Last weekend, Venturer committee and members of the Venturer Camp core planning team met in person for the first time to discuss big plans for camp and committee. Representatives from Co-ordination, Finance, Bookings, Communications and Programme presented reports from their teams, to get Venturer contributions and work co-operatively across teams to facilitate the best possible camp.
Fields we made particular progress on included: booking (which we can now say opens on the 1st of January!), site layout, centres and transport.
Venturers especially had lots to say on policy and programme! Lizzie (our Communications Lead) led a workshop about how we integrate Woodcraft values onto camp that led to some engaging programme ideas. We are a participant led camp and always want to hear your ideas for programme or anything else! Message us here or email info@venturercamp.org.uk. One group envisioned a camp where children’s rights were paramount vs where children’s rights were neglected completely, creating a dystopian vision of camp we hope to never experience…
As well as our planning agenda, there was also some more impromptu programme. Two walks occurred on Saturday afternoon (one to Stoodley Pike and one to Sylvia Plaths grave in Hepstonall) where we had a chance to informally chat about camp and get to know each other. The Hepstonall walk also featured a Feminist Caucus, where we discussed our experiences of gender relations and misogyny in Woodcraft and reflected on how that can be improved. It was so exciting to listen to the next generation of Woodcraft discuss their plans and visions for the future.
Speaking of plans and visions, Aisling (one of our event co-ordinator) led some evening programme where we remixed newspapers to make headlines and articles about where we see Woodcraft in the future. It was a perfect activity to reflect on our centenary year. Visions of Woodcrafts future included Span that World with Music selling out Wembley (future DF committee has a big job on their hands!), Woodcraft saving local businesses and tales of Camp 2040 heroism.
The weekend was the biggest in-person meeting of Venturer committee since the pandemic, and Venturer Camp 2026 will be the first V-Camp since 2019 to have V-Committee contribute to the planning. This ensures we create a camp that engages and interests Venturers, and enables them to take on responsibility in fun, exciting ways. We are grateful for the work of Suzannah (Venturer Committee facilitator) and Suzy (DF Committee’s Venturer Liaison) in helping to revive committee and for co-coordinating the travel of Venturers, who came from districts far-reaching as Brighton to Newcastle; although that’s nothing to compare to our co-ordinator Wilf who came from Germany!
It was an enriching, enlightening weekend and the Venturer Camp planning team thanks all who attended with their ideas, engagement and creativity.
Blue skies,
– The Venturer Camp Communications Team