BT 2012 workshop notes
This workshop was held on a rest day towards the end of bt 2011 in a beautiful place by the lake. I wanted to get some feedback about the tour and hear what people had to say about making the next year (2012) even better. Valentina has written a summary of her experiences helping to organise the tour which you can find here. There were about 16 people participating and while we covered a lot we missed out some points as the other discussions took longer than I anticipated (as they always do!. We wrote on scraps of card which I took photos of, here is what we did/talked about:
Workshop agenda
- Intro to EVS and current route thoughts (5 mins-Alice)
- What have you enjoyed? active listening exercise& feedback to group (15mins)
- What have you found difficult? active listening exercise& feedback to group (15mins)
- More details of the proposal (5 mins-Alice)
- What would you like to see next year? brainstorm in 4 groups (15mins)
- Feedback (15mins)
- Degrowth theme + comments (10mins)
- Ideas for specific locations (direct people to wiki)
Items on agenda mentioned but not covered (ran out of time:
- Local coordinator call out
- Decision making and consensus on email lists
- Winter meeting agenda
- Paperwork and BT 2013
Degrowth theme
- People were happy with the theme
- We need a good explanation/introduction prepared (as it's not very commonly known)
- We need a balance between theory and practice
- It would be good to be able to explain it in a creative way
- Focus on the practical things about degrowth (use a DIY shower system, skill shares for example)
- Build a rocket stove for the tour when we meet
Location/route
- Allow lots of time, always better to plan more time
- 2.5 months is too long, 2 months is lots of time
- It's good to have a long tour, it can start early for people that can't normally make it
- It's a long way for a 'degrowth' topic
- I don't like the idea of boat as it won't be a sailing boat, it's like taking a bus
- It's important that people stay a minimum of 2 weeks as it's a process
- Booklet should be emailed to all participants before + copies printed
Ideas for specific locations (added to route map)
- Camp along the canal in cevennes & Arrigas in the south of France
- Contact Ecologistas in acccion
What would you like to see next year?
Route
- Have a clear route & photocopy for all (this way you don't loose energy planning the route)
- Maps for all!
- Fixed resting days
- Make good BT road markings
- Prepare the route in advance
- Focus on getting to know the area
- 50km average 30-80km/day
Activities
- More time for activities/workshops
- Some days of cycling, some days of woofing
- Visit more farms/associations/workshops/conferences/national parks
- More workshops cause everyone knows special things
- Visit festivals
- Show films/talks
- Stay longer in places to help
- Speak about hospitality - don't abuse it
- Find lots of contacts along the way
- Be more active with the topic on the road
- More direct action
- Contact local groups
- Small ecotopia at the final spot
group dynamics
- Clarify visions at the beginning
- Not be a group of tourists, focus on ecology and the current theme
- There should a new arrival person (tell new people about bt & what has happened) to prevent misunderstandings
- Be better at introducing new people to the group
- Try and be more of a group
- Be clear what tasks there are to do
- Have circle time to get to know each other better
- Be more of a community
- Have more time for the group
- Be more aware of fast/slow people
- Be more aware of language needs
- More games!
Decision making
- Agree ground rules
- Agree on a routine - up at 7am/8am, siesta etc.
- Explain the consensus process to new people
- Improve consensus method (smaller groups?)
- Circles day each day - obligatory!
- Communicate announcements at each circle
Food
- Have a shopping plan, only once a day
- Eat food at the right time, eat better, be clearer what food we buy - NO MEAT!
Money
- 1 person should take care of finances
- Make it more affordable
Publicity/communication
- Make sure that the website (FB, twitter etc) is updated - who does this?
- Advertise in countries in BT is not so well known
Other
- Trailer, get a new trailer?
- Have better awareness of road safety - crossroads, rules of the country
- Get insurance for the group or suggest that people get their own