Forest Roots Youth Retreat

Date/Time
Date(s) - 23/02/2018 - 25/02/2018
All Day

Location
Hazel Hill Wood

Leader details:


ABOUT THE WEEKEND
This weekend is a chance to find nourishment through and in nature, community and ourselves. Celebrating life and companionship in this magical woodland, we will use the temporary community we create together and the natural environment around us as a source of inspiration, insight and
grounding. Using the power of story, music and dance, widening our senses to the world around and solo time in the wood, we can understand more deeply our personal thread of life and where it might lead us. This weekend will be co-created by the whole group, keeping flexibility throughout the day(s) to go with the flow and energy of the group. The
responsibilities for cooking, cleaning etc. will be shared and co-ordinated by all of us..

1. WHO IS THIS WEEKEND FOR?
It’s open to anyone age 16 to 24. This age is often a time where people are faced with big decisions in their life and dealing with a lot of challenges and uncertainty. This weekend you will find a supportive space and some new ways to explore whatever questions you’re facing.

NO FIXED PRICE? HOW DOES THAT WORK AND HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO PAY?
In order to make this event as inclusive as possible, we decided not to set a fixed ticket price but find a collective and collaborative way to raise the necessary funds for the weekend. We want to shift our relationship with money from one of dependency, confusion and disempowerment to one of freedom, meaning, and contribution. Everybody who wants to be part of the Forest Roots weekend needs to contribute, yet there are various ways to do so. Get in touch with Daniel (daniel.koerner@getactive.org or 07599774716) to find out how you can become part of this communal effort. Let´s make this event possible, together!!!

Find out more @ http://www.hazelhill.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FOREST-ROOTS-2018-flyer-final.pdf

No fixed ticket price? Communal effort?
An introduction into empowered fundraising
As we mentioned on the flyer, in order to make this event as inclusive as possible, we will not charge a fixed amount to come on the weekend. Rather we want to start a community experiment and a learning experience with you, in raising the necessary money to make the weekend possible. We want to shift our relationship with money from one of dependency, confusion and disempowerment to one of freedom, meaning, and contribution.
This approach gives us a chance to move beyond our immediate personal comfort zone of non-action, into a new realm of engagement and participation. Where you don´t pay to come to a weekend but rather collectively make the dream of this weekend in the wood come true. Of course everybody needs to contribute, but instead of everybody paying a fixed ticket price, we want to collectively raise the money to cover all of our needs.
Empowered fundraising is part of a philosophy that we will explore in a bit more depth on the weekend as well. We will try to give a brief overview of the approach here but be sure to get in touch with Daniel (daniel.koerner@getactive.org, 07599774716) anyway, as soon as possible, if you are interested in joining and finding out more about how it works.
In Empowered fundraising it´s crucial to understand and overcome the three myths about money:
• The myth of scarcity: that we don’t have enough (time, money, love etc) to meet our needs.
• The myth that more is always better: that if we could have more (money, time, love) it would improve situations.
• The myth that this is the way it is: that no alternative way is possible.
Then, we need to understand the idea of the balance point:
Everyone, no matter how poor or wealthy, has a balance point, a point somewhere between a token and a sacrifice. (A token might be somebody´s loose change whilst a sacrifice is where a person gives so much that they can´t meet their own basic needs anymore) Each person has one, and no-one really understands where your personal balance point is except yourself. It is important to realise that the balance point of different people, wealthy or poor, is functionally equal to the balance point of another. Conventional “scarcity based” fundraising often considers donations from wealthy people as of more value than those of the poorer groups in society, but this just reinforces the power structure beliefs concerning wealth and poverty. In a third world setting, the balance point of a poor peasant earning less than $1 per day may be a few cents. For the head of a huge multinational corporation it may represent even hundreds of thousands of pounds. The secret here in is that all balance points are equal, and should be treated equally. For example: If my 8 year old cousin supports my project with £2, it is a bigger sacrifice for her than when Bill Gates supports it with £2000.
The last thing we need clarity about is the dream itself. Why do you want this weekend to happen and why do you feel you should be part of it? What is the dream that you invite people to become a part of by making a contribution?
For Jilani and me, the dream is to come together as a community of people, to learn, grow and celebrate together and collectively experience the beauty and wonders of nature, music and togetherness.
Be clear, what you ask for and why this event is important to you. When you have that, you can start:
Get in touch, invite your friends, and join us at the wood!