Let’s break this one apart before we put it all together. 

Get Outside — Our relationships with the inside of our homes have gotten pretty cozy in the past few years. We’re talking about leaving that bubble and experiencing nature. Go feel the sun on your back and the wind in your hair.

Go Inside — The exterior world takes up a lot of space in our minds. The suggestion to go inside is an act of self love. Take time to be introspective. Allow yourself to explore your thoughts and feelings. To go inside is to take a journey of self-discovery and healing.

Get Outside to Go Inside — There are proven mental and physical benefits of being outside like reduced stress, depression and blood pressure. Journaling and meditation have calming effects on the mind that can boost your mood. The Bench Project offers a peaceful setting for you to combine two beneficial acts into one.

We suggest you always get permission to place a bag or tag from The Bench Project. Step one is determining who owns the bench in question. Below are some places to start.

Municipal Park: Reach out to city hall or your township office to speak with someone who has authority to make decisions about public recreation spaces. 

State Park, National Park or Historic Site: These locations have managers you can contact to request permission to place a bench or attach a bench tag or journal kit.

Privately-owned: You may need to do some digging in order to find the owner. The process might be less formal than at a government-owned public area, so put your best foot forward. 

Once you’ve secured permission, get a Connection Bundle or Bench Tag. Place the bag and/or tag at the bench and watch your bench become a community connection point.

First, you’ll need a Bench Tag and the accompanying registration card that contains your specific Bench ID number (a 7-character code that starts with the letter B).  

Once you create your profile, visit www.thebenchproject.net/add and enter the Bench ID. Here you will also name your bench, give it a description, location and a photo.

Only public Community Benches appear on our map. Family Benches are kept private. 

If you get stuck at any point in this process, contact us at support@thebenchproject.net.

When setting up a Community Bench on public or private land, we recommend seeking permission first. We’ve found the best way to get permission is to share the purpose of the project with decision makers. We created a template letter that lays the groundwork. Check out the customizable letter on page 5 of our informational packet.

You need an account to start a Community Bench and list it in our Bench Directory or register a private Family Bench. Making an account for The Bench Project allows you to save your journal entries and gives you access to your own dashboard. Within the dashboard, you can see your benches and all of the virtual journal entries you’ve written. This makes it easier to check in on the Family or Community Benches you started and keep track of others you’ve visited.

No. Anyone can make a virtual journal entry. Registered users can save their entries on their dashboard. If you don’t have a profile, you can post as a guest. We only ask that you include your name with your entry.

The QR code on each Bench Tag is linked to a specific 7-character Bench ID Number that begins with the letter B. If the Bench ID does not match the one associated with your unique QR code, the directory won’t work properly. If you’ve entered your ID incorrectly, don’t worry! Just drop us a note at support@thebenchproject.net and we’ll connect the bench to the directory. 

We love to see filled journals! If your physical journal fills up, that means you have inspired countless connections between strangers, friends or family members. 

When your journal fills up, you have two options: you can keep the journal or you can return the filled journal to us. If you choose to return the filled journal, we will send you a gift as an added bonus! Contact support@thebenchproject.net to coordinate your return. 

New journals can be purchased in the shop here.

In order to properly protect your journal from the outside elements, our Bench Project weatherproof bags must be closed correctly. Follow the instructions below:

1. Place all materials into the bottom of the bag. 
2. Push the air out and start rolling the top of the bag down, smoothing out any creases along the way. Roll it at least three times, but if you have more space, feel free to roll it some more. 
3. Secure the buckles together.

If you notice that any of your Bench Project materials have gone missing, please contact us at support@thebenchproject.net. Additionally, please report what is missing in our Bench Keepers Facebook Group. Include information about where it was last seen. There’s always a chance a bag was mistakenly moved or relocated by the weather or an animal. Keep the community updated and we may be able to find it!

For Physical Bench Project Spaces:

People who place bags or tags in public places are encouraged to keep an eye on them. However, we know it’s not always possible to keep track of everything all the time. People move away, set up spaces on vacation and otherwise just get busy with life. That’s why we created our Bench Keepers Facebook Group. Here, you can report missing items or vandalism. Community members can come together to check on benches in their respective areas. 

For virtual journals:

Each Bench Project virtual journal is linked to the account of the person who registered it. That person has the power to monitor their virtual journal and delete any entries at their discretion. Additionally, swear words in virtual journal entries are censored with asterisks.

If you represent an organization, parks department or municipality, we’d love to work with you to bring The Bench Project to your area! We offer bulk quantities of Bench Tags and Connection Bundles at discounted rates. Contact beth@thebenchproject.net for a custom quote. 

If you are an individual, Bench Tags can be purchased in bulk at a discounted rate in the shop. Learn more here.

We are here to help! Contact support@thebenchproject.net with any questions. You can also seek assistance from our community by visiting our Bench Keepers Facebook Group.