Big Jump aims at reconciliating people with their rivers. This project will induce the citizens to reconquer their rivers and lakes and will revive the powerful links that used to bind people to these spaces. Reconciliation is an essential element to gain people's support to the big European restoration effort for rivers and wetlands, this huge project being expressed in the Water Framework Directive of the European Community.

The “Big Jump” project includes numerous actions on the main European water basins, like the organisation of a serie of transboundary swimming days on different European water basins. Educational events on the theme of water quality or river restoration are always held during these actions.

Big Jump is a campaign by European Rivers Network (ERN) and many partners and has been initiated by its Founder President Roberto Epple.

WWF Hungary invites all cities, municipalities and communities to organise their own Big Jump or join the one nearest to them on Sunday, 10th July, 2016 at 3 pm. WWF is organising it’s own BIG JUMP at the free beach of Dunabogdány and welcomes all communities who feel like joining. We are organising a bike tour from Budapest to Dunabogdány, and we’ll have plenty of fun events on the spot such as a watershot-fight (make sure you have your own splash-weapon in case our supplies run out.

Unfortunately no water balloons are allowed since they provide too much waste), beach volleyball games, sand castle building, and the JUMP of course! WWF encourages participating communities to do or wear something coherent that stands out and marks them as a team. You can do a Silly Walk Jump, you can wear clothes made from waste found on a riverbank cleaning trip, or you can think of anything else, that is funny, visible and in for the cause!

We are launching a challenge among the organising groups and locations to find out which Big Jump had the biggest splash! All you have to do is register your Big Jump participation at regisztracio@wwf.hu email address and make sure you have made a video about your BIG JUMP sent to WWF right after the event sent.

The winner gets:

• WWF will welcome a busful of people for a one-day trip at the organisation’s most exciting Hungarian nature conservation site.
• The most creative video of the Big Jump will be rewarded with a special prize.

Why is it worth to take the challenge?

1) To show the whole country that Big Jump makes the biggest splash at our place and that our river, our bank is the most beautiful.
2) Because even though we are expats and or students studying in Hungary, we’d like to express our love for our rivers.
3) To win the trip with WWF Hungary to the most exciting project site.
4) Because we’re in for every summer day of fun that includes water loved by lots of people willing to jump and, of course ̶ the panda.

How to apply:

The application is open for every municipality, institution, civil organisation, corporate group and group of friends. In order to apply you have to register via e -mail by clicking here by 29 June 2016.

The registration must include the following:

• the exact place of the planned event by naming the municipality and the river
• a brief description of the event
• the planned number of participants
• the name, phone number and e-mail address of a contact person

The 2-5-minute long creative videos of the Big Jump held on 10 July should be sent to the regisztracio@wwf.hu e-mail address.

What kind of event can we apply with? Does it have to be jumping? What was the Big Jump like earlier in other places? What is the background of the Big Jump? How long has it been organised in Europe?

You can find the answers with all the important background information on the website of WWF Hungary: http://wwf.hu/big-jump

Photo: Merle István