Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
Lloyd Russell-Moyle
| food for thought? --- On Wed, 3/11/10, janehughes <janeanw...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
|
mig kerr
Good points:
- wide games
- vennies
- VMT
- different centres
- cafes & restaurants
- better news - more venturer videos
- menu (not very imaginative)
- more toilets
I haven't consulted the others (yet) but what I have found confusing and concerning is the vagueness of the statement from VCamp organisers (and it's also been true of other national /international events and therefore I agree that it's a general thing)) which seemed to say on the one hand that alcohol would not be tolerated, and that young people found with alcohol would be asked to pour it away or have it confiscated, but that in itself implies that it's expected that young people will come with alcohol. And then in the handbook to say (sorry can't remember it exactly) something like 'WCF supports sensible use of alcohol'. Contradiction?
I agree that a total ban on alcohol can lead to acting out and illicit drinking which can then have more disastrous consequences....but it's very easy to read into the official statements that actually alcohol use is condoned.. and it's then only a small step to saying that it's encouraged.....
Also, I wonder if there are any useful lessons to be learned from the notorious beach parties at Newquay etc (though I appreciat that in those situations, young people don't have adults around at all).
Mig
West Coventry
Tom Searle
From: mig kerr <mig....@herakles.demon.co.uk>
To: vcam...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, 5 November, 2010 14:13:11
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
fire poi
It’s a shame I can’t come so I’ll write some thoughts down
Advice for centre coordinators
- Never run a centre on your own you wont be able to do everything you planed.
- When writing a programme think about how many volunteers you’ll need and if you have them.
- Plan/prepare everything before the event you wont have time during.
Advice for a walking centre
- Only do walks from the site, there may be nicer walks further a field but it’s not worth the transport hassle
- It doesn’t matter where you walk; most people just want to get away from it all. They are not bothered about picturesque scenery, just minimise traffic
- Get them to make a pack lunch in the village saves you a lot of hassle
I loved the wide game We learned from last times mistakes and made a fantastic game, which went almost perfectly – big thanks to Joel for that one
The solar showers
mestup centre brilliant
I think the drug use on camp has dropped dramatically
vennies= awesome
The media centre could have been better run. We also were using open source software which was a good Idea in theory but it’s not nearly as good as other versions. And the tree programme funded a training weekend where we learnt to use other software
In response to the alcohol discussion, "alcohol is encouraged"
my opinion is: vcamp should be a safe place to learn about drinking responsibly.
I see nothing wrong with the rules that were set out on camp
You cannot buy alcohol on camp
You cannot drink in the central area if you do you will be asked to pour it away
If you chose to bring your own alcohol you must drink it openly in the village.
These rules do not encourage or discourage the use of alcohol, which is the fine line we need to tread
In response to the suggestion that there should be a 1to15 df /Venturer split
Don’t be silly
That would barely cover the stewards and stage crew. Df’s do a massive amount for vcamp it’s belittling to say that the job could be done by so few. A reduction in df places would drastically reduce the programme variety. Meaning a poorer camp all round.
Also vcamp is the best opportunity to meet national dfs. We already lose 4/5 venturers when they move upFrom: mig kerr <mig....@herakles.demon.co.uk>
To: vcam...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, 5 November, 2010 14:13:11
Bill Bremner
Newham Venturer V camp evaluation
- Clans - people avoided
- Food -ranged from fantastic to disgusting -you cant please everyone! call for meat (as usual)
- Workshops enjoyed esp. Political ones and Climate camp
- Centres -favourites Chillout, Dreamgate, Cafes Mest up
- Evening programme -Stage good Club Joker a hit
- Vennies -they really liked them and wanted again
- Wide game 'made me think' -worked well
- Village -all positive with Venturers (apart from clans)
- Information -Liked the passports for info
- Problems /Peer pressure - felt supported
- Sleep -most though they got enough
- Favorite things -the people there & time change was inspired!
- What would you change? - longer (?) & food
also info (like this meeting) needs to go out in time for people to organise (cheeky I know with the lateness of this e-mail!)
Booking was confused as we were told only to book via district -then bookings from individuals were accepted via web bookings -confusing for organisers
DFs -in the main fantastic and worked hard -but some need to be reminded it is a venturer camp
Alcohol -a difficult one as we want to support young people in a safe environment -but V camp is known as a place you can go and get pissed -this cant be good
Bill
Joel
shamefully I can't be at the meeting today, but am putting together a
program evaluation from home as we 'speak'.
Just a quick note about DFs.
Every venturer camp seems to end with adults talking about how DFs
were problematic on camp, whilst obviously this shouldn't be ignored I
think we need to be really careful of the negative effects this could
have on future camps and also really examine the origins of the
negative feelings which come to the fore.
Here's my stance:
This year for the first time all DFs had to sign in with a role as
they came along to camp, The Awesome Job Centre then did a fantastic
job of individually checking them in on arrival at camp and making
sure they had things to be doing. I personally was part of a few trips
to visit DFs who we had learnt were not pulling their weight, and
there was often a reason behind it (illness, nerves etc) and it was
always amicably settled and resulted in people getting more involved
in the 'work' side of camp.
DFs were, are and always will be continually reminded that it is a
Venturer Camp and we've got to be so careful of not pushing away the
very people who make it happen by tarring them with a brush of
laziness after they worked hours and hours running every centres,
program and helping in villages.
A lot of you mentioned the wide game as a highlight, which is
fantastic. This was also one of my favourite bits, precisely because
it brought every single DF on camp together and they all pitched in to
make it work.
We worked hard to make sure the news had more venturers, the centre
teams had more venturers, we collectively set up a venturer committee
after a planning process that involved far more input from venturers,
we definitely did not ignore the feedback from last time that
articulated a worry about V Camp becoming too dominated by DFs.
The alcohol discussion is of course hugely important; in many ways I
think the best solution we can have is to keep discussing it; but
again I think it would be a fallacy to make general criticisms
attaching DFs to some systemic problem. I'm sure some DFs were a
problem in terms of drinking, as were people of all ages, but they
were also in many ways a solution (Mest up this year was hugely
important and successful in this regard, I know they talked to a lot
of people about worries surrounding alcohol) and the fact that DFs had
the AJC as a quiet non-exclusive space where alcohol was allowed I
feel was a brilliant thing (this is after having serious doubts about
it initially).
If districts are worried about DFs coming on camp I think 'vetting' or
'quotas' would be a disastrous solution. The main problem, as often
seems to be the case, is communication. People are not lazy, they have
come to a camp, they are in the Woodcraft Folk. We simply need to make
sure that those DFs who are less involved nationally and in the
planning processes of camp do get engaged, do get excited about
contributing, do get a chance to offer up their own talents and
skills.
Along with new 'taster' sessions for older Venturers that Dfs are
currently running at some of our camps, the emerging Young Kinsfolk
movement and the ridiculously exciting chance for Woodies of all ages
to get together at this year's Co-Camp, it is an exciting time for
woodies to be bridging the gaps between our age-ranges, not widening
them!
I'll be sending round a full evaluation as soon as I can, but in
general I had a fantastic camp and what few problems there were I
would approach with the age of those involved as one of the least
important factors.
Richard Robertson
I would comment that most of the DFs seemed to be heavily involved in running centres and central activities and very successfully too. If there were others hanging around with no purpose that was a pity but not obvious to me.
One administrative matter which must be avoided next time is the main co-ordinator being out of touch for a lengthy time just before the camp and failing to provide Districts with information as a result. The failure to give at least a month's notice of this review meeting was also unacceptable.
That said, my overall view was of a great camp with some imaginative and effective programming.
Thanks
Richard
Cambridge
On 11/6/2010 11:54, Bill Bremner wrote:
Hi all sorry we cant be there today -hope this arrives in time to be any use
Newham Venturer V camp evaluation
From an organisational point of view -districts need info well in advance of schools breaking up as most groups are term based
- Clans - people avoided
- Food -ranged from fantastic to disgusting -you cant please everyone! call for meat (as usual)
- Workshops enjoyed esp. Political ones and Climate camp
- Centres -favourites Chillout, Dreamgate, Cafes Mest up
- Evening programme -Stage good Club Joker a hit
- Vennies -they really liked them and wanted again
- Wide game 'made me think' -worked well
- Village -all positive with Venturers (apart from clans)
- Information -Liked the passports for info
- Problems /Peer pressure - felt supported
- Sleep -most though they got enough
- Favorite things -the people there & time change was inspired!
- What would you change? - longer (?) & food
also info (like this meeting) needs to go out in time for people to organise (cheeky I know with the lateness of this e-mail!)
Booking was confused as we were told only to book via district -then bookings from individuals were accepted via web bookings -confusing for organisers
DFs -in the main fantastic and worked hard -but some need to be reminded it is a venturer camp
Alcohol -a difficult one as we want to support young people in a safe environment -but V camp is known as a place you can go and get pissed -this cant be good
Bill
On 6 November 2010 05:17, fire poi <f_...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
It�s a shame I can�t come so I�ll write some thoughts down
�
Advice for centre coordinators
- Never run a centre on your own you wont be able to do everything you planed.
- When writing a programme think about how many volunteers you�ll need and if you have them.
- Plan/prepare everything before the event you wont have time during.
�Advice for a walking centre
- Only do walks from the site, there may be nicer walks further a field but it�s not worth the transport hassle
- It doesn�t matter where you walk; most people just want to get away from it all. They are not bothered about picturesque scenery, just minimise traffic
- Get them to make a pack lunch in the village saves you a lot of hassle
like/dislike�I loved the wide game�We learned from last times mistakes and made a fantastic game, which went almost perfectly � big thanks to Joel for that one
The solar showers�
�mestup centre �brilliant�
I think the drug use on camp has dropped dramatically
vennies= awesome�
�
The media centre could have been better run. We also were using open source software which was a good Idea in theory but it�s not nearly as good as other versions. And the tree programme funded a training weekend where we learnt to use other software
�
�
In response to the alcohol discussion, "alcohol is encouraged"�
my opinion is: vcamp should be a safe place to learn about drinking responsibly.
I see nothing wrong with the rules that were set out on camp�
You cannot buy alcohol on camp
You cannot drink in the central area if you do you will be asked to pour it away
If you chose to bring your own alcohol you must drink it openly in the village.
These rules do not encourage or discourage the use of alcohol, which is the fine line we need to tread
�
�
In response to the suggestion that there should be a 1to15 �df /Venturer�split
Don�t be silly
That would barely cover the stewards and stage crew. Df�s do a massive amount for vcamp it�s belittling to say that the job could be done by so few.�A reduction in df places would drastically reduce the programme variety. Meaning a poorer camp all round.
Also vcamp is the best opportunity to meet national dfs. We already lose 4/5 venturers when they move up�
Joe Bowler�Derby�Midlands Rep�
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
From: mig kerr <mig....@herakles.demon.co.uk>
To: vcam...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, 5 November, 2010 14:13:11
Sorry no-one form West Coventry can come either. However, here is brief feedback from Venturers:
Good points:Could be improved:
- wide games
- vennies
- VMT
- different centres
- cafes & restaurants
Re alcohol discussion: West Coventry would certainly value one too.
- better news - more venturer videos
- menu (not very imaginative)
- more toilets
I haven't consulted the others (yet) but what I have found confusing and concerning is the vagueness of the statement from VCamp organisers (and it's also been true of other national /international events and therefore I agree that it's a general thing)) which seemed to say on the one hand that alcohol would not be tolerated, and that young people found with alcohol would be asked to pour it away or have it confiscated, but that in itself implies that it's expected that young people will come with alcohol.� And then in the handbook to say (sorry can't remember it exactly) something like 'WCF supports sensible use of alcohol'.� Contradiction?
I agree that a total ban on alcohol can lead to acting out and illicit drinking which can then have more disastrous consequences....but it's very easy to read into the official statements that actually alcohol use is condoned.. and it's then only a small step to saying that it's encouraged.....
Also, I wonder if there are any useful lessons to be learned from the notorious beach parties at Newquay etc (though I appreciat that in those situations, young people don't have adults around at all).
Mig
West Coventry
�At 00:31 4/11/2010, you wrote:
food for thought?
--- On Wed, 3/11/10, janehughes <janeanw...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
- From: janehughes <janeanw...@blueyonder.co.uk>
- Subject: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
- To: vcamp2...@googlegroups.com
- Date: Wednesday, 3 November, 2010, 21:06
- Cant make the meeting due to work committments.� As a parent, just wanted to say huge thanks to all the Team involved in organising this.� My daughter Anna, had the time of her life. I think the intoruction of vennies and "V Time" was inspired, and gave us all something to think about.� I t was also so great that the whole event gave young people from all over the counctry such a good picture of what Bradford has to offer given that most of the bands (and the organising group) were from our area....Anna felt very pround to be from Bradford.
- �
- The only concern I have does not relate specifically to V Camp - more a gneral issue.� I feel we need a serious but sensible and thoughful discussion in the movement about the use / tolerance of alcohol and other substances at events.� I'm feeling a bit fed up of Bradford being labelled as the "abstinance" group imposing our (perceived as boring) "lifestyle" choices on others.� I know this is a tricky one.......and working with teenagers will always mean that boundaries are set to be pushed against, but i still feel it's really important if we want to be taken seriously as an inclusive youth movement that we set these boundaries and make them very clear.� We have a small number of young people who are from Muslim families in our group - it's really imprtant that the group is safe and comfortable for them.� Can you imagine the reaction from paretns or local mosques if they joined us at camp only to return with tales of alcohol usage?� Is there a way we can reintroduce this discussion and move to a clear agreement for everyone.� Well, apaologies for the rant.� I feel so strongly about this, and hope it is something we can sort
- ----- Original Message -----��
- From: Lloyd Russell-Moyle
- To: vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcam...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp20...@googlegroups.com
- Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 2:11 PM
- Subject: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
- Just to make it clear. The meeting will be evaluating this year, thinking what went well and what could be better and feeding in to the theme. The theme will be finally set nearer the time by Ventures and their newly elected committee in 2012/13.
- Blue Skies
- Lloyd
- Lloyd Russell-Moyle
- Chair of General Council
- Woodcraft Folk
- www.russell-moyle.co.uk
- +44.1274 792 228
- +44.7899 785 265
- Skype: lloyd_rm
- IFM-SEI, Rue du Tr�ne, 98, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- ll...@woodcraft.org.uk
- Woodcraft Folk Head Office
- www.woodcraft.org.uk
- Folk House 9/10, 83 Crampton Street, LONDON, SE17 3BF
- Registered charity in England and Wales (1073665) and in Scotland (SC039791)
- Part of the International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International - www.ifm-sei.org
- --- On Mon, 1/11/10, Venturer Camp < vc...@woodcraft.org.uk> wrote:
- From: Venturer Camp < vc...@woodcraft.org.uk>
- Subject: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
- To: vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcam...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp20...@googlegroups.com
- Date: Monday, 1 November, 2010, 10:55
- Hi everyone,
- �
- A couple of months have passed since Venturer Camp. Hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
- But now it is time to start planning for the next Venturer Camp.
- �
- We are holding a one day event on Saturday the 6th of November. The venue will be at De Monfort University, in Leicester. We will start at around 11 and we will be finished by 5,00. Please be at 10,45 in front of the Queen�s Building.
- �
- We will be asking for feedback. We really do want to hear all your opinions, whether they are good or bad, small or big, they are all important. All this feedback will be taken into account for CoCamp, so it is very important you come and express your opinions.
- Even more importantly, we will also be choosing the theme for Venturer Camp 2013. So if you want to get involved, you can do it now.
- Some of the things we will be talking about are the centres, the programme, the wide game, the carbon game, vennies, venue, etc.
- �
- As an extra, Leicester celebrates bon fire night on the 6th, so you can always stay the night and enjoy your weekend in the midlands!
- �
- If you would like to come, please let us know at vc...@woodcraft.org.uk. We would LOVE you to be there J
- �
kit jones
I have just come from the Venturer Camp evaluation meeting with the new Venturer committee. These young people perceptively identified a whole range of ideas for things we could do better next time - cutting the number of DF's there was very definitely not on it.
We actually had a long discussion about DF's at the camp - a discussion in which the Venturers were overwhelmingly positive. During the course of the discussion I asked at least three times whether they thought there were too many DF's on camp and despite this repeated probing not one Venturer there said that they thought that there were. On the contrary, several people said that they thought having more DF's there might have been better. They felt that those DF's that were there worked extremely hard - some too hard - and it might have been better to have a few more DF's there to share the load next time.
My feeling is that Venturer camp this year was a fantastically successful event. I have spoken to many people who went away from it feeling re-energised and it had the same effect on me. I can't imagine any other organisation that could create something like the wide game we held, or the vennies concept, or the venturer committee elections process, or a workshop that uses cakes to critique the nature of capitalism. This work is at the forefront of anything that anyone is doing in the youth sector, and it is precisely because we are so successful at keeping our young people involved through events like V-Camp that we are able to do this. Drive away the DF's and our movement will be much poorer for it.
Please,
Kit
It’s a shame I can’t come so I’ll write some thoughts down
Advice for centre coordinators
- Never run a centre on your own you wont be able to do everything you planed.
- When writing a programme think about how many volunteers you’ll need and if you have them.
- Plan/prepare everything before the event you wont have time during.
Advice for a walking centre
- Only do walks from the site, there may be nicer walks further a field but it’s not worth the transport hassle
- It doesn’t matter where you walk; most people just want to get away from it all. They are not bothered about picturesque scenery, just minimise traffic
- Get them to make a pack lunch in the village saves you a lot of hassle
like/dislikeI loved the wide game We learned from last times mistakes and made a fantastic game, which went almost perfectly – big thanks to Joel for that one
The solar showers
mestup centre brilliant
I think the drug use on camp has dropped dramatically
vennies= awesome
The media centre could have been better run. We also were using open source software which was a good Idea in theory but it’s not nearly as good as other versions. And the tree programme funded a training weekend where we learnt to use other software
In response to the alcohol discussion, "alcohol is encouraged"
my opinion is: vcamp should be a safe place to learn about drinking responsibly.
I see nothing wrong with the rules that were set out on camp
You cannot buy alcohol on camp
You cannot drink in the central area if you do you will be asked to pour it away
If you chose to bring your own alcohol you must drink it openly in the village.
These rules do not encourage or discourage the use of alcohol, which is the fine line we need to tread
In response to the suggestion that there should be a 1to15 df /Venturer split
Don’t be silly
That would barely cover the stewards and stage crew. Df’s do a massive amount for vcamp it’s belittling to say that the job could be done by so few. A reduction in df places would drastically reduce the programme variety. Meaning a poorer camp all round.
Also vcamp is the best opportunity to meet national dfs. We already lose 4/5 venturers when they move up
Joe BowlerDerbyMidlands Rep
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
From: mig kerr <mig....@herakles.demon.co.uk>
To: vcam...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, 5 November, 2010 14:13:11
Sorry no-one form West Coventry can come either. However, here is brief feedback from Venturers:
Good points:Could be improved:
- wide games
- vennies
- VMT
- different centres
- cafes & restaurants
Re alcohol discussion: West Coventry would certainly value one too.
- better news - more venturer videos
- menu (not very imaginative)
- more toilets
I haven't consulted the others (yet) but what I have found confusing and concerning is the vagueness of the statement from VCamp organisers (and it's also been true of other national /international events and therefore I agree that it's a general thing)) which seemed to say on the one hand that alcohol would not be tolerated, and that young people found with alcohol would be asked to pour it away or have it confiscated, but that in itself implies that it's expected that young people will come with alcohol. And then in the handbook to say (sorry can't remember it exactly) something like 'WCF supports sensible use of alcohol'. Contradiction?
I agree that a total ban on alcohol can lead to acting out and illicit drinking which can then have more disastrous consequences....but it's very easy to read into the official statements that actually alcohol use is condoned.. and it's then only a small step to saying that it's encouraged.....
Also, I wonder if there are any useful lessons to be learned from the notorious beach parties at Newquay etc (though I appreciat that in those situations, young people don't have adults around at all).
Mig
West Coventry
At 00:31 4/11/2010, you wrote:
food for thought?
--- On Wed, 3/11/10, janehughes <janeanw...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
- From: janehughes <janeanw...@blueyonder.co.uk>
- Subject: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
- To: vcamp2...@googlegroups.com
- Date: Wednesday, 3 November, 2010, 21:06
- Cant make the meeting due to work committments. As a parent, just wanted to say huge thanks to all the Team involved in organising this. My daughter Anna, had the time of her life. I think the intoruction of vennies and "V Time" was inspired, and gave us all something to think about. I t was also so great that the whole event gave young people from all over the counctry such a good picture of what Bradford has to offer given that most of the bands (and the organising group) were from our area....Anna felt very pround to be from Bradford.
- The only concern I have does not relate specifically to V Camp - more a gneral issue. I feel we need a serious but sensible and thoughful discussion in the movement about the use / tolerance of alcohol and other substances at events. I'm feeling a bit fed up of Bradford being labelled as the "abstinance" group imposing our (perceived as boring) "lifestyle" choices on others. I know this is a tricky one.......and working with teenagers will always mean that boundaries are set to be pushed against, but i still feel it's really important if we want to be taken seriously as an inclusive youth movement that we set these boundaries and make them very clear. We have a small number of young people who are from Muslim families in our group - it's really imprtant that the group is safe and comfortable for them. Can you imagine the reaction from paretns or local mosques if they joined us at camp only to return with tales of alcohol usage? Is there a way we can reintroduce this discussion and move to a clear agreement for everyone. Well, apaologies for the rant. I feel so strongly about this, and hope it is something we can sort
- ----- Original Message -----
- From: Lloyd Russell-Moyle
- To: vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcam...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp2...@googlegroups.com ; vcamp20...@googlegroups.com
- Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 2:11 PM
- Subject: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
- Just to make it clear. The meeting will be evaluating this year, thinking what went well and what could be better and feeding in to the theme. The theme will be finally set nearer the time by Ventures and their newly elected committee in 2012/13.
- Blue Skies
- Lloyd
- Lloyd Russell-Moyle
- Chair of General Council
- Woodcraft Folk
- www.russell-moyle.co.uk
- +44.1274 792 228
- +44.7899 785 265
- Skype: lloyd_rm
- IFM-SEI, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- ll...@woodcraft.org.uk
- Woodcraft Folk Head Office
- www.woodcraft.org.uk
- Folk House 9/10, 83 Crampton Street, LONDON, SE17 3BF
- Registered charity in England and Wales (1073665) and in Scotland (SC039791)
- Part of the International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International - www.ifm-sei.org
- --- On Mon, 1/11/10, Venturer Camp < vc...@woodcraft.org.uk> wrote:
- From: Venturer Camp < vc...@woodcraft.org.uk>
- Subject: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
- To: vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcam...@googlegroups.com, vcamp2...@googlegroups.com, vcamp20...@googlegroups.com
- Date: Monday, 1 November, 2010, 10:55
- Hi everyone,
- A couple of months have passed since Venturer Camp. Hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
- But now it is time to start planning for the next Venturer Camp.
- We are holding a one day event on Saturday the 6th of November. The venue will be at De Monfort University, in Leicester. We will start at around 11 and we will be finished by 5,00. Please be at 10,45 in front of the Queen’s Building.
- We will be asking for feedback. We really do want to hear all your opinions, whether they are good or bad, small or big, they are all important. All this feedback will be taken into account for CoCamp, so it is very important you come and express your opinions.
- Even more importantly, we will also be choosing the theme for Venturer Camp 2013. So if you want to get involved, you can do it now.
- Some of the things we will be talking about are the centres, the programme, the wide game, the carbon game, vennies, venue, etc.
- As an extra, Leicester celebrates bon fire night on the 6th, so you can always stay the night and enjoy your weekend in the midlands!
- If you would like to come, please let us know at vc...@woodcraft.org.uk. We would LOVE you to be there J
t-bd
Do you think that reducing the number of DF's attending Venturer camp
will drive them away from the movement? I think involving a number of
DF's who are committed is the right thing to do but the attitude from
some of the leaders so far is that there was a surplus of DF's and
that those surplus DF's were not bringing any positive value to the
camp (perhaps the opposite). If we invite every DF then why not go a
step further and call it Venturer and DF camp?
In my eyes the DF movement is really breaking through and the
positivity I saw on camp from them was heart warming and I honestly
believe they are on the cusp of developing that age group into
something special. Any negative stereotypes will soon be long
forgotten as that transcends in the next 12 months +
I appreciate you spoke directly to the commitee and also to other
Vents on camp who didn't think there were too many DF's. That is
positive. But at venturer age they are not necessarily privvy to the
bigger picture of safety and security. I experienced first hand
allegations where Venturers told me they aquired alcohol from DF's.
Not once from other Venturers who may have brought their own.
One thing I think the Venturer commitee/V-camp commitee should be
concentrating on is how best to show Vents what they can move onto in
the movement. Maybe a DF tent in the main circle to "recruit" Vents
into becoming DF's. Start the networking early.
In regards to things which i think worked well:
+ Vtime - genius
+ Central program, all of the activity tents etc
+ Food (could have just been the wonderful village D KP's but I ate
like a champion)
+ Tireless work by many of the leaders and DF's
+ Clearly great planning
+ The workshops for the adults during the widegames. Truly invaluable
and I hope to see the wider feedback on the new website from that
because Zoe and co did a fantastic job.
Not so well:
- The cafes were nice but understocked (was never quite sure if that
was intentional)
- News, needed a bigger space, more venturer content
- Communication between staff
Overall everyone I've spoken to said it was by far the best Vcamp
they've been too. The kids loved the vennies and the widegame. The
site was pretty good too although I can understand the loo/shower
moaning :)
Thanks again to everyone who pitched in.
Tom
>> - Clans - people avoided
>> - Food -ranged from fantastic to disgusting -you cant please everyone!
>> call for meat (as usual)
>> - Workshops enjoyed esp. Political ones and Climate camp
>> - Centres -favourites Chillout, Dreamgate, Cafes Mest up
>> - Evening programme -Stage good Club Joker a hit
>> - Vennies -they really liked them and wanted again
>> - Wide game 'made me think' -worked well
>> - Village -all positive with Venturers (apart from clans)
>> - Information -Liked the passports for info
>> - Problems /Peer pressure - felt supported
>> - Sleep -most though they got enough
>> - Favorite things -the people there & time change was inspired!
>> - What would you change? - longer (?) & food
>>
>> From an organisational point of view -districts need info well in advance
>> of schools breaking up as most groups are term based
>> also info (like this meeting) needs to go out in time for people to
>> organise (cheeky I know with the lateness of this e-mail!)
>>
>> Booking was confused as we were told only to book via district -then
>> bookings from individuals were accepted via web bookings -confusing for
>> organisers
>> DFs -in the main fantastic and worked hard -but some need to be reminded
>> it
>> is a venturer camp
>>
>> Alcohol -a difficult one as we want to support young people in a safe
>> environment -but V camp is known as a place you can go and get pissed
>> -this
>> cant be good
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>
>> On 6 November 2010 05:17, fire poi <f_...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> It’s a shame I can’t come so I’ll write some thoughts down
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Advice for centre coordinators
>>>
>>> - Never run a centre on your own you wont be able to do everything you
>>> planed.
>>> - When writing a programme think about how many volunteers you’ll need
>>> and if you have them.
>>> - Plan/prepare everything before the event you wont have time during.
>>>
>>> Advice for a walking centre
>>>
>>> - Only do walks from the site, there may be nicer walks further a
>>> field but it’s not worth the transport hassle
>>> - It doesn’t matter where you walk; most people just want to get away
>>> from it all. They are not bothered about picturesque scenery, just
>>> minimise
>>> traffic
>>> - Get them to make a pack lunch in the village saves you a lot of
>>> hassle
>>>
>>> *like/dislike *
>>> *Don’t be silly*
>>>
>>> That would barely cover the stewards and stage crew. Df’s do a massive
>>> amount for vcamp it’s belittling to say that the job could be done by so
>>> few. A reduction in df places would drastically reduce the programme
>>> variety. Meaning a poorer camp all round.
>>> Also vcamp is the best opportunity to meet national dfs. We already lose
>>> 4/5 venturers when they move up
>>>
>>> Joe Bowler
>>> Derby
>>> Midlands Rep
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* mig kerr <mig....@herakles.demon.co.uk>
>>> *To:* vcam...@googlegroups.com
>>> *Sent:* Fri, 5 November, 2010 14:13:11
>>> *Subject:* Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
>>>
>>> Sorry no-one form West Coventry can come either. However, here is brief
>>> feedback from Venturers:
>>> Good points:
>>>
>>> - wide games
>>> - vennies
>>> - VMT
>>> - different centres
>>> - cafes & restaurants
>>>
>>> Could be improved:
>>>
>>> - better news - more venturer videos
>>> - menu (not very imaginative)
>>> - more toilets
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --- On *Wed, 3/11/10, janehughes
>>> <janeanw...@blueyonder.co.uk>*wrote: From:
>>> ------------------------------
>>> vcamp2010+...@googlegroups.com<vcamp2010%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>.
>>> For more options, visit this group at
>>> http://groups.google.com/group/vcamp2010?hl=en-GB. -- You received this
>>> message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "V Camp 2010 -
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>>>
>>>
>>> Mig Kerr
>>> mig....@herakles.demon.co.uk --
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>>>
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>>>
>>
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Richard Kirkwood
Didn't have time to send feedback (busy campaigning to stop our "outstanding" community secondary school being turned into an Academy).
So here goes - including response to some comments:
- Generally a very good VCamp congrats to organisers
- Vennies a great idea, worked well except for rather complicated attempt to reproduce an economic crisis - confused Vents. rather than informing them (Could someone write-up the "economics" of vennies for future reference?)
- Frustrations expressed over restricted numbers of Camp t-shirts and confusion about availability
- A lot of Vents in our village wanted more meat
- Agree about unreliability of supplies in cafes
- On programme some great ideas but need more things that aren't "workshops" - some Vents see this as too "like school" (especially if their schools are quite progressive) - this can lead to too much "chilling out" and, perhaps, to a pursuit of "hedonism" and thence to alcohol
On alcohol there is a problem that can never be fully resolved. I know that when I went camping as a teenager in the 1950's illegal drinking was part of the "lads" experience. I'm sure that our teachers/youth leaders were fully aware of this and - despite a formal ban - in practice worked (as Woodcraft Folk do) to put it under firm control, prevent intoxication, bad behaviour etc.. The difference is that alcohol is now generally much easier to obtain and cheaper and particularly that strong alcohol is easy to obtain. When I was a teenager it was sneaking to a "liberal" country pub for a quick half of cider or smuggling in very hard to obtain, quite expensive (and heavy to carry) bottled beers. When I first worked with Vents. 20 years ago we were worried about strong lagers, now we have to add alcopops and cheap "vodka" which is a genuine health threat - I've twice (not at VCamp) had to deal with Vents who became really unwell after drinking "vodka". Banning alcohol in the central area definitely helped, as did the strict controls from the local shop, but certainly didn't eliminate the problems (as the very few related "incidents" showed).
Some leaders have expressed concerns that if we want, as we do, DFs to encourage and mentor Vents - therefore promoting mixing across the age-groups - this can make it easier for alcohol to "cascade down" - though I'm pretty sure that the Vents I came across who seemed to have consumed alcohol had brought their own.
The issue of whether news of alcohol use can put off parents of potential participants is very tricky. We have to face the fact that it is impossible to succesfully impose an outright ban and that therefore we have to work on strict control and on harm limitation. We need a wider discussion in the movement on the best way to do this (especially with Co-Camp coming up) but I don't think we can ever meet the demand for "absolutely no alcohol", though we must continue to formally ban underage drinking and to clamp down hard on blatant boozing, intoxication and bad behaviour. How we convey policies to Vents and to parents is another thing that we need to work on.
Hope this helps.
Richard K.
> Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2010 12:22:39 +0000
> Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
> From: urban.d...@gmail.com
> To: vcam...@googlegroups.com
Michael Connolly
Keith Lomax
Anyway, I thought it worked well.
Keith
Hebden Bridge
Helen Wilkes
As an adult I found the ad-hoc Cemetary Cafe meeting of group leaders (and others) which arose out of the TREE workshop for V leaders was really important. For anyone who doesn't already know, each person gave two or three examples of group night activities which had been successful for them and there was lots of other discussion. The range was great from political to crafts. This has gone forward as an email group continuing to develop these ideas and has now contributed to the production, lead by Rebecca and Chloe, of a new version of the Venturer handbook. The connection between V groups across the country that this has created is I think seminal. In order for this sort of collaboration to work even better next time I would suggest a cafe intended mainly for (and run by) adults. This would be somewhere for them to go (there can be long boring times during the day) meet and have coffee. It would also be a good thing for the young people to see that adults too have their needs to chill out be mest up and eat cake, just like them. More 'understanding across the age groups' stuff which WCF is so good for.
Ensuring that every village is allowed to have a fire would be good. Village F felt very bleak, cold and miserable out on the periphery sometimes waiting for the Vs to return from fun and frolics.
Helen (Cambridge)
________________________________________
From: vcam...@googlegroups.com [vcam...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of t-bd [urban.d...@gmail.com]
Sent: 07 November 2010 12:22
To: vcam...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
Hi Kit,
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Cathy Brown
Hi Joel
Can I pick up on your comment: 'Along with new 'taster' sessions for older
Venturers that Dfs are currently running at some of our camps'.
That sounds really interesting. I have a number of 15/16 year olds and want
to encourage them into DFs and DF activities. We don't have an active DF
group in our district at the moment. How can I find out more about these
taster sessions?
Cathy (Leicestershire)
-----Original Message-----
From: vcam...@googlegroups.com [mailto:vcam...@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of Joel
Sent: 06 November 2010 17:05
To: Venturer Camp 2010
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November
--
bridie odowd
| Hope it is not too late to add feedback These are the comments from the Glasgow Venturers. General opinion was that the V camp was amazing, and it was quite hard to get them to find anything negative. The big positives were Vennies, The Time Change, the guitar poet guy and other entertainment, hanging out with venturers from other areas, the walks and airoplane factory visit as part of face your elephant. Chill out tent and MEST UP(especially Philip) were especially appreciated , Power Pod. DF's were great (my own opinion was that I was hugely impressed with their commitment, work and organisation-I want to thank them) and their presence has inspired many of the Glasgow group to hold on till they become DF's, mainly so they can have the experience of helping to organise a venturer camp themselves ,and get involved in MEST UP. They liked making the film for the news. They really appreciated the freedom that the generous rules gave them re signing in and out times. The small negatives were They didn't like the morning circles, -way too long, and thought the info could be put on a notice board and read just as easily. They were not sure about the wide game, though the film afterwards was a big positive. Felt the wide game was slightly young, and first thing in the morning they all felt a little rough to be enjoying a game. Sometimes there was no-one there to take a workshop when there was supposed to be. Not enough cheesy discos-too many rave ones. From an adult point of view, I came back refreshed to start the next term with some fantastic ideas from the impromptu venturer leaders meeting in the cemetery cafe. Maybe the scottish term time could be considered next time(the scottish venturers started back at school the day after they came back.) I felt privileged to spend time with so many vibrant and interesting young people. Thanks to all who organised it Bridie Glasgow Venturers |
|
|
|
Lloyd Russell-Moyle
| Bride, Glad that you enjoyed it. Just on the Scottish Term issue. The difference between England and Scotland (I am not sure about Wales) proves to be a problem. For this year because Train for Change (International Camp in Austria) was happening we had to push the camp back a week and worked hard to make sure that it (just ) fitted in to your holidays. Timeing are also a bigger problem in terms of regional camps and gatherings and fitting them all in. It is something that we need to think about as there is only two weeks that we are all on holiday together in the whole of the UK. Hope that everything else is going well in the group, great that you felt re-invigorated. Lloyd |
| Lloyd Russell-Moyle Chair of General Council Woodcraft Folk www.russell-moyle.co.uk +44.1274 792 228 +44.7899 785 265 Skype: lloyd_rm IFM-SEI, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium ll...@woodcraft.org.uk Woodcraft Folk Head Office www.woodcraft.org.uk Folk House 9/10, 83 Crampton Street, LONDON, SE17 3BF Registered charity in England and Wales (1073665) and in Scotland (SC039791) Part of the International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International - www.ifm-sei.org |
| --- On Wed, 10/11/10, bridie odowd <bridi...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: |
|
joel white
The big taster session happened last DF Camp, with a whole weekend for older ventueres on the cusp and new potential DFs.
This is something we are very keen to do again, so will keep you posted about that.
Since then, many of the local DF groups have been organising sessions which involve older Venturers, hosting events for both groups and starting projects which help with the handover (In Edinburgh we are just starting an adopt-a-venturer scheme!). I'm not entirely sure what might be happening in Leicestershire, but it's worth asking around the DF groups.
All the best,
Joel
Saul Russell-Moyle
From: Lloyd Russell-Moyle <lloy...@btinternet.com>
To: Venturer Camp Team <vcam...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, 4 November, 2010 0:31:48
Subject: Fw: Re: Venturer Camp Review - 6th November