folder of photos or minutes saved on your computer we would love to speak to you about how you could contribute.”
Paper and other physical archives aren’t the only ways to preserve history. This project is also about collecting the stories of DFs old and new; giving young people the chance to learn about producing oral histories from professionals working at UCL. If you are a current DF who wants to learn about the history of the movement or an ex-DF who wants to share their experience and knowledge with young people today, Woodcraft Folk want to hear from you.
This collection is inspired by the philosophy of archiving from below and the idea that preservation is less about conserving objects and more about using them in the present day. As such Woodcraft Folk will be running a range of activation workshops centered around the archive as it grows – you can look out for these on the movement’s blog and social media.
If you are interested and want to get involved Woodcraft Folk are currently looking for volunteers to help plan and guide its outcomes. Delilah can be contacted at archive.dfs@woodcraft.org.uk, and is happy to talk over email or organise a meeting to discuss how you would like to contribute.