The Rain Forest student organization of the Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara (Fahutan USU), successfully recruited 54 new candidate members through its Generation XV Open Recruitment drive held on October 24–25, 2026, at Campus 2 USU Bekala. The event served as a platform for students to hone technical skills, foster leadership qualities, and deepen environmental stewardship.

The program was officially opened by representatives of the Head of the Forestry Study Program, Dr. Evalina Herawati, S.Hut., M.Si., represented by Dr. Nelly Anna, S.Hut., M.Si. In a warm and welcoming atmosphere, candidates were introduced to core organizational values and embraced into the Rain Forest family.

Across the two days, participants attended structured capacity-building sessions aimed at sharpening critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and team collaboration. Alumni joined the forum to share perspectives on organizational growth, ethical leadership, and student responsibilities in environmental preservation. Furthermore, candidates learned about Rain Forest’s operational divisions and pitched original environmental project proposals.

The training framework also integrated essential field forestry competencies, including land navigation via physical compasses and digital mapping tools, as well as first-aid emergency response. Participants applied these practical skills directly at the USU Arboretum through route-finding exercises and team challenges designed to test navigation accuracy, leadership, creativity, and group synergy.

The recruitment drive concluded with structured interviews conducted by organizational executives to evaluate candidates' motivations, commitment, and readiness, followed by closing remarks from the President of Rain Forest. This final phase provided deeper insight into each participant's potential for future organizational involvement.

Through the Generation XV Open Recruitment, Rain Forest aims to cultivate members who possess not only field-ready technical skills, but also strong character, collaborative mindsets, and environmental accountability. The induction of new candidates is expected to reinforce the role of forestry students as the next generation of environmental stewards contributing to forest and nature conservation.

This initiative directly aligns with Sustainable Development Goal SDG 4 (Quality Education) through experiential learning and out-of-classroom skill development, as well as SDG 15 (Life on Land) by instilling youth responsibility toward forest conservation and biodiversity protection.