2009 Camp Feedback

[Mike Grenville]

Thoughts from the September 2009 camp - please add your comments about this year's camp.

[Mike Grenville]

Here are the notes we took down in the closing circle:



- Dates for next year (probably 1st - 3rd October 2010 but TBCF)
- Better booking form (hopefully this will be online next year)
- Payment: early bird booking rate
- Kit List: make it clearer to bring your own plate, bowl, cup and cutlery (oops I forgot), hot water bottle, winter camping gear, wellies, sun cream, sun hat, thermals, thick socks, camping mattress.
- Meal vouchers might be needed as numbers grow
- Food: puddings!, raw chocolate workshop, pot luck (perhaps everyone brings a cake), kids meals

- Schedule: Bit more structure in advance; Use Open Space to manage all the workshop offers; more modelling - keep it snappy; A pot of needs (how can we deal with it?); use this years' schedule to give taste on what will be on offer next time more in advance. More technical/science topics.

- Set up areas around the field: woodwork, soul, healing, food etc...

- Plan facilities for wet weather! (Two years with full on sunshine does seem to be stretching our luck!)

- Sign up extra helpers/organisers

[Katherine Hallewell]

HI Mike,

glorious weekend indeed. The suggested date for next camp - doesn't that clash with the Forest Row Festival? (Not sure whether that happens the same weekend each year). It would definitely clash with the Forest Row Local Food Week market (again, if that happened on the same week each year).

That's about all the clashes I can think of at the moment!

K

[Scarlett Penn]

It feels hard to critique such a great weekend! I suppose my only thought is that we could consider condensing/changing the format of the closing circle a bit. To me, with smaller groups it always seems important to hear a few words from everyone about how they are feeling at the end, to get a sense of 'closure' (horrid word) and have a time and space for a group goodbye. I'm not sure that really happened this time. I also sensed that some people - including myself - were under a bit of time-pressure towards the end, so I suppose it could help if there's a more scheduled finishing time for future events? But really - I had a great time, and I think your photos capture the mood perfectly Mike. Thanks!

[Martin Grimshaw]

Marvellous - only thing we need next year is more people, and it is partly down to us to bring people in. On that note, I posted a note up on the Transition Brighton & Hove webforum ( http://forum.transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=512 )

Three suggestions for next year:
1 Really emphasise to bookers the need to be warm at night, in case it is cold again.
2 Bring back that beautiful warm autumn sunshine (I got a little suntan!)
3 Workshops and activities: probably always good to have options, since not everyone will get into all of it, or will want something they haven't already done.

Suggestions: a couple of deeper workshops - into Peak Oil perhaps, a group relationships paramedic team (for those pesky bumps any groups go through), a football match (insert your choice of sport here), practical tips on running good events / managing projects, permaculture principles basics, more space to share our experiences so far.... and so on.

Once again deep thanks to Mike and the team, especially the catering crew, and to Wowo.

[Sarah Brookes]

Hello to all who were at the camp!
My children and I had a fantastic time - it was all I had thought it would be and more! this is due to the fantastic people at the camp - thank you to everyone for being so open and including of my children at events sometimes geared more for the adults - this really made it for us.
A few notes for future ideas:
It was bitterly cold at night, the end of September is often a weather turning point where the nights turn chilly and autumn sets in- while this is a beautiful time of the year, I think it would be much better to have the camp just before this turning point, around mid Sep, rather than after it! Although I acknowledge I am fortunate in being able to see the stars well from my back garden, a full moon with clear skies would be an advantage in camping for easy walking around at night! Quangle gave me an excellent tip of lining the floor of the inner with foil sheets / underlay - which I will employ next year!
Photos are great and we explored them eagerly to find ourselves! However some parents may not be happy for children to be posted on the web and generally permission is obtained before anyone eg school does this - it might seem like legislation gone mad, but I personally know a family for whom this could be diasterous- perhaps a tick box on the booking form and careful editing if necessary if anyone does not give their consent would be prudent in future?
Thank you to everyone who made it happen and hope to meet many of you again!
Sarah

[Martin Grimshaw]

I got a request about the Formal Consensus workshop I co-presented, thought I'd post here... hope it's not too off topic:
At the workshop we had copies of a one page simple outline of the basic process + some basic rules and principles. I don't think that version is available online as it is an update by my teacher. It is based on this this simple flowchart, freely available:

http://www.consensus.net/flowchart.html

The entire facilitators guide 'On Conflict & Consensus', by C.T. Lawrence Butler and Amy Rothstein, is available for free online:
http://www.consensus.net/ocaccontents.html

For further workshops, from Introduction to Formal Consensus (next one Sat 24 Oct in Lewes, one day, come to the TB&H party after!) or advanced FC facilitation training (ongoing monthly), among other things, go to http://www.integrityunlimited.co.uk/ for Nathaniel's contact details.

We'll probably also run another short intro to FC, plus much more, at the Transition South East get together, details coming soon!

:)

[Rebecca]

Wonderful Gathering!
Fantastic Folk with Frolics and Fine minds!
I felt really fed and re energised. Thank You!
I thought we had a strong closing circle, ithink it'd be great to have an equally powerful opening one to launch us into the weekend. Maybe 7.30pm on the friday night.
love the photos,
Rebecca x
ps Maybe we should take over a south east youth hostel over the winter and gather again!