This blog is primarily for anyone who would like to lead a wild camp for the YesTribe. In 2019 the YesTribe has committed to hosting 100 free (or nearly free, in the case of a site charging for places) wild camps around the UK, as part of a campaign called Wake Up Wild. We’re also raising funds for a charity called Tree Aid, because we really like trees.
This is a simple step-by-step guide to hosting a campout. These steps are written assuming you’re a comfortable wild camper already, and are happy to lead and welcome a crew of people - many of whom you won’t know. If you’d like a little training before hosting your camp, then be sure to drop us a line and then attend an existing wild camp. Shadowing someone else is the best way to learn.
Ok, so assuming you’re ready to go, here’s what to do:
1) Decide on the location of your camp. If you’re not sure where to host a camp, or if you’d like some suggestions, drop Team Yes a line.
Setting up an event on Facebook
2) Set up an event on the Wake Up Wild Facebook page. Events > + Create Event > then fill in the details, ideally copying and pasting the main body of text from a previous Wake Up Wild camp and substituting your specific location and meet-up details.
The rule of thumb for organising these campouts is to make the camp as simple and easy to attend for everyone, experienced and beginner campouts alike. It’s ensure more people come along, and will also keep your admin workload down because folks ask fewer questions when they’re given all details up front.
3) Ensure the Event Name begins with ‘YesTribe Wild Camp at"‘ and then add the location or region afterwards.
The key details to enter into a Facebook event
4) Add ‘Wake Up Wild’ as a co-host
5) Ensure your event timings match the meet-up time you’ve scheduled for the start. Home-time the next morning is up to you, it might be a school morning so everyone will disappear fast, or a more loungy weekend. People are free to leave when they like, but put the End time as the time that YOU want to head out.
6) Feel free to leave the ‘details’ field clear.
7) Add this Justgiving link to the Tickets field: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wakeupwild2019
Enter the justgiving link for Wake Up Wild and Tree Aid into the Tickets field
8) Finally, ensure that this text is towards the top of the description (in case you wrote your own or copied from an event that didn’t already have it:
We don’t ask for any payment for these wild camps, it’s essentially a group of folks who like camping meeting up with other people who like camping! You just need to organise your own kit (feel free to ask for help/spares on the event page) and get yourself to the camp. Please remember you come along at your own risk, nature is wonderful but there are trip hazards sometimes.
If you’d like to say thanks we’ve got a couple of options - donate to Tree Aid, the Wake Up Wild charity partner @ www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wakeupwild2019 and/or give a pound or two to your camp leader to cover their expenses and admin time. They’re very nice people who host campouts out of the goodness of their heart :)
9) Once your event is live let the team know by posting it here. This way they can ensure it’s shared on the SayYesMore calendar, newsletter and Facebook pages/groups.
10) The Build-Up: Keep an eye on your event in case people ask questions. Remember that people sometimes click ‘interested’ or ‘going’ and then won’t turn up, so keep an open mind on attendance.
11) The day before a camp out it’s always nice to post an update, encouraging folks to sign up and remind them that it’s still happening. (When you create the event try to make it habit to set a reminder in your personal calendar to write this pre-camp post). Be friendly and open and kind and you’ll set the culture for the event in real life. It’s also a good time to remind them about social media posts. Social media is a great way to get other people interested in wild camps, and this is a really nice use of social media as well.
Here’s a bit of text to copy/paste the day before a camp. Feel free to add your own flavour :)
Hello everyone! The campout tomorrow is still on! The weather is looking (FILL IN THE BLANK HERE!) and I’m excited to spend a night outside with you. Please do post on social media about your experience before and after the event and remember to tag @theyestribe and #wakeupwild and #sayyesmore if there’s space. If you’d like to film your experience of preparing for, travelling to and enjoying the campout, we would love to add your footage to a film we’re making as we go. Send for free to events@wakeupwild.co.uk on wetransfer.com.
[Image: A screenshot of the weather app is a nice image to share here, especially if it’s sunny! If it’s rainy, maybe just a picture of a smiley person outside! The Upsplash website is a good place to get copyright-free photos]
11) Depending on the meet-up and location (ie. if the camp is a hard place to find unless you guide people) you might want to share your phone number on the event. You do not have to do this, it’s totally up to you.
12) Event time: It’s over to you now. Have a great time, look after people, perhaps start the camp by getting everyone in a circle and doing a painless introduction (ask each person to spend no more than 20 seconds sharing their name, why they came along to the camp, and something different, like the best thing that happened to them that week, or a cool fact that nobody else would know!).
13) Make sure you take a group photo before it gets too dark (or if it’s dark already, do a headlight campfire photo!). Remember to pack a little tripod for this, they’re very handy and to take a few nice photos showing the group, the approach to the camp and the site itself. Then send for free to events@sayyesmore.com (use wetransfer.com if files are big). We love archiving photos of YesTribe wild camps!
A group of people on a wild camp surrounding a pile of headtorches on the ground, which look a bit like a campfire!
Finally, thank you. We think it’s important to get outside with good people, and the more wild camps you put on the more opportunity folks will have. You’re brilliant, and we’re here to support you so please, if you ever have a question or ten, say hi.