2024 All Camp Meeting
VWC Venue/Access Small Group Discussions
August 2024, Transcribed and Poem-ized (Sort of) by Casey

Communal life, Sacred commitments
Grief of goodbye and campers lost
Ongoing conversation for years, climate chaos wreaking havoc.  There is no place of perfect access
Not either/or but this/and
There will be grief no matter what
Don’t walk away from beloved land

Need both/whole not abled/disabled separation
Irreplaceable quality of relationship between FW & VWC
Financial solvency is essential. No other place will be as similar.
Finance is also an access need- FW is very accessible this way
And yet for some Canadians, it feels expensive- in Canadian money might they pay?
May we birth a sister camp while improving accessibility?  Perhaps in Canada?
Long history of talking about winter camp perhaps at Common Ground?
This conversation impacted vending, an accessibility need for some campers.
Sliding scale idea for financial access has worked, other camps have found.

For some, one small fire pit is insufficient for the magical needs of camp ritual
Some have safety concerns with spiral dance around a large fire
No good fire is a non-starter, but are their other options? Art installation?  Drummers and sitters as the energetic fire in the center of the celebration?
Need to get creative, we need to inspire.

Can we identify more access needs and all-camp issues?
Hearing, vision, allergies, Wheelchair needs
Border crossing, no flush toilets
food production values, to know the date as soon as possible  Don't want a smoking area, 9:30pm quiet time is too early
New camper communication has been inconsistent and needs more efficiency
Shuttle drivers are not reachable by page, need some boundaries,
Can we hire outside shuttle drivers?
RV parking/mobile apartment rental, bonfire by the barn, mutual aid

More financial transparency, posted on website?
If a venue is missing something can it happen off site?
What if organizers had shadow witnesses to apprentice for organizing in the future?
Witch Camp is a brand- could we sell merch? Shared profits between creator and camp.
How to include kids in camp duties and chores
Two camps/events, perhaps shorter, different seasons, we would see each other more.

Terrain brings pain and exclusion.  How may we work with FW to become more accessible?
Filling camp has been a challenge, Reboot will grow enrollment
Enrollment down issues: access, covid, rifts.
Sacred word turned sloppy, intra-community rifts caused issues
As people get older they get written off. In other places they are more included in community.
Influence/power at camp
People self-select to come to VWC who know they physically can handle the terrain.
Access cabin is not wheelchair accessible although it has electricity
Paying for a facility instead of per person is financially stressful if enrollment is low
Why don’t we transparently name large donations? Privacy concerns?

Organizing sounds challenging
Learn from and communicate with other Reclaiming camps
Looking for privacy at any new venue
Does not make sense to relocate if a new location cannot provide earlier date for teachers and students to attend
Consider yes/and rather than either/or- could we put on a smaller more accessible event in addition to traditional VWC?
Can I release from always being able to come to camp? Can I allow camp to pass on without me?

Online rituals too- Wild Ginger is a good resource
Tech can be challenging but zoom gatherings can keep folks connected. 
Starhawk offers winter convergence online. An opportunity to hybridize?  Regional “munches” meet ups, meals, consensual gatherings

The effort for putting on camp is massive and it can be hard to find people to organize especially as things get more complicated.
Many camps have ended because of this.
If we could pay stipends we’d get more consistent organizers. Increasing trend that people don’t want to organize without pay, especially BIPOC, who have to do extra emotional labor and cope with racism.
One reason it’s hard to get organizers, especially of color is because of white supremacy culture on the team, a mess of racism
Necessary work. Unpaid labor.
How to set up a trusting container and be more efficient.
When people are confused they revert to defaults.
Could have instructions to help organizers feel clear in their roles as camp has grown and changed. There are existing systems.
Founders syndrome, toxic nostalgia can be exclusive
Attachment to how things were done in the past
Whose input is received and whose dismissed?
What is the right way to do ritual?
Principles of Unity call for inclusivity and diversity… keep asking for the needs, the input, the conversations, even if we don’t have immediate solutions.  Process sometimes trumps the needs of community.
Access is about creativity. We can come up with solutions.  We don’t want to miss that connection.
Do we serve the magic camp or do we serve ourselves? Time for self reflection.

Leaving a beloved site, we will feel the grief. Think about indigenous people who have been displaced. Can we only do magic on one land?  And yet, Land is a community member too, incorporated into paths, teachings

Hard to leave FW AND we can make magic anywhere.

What are the core pieces we wont let go of?
Keep looking! Don’t skip a year, we risk losing the week.
Who do we share grief with?  For what are we reaching?

This year’s team is really responsive.