CoCamp Concluded: the mini coda

Welcome CoCamp was a Woodcraft Folk International Camp based on co-operation and co-operatives, bringing together 2500 children, young people and adults from around the world, to live, work, and play as a dynamic co-operative community.

CoCamp was created by every participant, bringing their skills, knowledge, ability and ideas to build a community based on mutual respect and understanding, on empowerment and openness, on sharing and working together for the common good.

At the end of CoCamp we stood as one community, ready to take these ideas back to our homes and schools, our workplaces and organisations. Ready to say this is no longer a dream, this is our reality. This is not an idle hope; this is what we, the youth of the world, can forge into our future.

What follows is a brief report into the successes and difficulties CoCamp encountered and the possibilities open to us in this UN Year of Co-operatives.

"Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility."

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

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The CoCamp Co-op Running the festival as a democratic co-operative The idea, planning, structure and delivery of CoCamp was based on the concept that the theme of co-operation and cooperatives should not just be about content, but about creating a co-operative community that embraced, experienced and developed this way of living and working together. This meant a few changes from previous big camps: The 'steering committee' of old became a democratically elected board, including positions for venturers, Dfs and representatives of the Co-operative Group and Co-operative College.

'Camp participants' became CoCamp members and played an active part in the development of CoCamp.

Three AGMs were held where CoCamp members voted on key issues including how they wanted the programme and food to be structured and our community's code for living together - the CoCamp Code of Conduct.

Towns, a radical new structure CoCamp members lived in villages which formed four towns: Blue Cedar; Yellow Aspen; Silver Birch; and Red Oak. This structure successfully brought our cooperative way of living at smaller camps to the larger scale of CoCamp. Towns were the centre of the educational programme

"I ATTENDED PRECAMP AND SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING OF COCAMP FOR VILLAGE 11...I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE ME CAN BE INVOLVED WITH THE MASSIVE PLANNING IT TAKES TO DO SUCH A GREAT CAMP." Jake Taylor, Pioneer.

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for the camp. Each ‘Town Centre’ included:

Town Hall, venue for daytime workshops and early evening programme.

Town Library, programme hub.

Town Cafe, run by people from that town.

Coopery, base for the town grocer.

Towns added other elements, forging their identity throughout CoCamp, including: solar showers and cinema in Red Oak and a giant camp-wide map in Yellow Aspen.

Towns were a place where programme could develop, Red Oak formed a choir and Silver Birch ran a Town Wide Game.

My role on the CoCamp board Jessica Finn “I’m Jessica, I’m 15 years old and was on the CoCamp Board for two years. I attended meetings and took part in a wide range of discussions and decision making.

I was part of a working group with other young people which wrote the Code of Conduct, giving CoCamp participants a set of guidelines for behaviour.

I have gained many new skills from this role: the confidence to travel to meetings unaccompanied, knowledge of filling out a pro forma to show progress in a working group, and minute taking at meetings. I

have lead discussions, for example at the PreCamp event it was my responsibility to answer the queries of participants.

There have been challenges, for example difficulties in communication with people outside of the board. The solution has been to attempt different mediums of communication. One success I am most proud of is being directly involved with securing the services of a popular poet to perform and run workshops at CoCamp. It was an achievement to negotiate preferential rates, and secure his commitment to the project, as I had not done anything like that before and I was able to independently come to a good compromise.”

For The Future The clear democratic structure and AGMs were a success and should be repeated and built on.

Town bonding activities at the start would help villages from each town to meet and begin to formulate their town identity.

Whole camp events and other incentives to leave your town and meet others from across the camp community are important too, especially later in the festival.

Libraries

Beyond Centralised Programme

The Town Libraries were the hubs for daytime programme, with teams of librarians organising the system for delivering and attending workshops which took place in each Town Centre in the afternoons. The programme team put together a structure and waited for CoCampers to fill it with workshops. In advance of CoCamp all but the first two days looked dangerously empty, but the schedule quickly filled and expanded beyond what anyone could have envisaged, providing a large and varied programme based on the skills and enthusiasms of our members.

The power pod in Red Oak was a base for workshops on sustainability while the Rebel HQ in Blue Cedar offered a wide range of programme around Woodcraft Folk’s Aims and Principles and alternatives to capitalism.

Think Inside The Box Co-op in a Box was led by Julie Thorpe from the Co-op College, kits were provided to elfins and pioneers to guide them through the process of setting up their own co-operative enterprise during the camp. One of the 48 kits distributed was used by a group from Edinburgh and Birkenhead, decorating and selling pebbles and other crafts:

"THE PRIDE MARCH WAS AWESOME AND MADE ME FEEL HAPPY AND GOT THE WORD ACROSS ABOUT EVERYONE BEING ACCEPTED. IT MADE ME FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT AND PROUD. IT WAS A BRILLIANT TIME."

The democratic programme structure meant people brought workshops and skills to run and share with all age groups and there was a thriving elfin and pioneer programme.

A woodchip tent in Red Oak provided activities for 6-20 woodchips a day, these included: sing-a-longs; circle games run by elfins and pioneers; parachute games; finger-puppet making; story telling; play-doughing; painting; sticking and gluing and an especially early campfire - it was a big success with a lovely atmosphere!

For the future:

Sam, Pioneer

Some people felt there were too many activities, how can this be addressed?

How can we build on CoCamp and encourage more younger children to come to big Woodcraft Folk camps?

“I loved the way everyone was so enthusiastic about doing it, and glad that now I know how to do face painting, which I’d not done before”

Fiona, Pioneer

“I’m going to take the coop idea away with me and maybe do it with my friends at home” Rosa, Elfin

What the wee ones want The theme of cooperation; the town structure – which broke the camp down into smaller more manageable chunks; and the early evening programme located in the town centres were all designed to make CoCamp more woodchip, elfin and pioneer friendly.

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Respect

Putting the ‘Co’ into CoCamp Not Politic Engaging Politicians CoCamp held an Open Day to share our co-operative community with others, to ask them to engage with our ideas and ideals and to take part in the vibrant and vital world we had created. We invited friends; family; like minded organisations; partners; funders and the local MP; MEPs; head of Children's Services and Councillors.

Mark Spencer, the local Conservative MP, took up our invitation, sparking a heated debate as to whether he should have been invited and prompting meetings, some protests and criticism of the CoCamp Board.

“Young people in Woodcraft have been fighting against the Tory cuts for the last year. Why should we be expected to just welcome a Tory MP onto the site who is playing a part in destroying the futures of our young people?”

Martha, DF “Educating others about our work means reaching out to people who we don't necessarily agree with. Our job is to change their minds.”

Simon, Kinsfolk These opposing viewpoints, and many in between, continued to be debated throughout CoCamp and have wider implications for Woodcraft Folk going forward, as we engage with and challenge the current administration.

Late Evening Programme The Noisy Noise The Late Evening Programme ran in the same way as the rest of CoCamp with members being facilitated to get on stage, be involved in debate and try new things, including a fashion show, circus performance, Ceilidh and the CoCamp quiz. These participatory elements were a big

THE ELFINS & PIONEERS FROM NEW BARNET, LONDON HAVE BEEN REALLY UPSET & ANGRY BUT ALSO HAVE ENJOYED THE LOUD BUT COOL MUSIC THAT HAS BEEN PLAYING IN THE LATE & EARLY EVENING. IS THIS GOOD OR BAD?� Rowan McKeever and Maya Howard, Elfins. From their Courier article, The Noisy Noise

success and a new departure for evening programme, but the issue of noise levels reared its head.

There were complaints from a number of villages, particularly two that were very close to the late evening area. Finishing time for loud amplified music was curtailed from 1am to midnight (with some music at a lower level continuing until 3am). The main problem was for adults who were responsible for elfins and pioneers having to get up early for them after not being able to sleep; as well as for the younger children themselves. There is definitely a need for the future to consider the location and the type of music.

Expectations of venturers and DFs on the back of DF and venturer camps have changed from previous international camps and complaints were received from these groups that late night activities for them had been curfewed, they felt rejected and angry. This related to when programme went on until and what it consisted of.

Community Supporting each other At any event full of articulate, engaged and passionate people working and playing hard in a tight knit community, tempers will flare and disagreements will be difficult to resolve. CoCamp was no different, but at times this natural letting off of steam went too far and some members of the co-operative were left feeling undervalued and disillusioned with the community which we had created.

Whilst not widespread, some CoCampers were subjected to verbal abuse because of the role they had taken on within CoCamp, or simply because they stood out from the crowd to question what was going on.

It was sad to see that, at times, the positive culture of our co-operative community was broken down by adults and young people crossing the line of acceptable behaviour.

Late night noise and the events on and following Open Day were catalysts for this but it is the need for better understanding and more respect for fellow campers, rather than the particular circumstances where problems flared at CoCamp, which must be looked to for future events and the future of Woodcraft Folk.

“There is one thing missing from this community, one aspect that I feel should be a cornerstone of all our work and have been shocked and appalled by how easily it has been tossed aside by some. And that is respect for the work of others.

Each of us is working hard on our element of the camp, and it is all too easy to forget that those around you, especially our young people, are also working hard, are also tired, are also wonderful, passionate, caring members of CoCamp, of Woodcraft Folk and IFM, and that as well as looking outwards we must look in, and support each other in what we are doing here, because it is a truly amazing achievement that no one of us could have made alone.”

Zoë, Kinsfolk, from an article in The Courier

For the future: We need to address how we engage with people we do not agree with – both as an organisation and as individuals; externally and within the Folk itself.

As the politically engaged and active organisation for children and young people, Woodcraft Folk needs to take up the debate from CoCamp's Open Day and explore what our relationship with the government is and should be.

Finding a co-operative compromise between the viewpoints on late evening programme and noise is vital and something that should be explored and agreed by all in advance of the next big camp.

"BY FAR THE BEST FOOD AND MENU SYSTEM I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A BIG CAMP!"

with ing g n i "Helping, cookan, th amadwith R every r o f s food ng game over the i l play from al tending t le peop rld and aculture e wo fferent ally th di ns is re I've g o sessiatest thin " gre ver donei e Tbhak

Tanya Harris, Spelthorne

Noodles & Newspapers "1,000 COPIES OF THE #COCAMP COURIER JUST ARRIVED ON OUR DOORSTEP - A PROUD MOMENT FOR JOURNALISM!"

Breaking News The Communications Centre was a hub of journalistic skill sharing, workshops and creativity where children and young people produced daily Red Parrot Radio and Woodie Vision TV broadcasts and The Courier, CoCamp's newspaper.

Food Glorious Food: Localy produced and Co-operatively sourced

Owen Sedgwick-Jell �

Cooking and eating together was key to building the CoCamp community, food has one of the biggest carbon impacts at camp and is a chance to influence what people do when they get home.

@OwenJell

Woodie Vision was broadcast to Town Halls each evening, with the final two editions going out live – a Woodcraft Folk first and a fantastic experience for our budding TV presenters.

Local ingredients, Vegetables, meat and dairy were sourced locally: reducing CoCamp's carbon footprint, supporting small businesses and providing campers with fresh good quality food.

CoCamp was also the first big Woodcraft Folk camp to make full use of social media, with a thriving facebook group and a dedicated twitter account.

“Lots of Village 22 love for tonight's custard! You can't beat collective catering at #cocamp. Now to organise the rest of society like this” @nick4glengate

For the future: TV News was not as successful as in the past, technical difficulties with broadcasts happening during daylight not being seen could be resolved, but there is a question of whether the explosion of YouTube means this version of camp news is no longer as relevant and exciting as it once was...

Happening already: The Courier is continuing as the newspaper for Woodcraft Folk, with three editions a year it offers everyone the chance to write articles, take photos, be the editor or just become an avid reader. woodcraft.org.uk/courier

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a 'suggested menu' which each village could adjust as they wished offering maximum flexibility, but requiring KPs to engage at an earlier point in planning.

Town Grocers, The distribution of

food went from the central depot, to the town grocers, to the villages. This extra layer added some difficulties with communication, but where it flowed well it allowed a more personal connection between the 'central' food team and village KPs.

For the future: The online food system will be tweaked so it is available for other big camps.

Walaa stine ale IYF, P

"I'D LIKE TO PUT FORWARD THAT I HAD THE BEST TEN DAYS OF MY LIFE - MAKING NEW FRIENDS, DOING ACTIVITIES AND MOST OF ALL, WITNESSING ALL THE AMAZING ATMOSPHERE AT THE CAMP. I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO LIVE AT COCAMP, AND I ALREADY CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT INTERNATIONAL CAMP. I HAVE ENDLESS THANKS FOR MAKING ALL OF THIS HAPPEN. IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE..."� Reuben, Venturer

Spanning the World...

Defiantly International

There were almost three hundred international participants at CoCamp; mostly from Europe but also including young people from Palestine, Indonesia, South Africa, India, Pakistan and Peru.

International evenings were a great success, giving groups the opportunity to share their games, songs and dances - a moment we felt truly international.

We would have had more international participants at CoCamp but the UK Border Agency refused many visa applications, including groups from Senegal, Chile, Columbia and Western Sahara and some members of the Pakistani, Peruvian and Indonesian delegations.

"This camp was an opportunity for all of us young people from across the world to learn about, and put into practice, co-operative values, and with these values also embedded in the planning, organisation, and programme of this event.

The International aspect of the event brought about a wide range of different perspectives on co-operations and cooperatives and strengthened our experience of "being part of something bigger".

The clans and the clan duties were so much fun. The icebreaking name games, the regional games and music

made us all bond with each other. The fun-filled activities, the discussions, the decisions as a village every day at the Village circle and the Town council was the epitome of Democracy and Alliance, the attributes that Woodcraft and IFM stands for and then there was this one day... Called the' Indian day' in our village.

It was an extraordinary experience. Cooking Indian food, talking about our traditional values, Indian dances, Indian music.

all my life! Learning to work together, have fun together, to support one another, respect for one another and ultimately making such wonderful friends..!! Friends made for a lifetime, we exchanged our cultures, our stories, our traditions and our art... We were unknown when we went there but at the end of the CoCamp, it was one big family just going back home with memories of a lifetime and a promise to see each other again! This will be an event etched in my memory forever!"

Every day was an experience in itself, a learning experience. Dhruti Chokshi An experience I would cherish Antar Bhartiya, India

For the future Woodcraft has launched a campaign to get the UKBA to allow young people to travel the world freely to meet others and progress social change – so get involved! woodcraft.org.uk/campagins

CoCamp

cocamp.woodcraft.org.uk

Expenditure

Site Hire | £96,111 Food | £91,975 Programme | £30,834 On-site Services | £30,743 Staff | £30,026 Solidarity | £17,556 Admin | £16,626 Democracy | £12,927 Cafes | £6,743 Other | £8,829

Money Raising the funds to come to a big camp can be difficult, so CoCamp took two approaches to supporting this:

Woodcraft Folk @woodcraftfolk woodcraft.org.uk

IFM-SEI

@IFMSEI ifm-sei.org

@coop_collegeUK co-op.ac.uk

@TheCooperative co-operative.coop

Firstly, a guide was written and support provided to help districts in fundraising from external bodies. A number of districts were successful in gaining grants, and many others raised money through sponsored ceilidhs, swims, gigs and other events.

Secondly, a Solidarity Pot was created, using some of the central budget and gift aid recovered from donations to CoCamp. The fund was available for support with the costs of hosting international delegations or other groups from the UK; or to help districts bring their own members to camp. Contributions from the fund totalling just over £10,000 were made to 15 districts – only one request (from an international group with no connection to a Woodcraft Folk district) was turned down.

The costs of CoCamp were covered by donations from districts and individuals and financial and practical support from the Cooperative Group; the Co-operative College; the EU / British Council “Youth In Action” programme; the Scurrah Wainwright Charity; the WF Southall Trust and West Bromwich Building Society.

For the future: Encourage and enable more districts to recover Gift Aid on donations raised locally.

Repeat the concept of a solidarity fund open to application for supporting both UK and international participation.

UN Year of Co-operatives @coopsyear social.un.org/coopsyear

"@WOODCRAFTFOLK LET'S HOPE THAT WHAT HAPPENED AT #COCAMP DOESN'T STAY AT #COCAMP" Richard McKeever

@rmlondon