Camp Secret Squirrel: Recon
Posted by Jack in Uncategorized, tags: camp secret squirrel, events
The cabins, canvas and main space
Today several of us went down to get a proper look at the secret location where this year’s SSY summer camp will be taking place.
The site is somewhere in South West Scotland, amongst some really beautiful woodland. There’s two cabins, and a canvas will be stretched between them, providing us with a large workshop/eating/dancing space. There’s a really nice little hut for the compost toilet, and of course plenty of room for camping and exploring.
I just thought I’d share some of the images we took of the place, so that people can get excited as I am about the great site we’ve found. The people that run the place had their own event on, so that’s who the folk you can see are.
Remember to start getting organised now so that you don’t miss it-book time off work, tell your parents you’re not going away with them that weekend and just generally clear your diary!
Under the canvas
We’ll be getting a coach from Glasgow to the site on the evening of Friday 6th August, and getting it back on the morning of Monday the 9th. It’s fine if you only want to come for 1 day or can’t make the bus at those times, but get in touch so we can help you find the place and get there.
The CSS chefs are already on the case devising a great menu of three meals each day. In the evening there’ll be music, hopefully featuring some special guests (more details to come on that), as well as a big campfire.
During the day we’re going to have a range of key issues up for discussion in some exciting participatory workshops. We’re still finalising the programme, so if there’s something you think is important and needs to be talked about, or if you’re knowledgeable about something and reckon you could run a workshop, please let us know! Below are a list of workshop ideas that have been suggested so far, not all of these have a facilitator yet, so volunteers welcome. Let us know in the comments what you like/don’t like/want to see added.
Some of the kids today had built rafts to sail on the pond. Could we do this? FUCK YEAH!
-What is socialism?
-How to win an argument on climate change
-Racism and the fake idea of race
-What is patriarchy?
-Taking back football for the fans
-Drugs prohibition: How it came about and why it should end
-The food industry and why there’s an obesity epidemic
-The police state: rise of the big brother society
-Scotland and independence after the general election
-The internet, filesharing and the politics of piracy
-Troops out now: How we can help end the war in Afghanistan
This is far from an exhaustive or final list, so we’re still very much open to suggestions. Other ideas that don’t have snappy titles or fully fleshed plans yet include something about LGBT rights/sexuality, plus some international stuff about the situation in Latin America and Europe. That last one will depend on how successful we are in getting international socialist pals to come join us, an effort that is ongoing just now.
Coolest outdoor toilet ever!
In any case, this is just a reminder, hopefully you’re now as excited as we are about what will be the absolute highlight of summer 2010.
Camp Secret Squirrel: 6th-9th August. Miss it and you’re a chump!
All young (26 or under) socialists, feminists, environmentalists, anti-racists and other radicals welcome!
More images on the Camp Secret Squirrel facebook event, here.
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Charly says she’ll help out on LGBT rights stuff.
I might die with excitement. Seriously.
See if I didn’t live up in Aberdeen I would well be there. I will ask other Aberdeen SSP people if they are game because I dont want to go on my own. Taking Football back to the fans is a topic I would be more than happy to rant about.
It is a priority that Aberdeen gets involved in CSS! It’ll be excellent. Will try and get some of us lallanders up to Aberdeen for one of your branch meetings soon and we can chat about this sorta thing, it’s a bit difficult now with exams n that coming up but we will get something organised ASAP! Plus, don’t forget to invite all of your pals who are even vaguely lefty. I bet they come away thinking socialism is just pure dead awesome.
I suggest we go up to Aberdeen to do a branch meeting about what’s been happening with Mephedrone, it’s topical and interesting. Once you’ve met us you won’t feel like you’re coming on your own Euan. That said, we really want all of you there. We also really want you guys to get involved in the blog as well if possible, so it’s less Glasgow-centric, and we’re getting updates from the North East.
I like the fact that the picture has blue skies and sun shining… I´m praying to all the false gods I can think of that the camp appears EXACTLY as pictured
The topics for discussion sound good, too.
On Wednesday there is a meeting and this will be raised by me as we decided that I was going to be the “SSY boy” for Aberdeen SSP. Obviously no-one from the central belt can make it that short notice but its every 2 weeks we have meetings. I will take some of the stuff sent up a few weeks ago, including the leftfield copy and CSS leaflet. I will report back on the SSY in Aberdeen topic on the forum.
I’d like to see workshops on class (what is it? does it still exist? how are classes composed and organised?) and on the nature of the state (is it a neutral arbiter in society? can it be reformed?)
The internet is also a very interesting topic, would be glad to be involved in a workshop on that.
please don’t let the music be dominated by all that caribbean and hip hop stuff that a small but very influential number of weegies tend to listen to. how about an open mic night or something? seem to remember it going down pretty well at the first CSS
THere isn’t going to be a PA
There is going to be music, just on a smaller battery operated type arrangement which I’m working on just now. Will still be music and a dancefloor.
BTW are we having an LGBT workshop this year? I can rant about Ruth Black.
The workshops are up on a list. I don’t think we should rant about Ruth Black. I think that would be terrifying and off-putting to new people.
Ther isn’t an LGBT workshop. There was going to be, but no one wanted to do anything and the slots just got organised without it.
i don’t think the list is definitive yet (the list on the page is pretty rough and more to give an idea than anything else, i drew it up based on vague recollections of what people’ve said), think sarah and jack were going to sort it out this weekend or something, i’m sure there’d still be room for lgbt stuff if someone will do it, although something about lgbt rights in general would probs be better than focusing just on glasgow ayee
Yeah no I agree but you know, we should go beyond 101 stuff. The Glasgow stuff can be looked at in the context of Stonewall, and I don’t really see why it’d be scary for new people. I mean it’s about cronyism and corruption, LGBT issues; lots of meat to chat about.