Saying Yes More: It’s What We Do
The YesTribe is a community that grew out of the idea of saying yes more. It started in June 2015 with nineteen strangers responding to a Facebook invite to go camping just outside of London. Absolutely everyone is welcome, it doesn’t cost anything to join, just hop into the central community group on Facebook and then find your regional tribe and when you’re ready, say hi, make a post, show up at an event.
If we had to define the YesTribe, it would have something to do with bringing brave, kind, curious, people together, often in the great outdoors. We’re humans who want to be useful and make a difference, and choose to see positives and opportunities before the less fun stuff. Also, it’s so much easier to do something cool when you’re surrounded by supportive people, rather than naysayers or boredom mongers.
There’s a theme of adventure running through the YesTribe and this means a willingness to try new things. Adventure isn’t about how far you travel or how high you climb, it’s a venture towards the unsure, a way to stretch out your comfort zone and get to know yourself in the midst of a new challenge.
If you have 90 seconds, this little film will show how the kindness of strangers Dave found on his journeys became the inspiration for the YesTribe.
The first YesTribe campout in June 2015
YesTribe Events
Stories are central to the community and we love hearing about adventures big and small, life-changing decisions to daily backyard hobbies; anything really that contributes to a life well lived.
Yestival is our annual festival and we’ve held five so far (luckily we decided to take a fallow year in 2020!). Between 200 and 500 people turn up depending on the year, which makes it our biggest event by far. We have around 40 speakers who share tales and host workshops, all geared towards motivating, inspiring change and action.
We hold regular YesStories nights all over the UK, which have given a platform for hundreds of people to share their stories over the years. We like to think that everyone in the audience is a future speaker.
Our Tribe Leaders also host a variety of events, from podcast clubs to wild camps, paddling, cycling and hiking trips, daytime walks and yoga classes, crafternoons and little cups of adventure, where we get together to chat about our upcoming trips. All of the upcoming events hosted by the YesTribe are visible on this page.
Although we have a few costs to cover we keep over 95% of our events free, and if people would like to attend a ticketed event but can’t afford it, then we’ll do everything we can. We want the YesTribe and the things we do to be welcoming across the board, and accessible to all. Naturally there are some things we can’t do with our voluntary model and not much funding, but spirit gets us a long way. For Yestival, which is our most expensive event because it costs a lot and funds SayYesMore for the year, we have a kindness of strangers policy, where anyone can pitch in towards an accessibility ticket.
The YesTribe Manifesto
We’ve got some problems to solve, and the only way we can do this is together. The YesTribe is a group of people who want to make a positive impact. This is a mindful community, full of individuals aware of the world around them and willing to band together to make each part of the whole stronger. We’ve all got so much to give, and our capacity to contribute grows in parallel with the strength of our own mental health, global perspective and support network. We look forward to hanging out and helping you do what you’re here for. Change starts at home, with you, but after that, the world is waiting. Let’s make a difference, together.
First time? Here's your next step...
1) Join the YesTribe group on Facebook, you'll find all of our events behind the tab at the top of that page. And don’t forget to check out this page of all our regional and global tribes - there might be one nearby.
2) Sign up to our newsletter, where you'll get fortnightly doses of motivating tribe stories and news
3) Come on a campout or another event and meet the tribe. We know turning up to something without knowing anyone can be daunting sometimes, but remember, everyone turned up for the first time at some point :)
4) Get involved. We've only been around as an organisation (and not just three words) since June 2015 and we're growing fast. If you'd like to volunteer and develop skills and our direction in the process, check out the jobs available
5) Be inspired. Amazing things have happened since this tribe started, it's wonderful what a bit of support and some time spent outside does for us. Check out the Tribe Stories page to see what everyone has been up to, and start cooking up your own story to tell.