A WONDERFUL TIME AT PRE-CAMP, by Eva our ESC Volunteer

More than 150 people from a variety of countries met at the Kelmarsh site to plan Common Ground. The Pre-Camp event was a great opportunity to meet, face to face, lots of the people who are working hard to organise the camp, and to get a better idea of how the international camp will work. 

During this lovely camping weekend, the participants had the opportunity to see and have a tour of the site where Common Ground will take place. On this big flat field, more than 2500 people will camp together in the summer. Many people met the other delegations with whom they will be camping, and started planning the organisation of their village.

A lot of workshops were organised by the board team to make sure everybody understands the logistics, how an international camp works, and all the instructions about safety and the code of conduct. People also got to input their views into these documents before they were finalised. 

The event presented a great opportunity for the centres to test their programme too, such as the Environment and Migration centre who ran an engaging workshop on how to create a pollution catcher.

For the first time at a Woodcraft Folk international camp, a Volunteer Support team is working on the wellbeing of the volunteers. A special place for the volunteers will be available, called the PEB (Positive Energy Bubble), a perfect place to relax, have discussions with other volunteers, or grab something to eat or drink. 

The board team is working really hard to make the camp as inclusive as possible and this includes people who don’t have English as their first language. The language team is focused on making sure everybody feels included and understood. 

After a long day of workshops and information sessions, on the Saturday evening the participants at Pre-Camp enjoyed a great dinner together and a Ceilidh, thanks to Greenshoots Ceilidh Orchestra. Afterwards, according to Woodcraft tradition, there was a campfire to warm up and to sing the traditional Woodcraft songs.

Afterwards, according to Woodcraft tradition, there was a campfire to warm up and to sing the typical Woodcraft songs, plus a few from our international friends too.

Common Ground will be my first international camp and it is really hard to imagine 2700 people camping together, but being at Pre-camp helped me get a better vision and understanding of what Common Ground will be. Now it’s getting closer and more concrete, I am really excited and looking forward to it! Thanks to everyone who came for a lovely weekend.

Very soon the Common Ground team will send out an email to every adult booked on to camp. This will include a more detailed summary of the discussions had and decisions made at in person and online sessions, plus some info on what everyone needs to do now in the final couple of months leading up to camp. So keep an eye on your emails!