|
Saturday 3rd. June to Saturday 10th. June 2000 |
This was
Celebrates 7th year at Laurieston Hall in
SW Scotland, when twenty women and twenty men were invited to get together to continue
the process of building a joint community.
Here’s what we said
about the week
What happens on the week?
What happens
during the week depends on who comes. We organise a group get-together on the
first day which works best if everyone attends, but after that nothing is
compulsory - and almost anything is possible. We hope (collectively) to create
a safe space, which respects all our different needs, away from the pressures
of both ‘straight’ society and our segregated scenes. The emphasis is on building
bridges between our communities, working together and playing together,
listening, celebrating and hoping to move towards a sense of being one
community.
How we, as
individuals, choose to do this will vary. You may wish to throw yourself
enthusiastically into every workshop on offer; you may want to spend most of
your time in the wonderful countryside which surrounds the Hall; some of us
will be keen on playing games, or music; others will wants lots of dance or
long walks over the mountains; you may want to do nothing more energetic than
enjoy the log fire in the hall as you sit around chatting. The choice is
entirely yours.
‘Organised’
events, from serious workshops to party games or special meals, vary from year
to year. On previous events there have been circle, line and ballroom dancing,
signing for the deaf, mask workshops, walks, singing, body image, creative
writing, cycle rides, swimming in the loch, bonfires, saunas, discussions,
wrestling, massage, volley ball, cabaret... We have discussed what we can do
for each other, what we find difficult to understand about each other,
misogyny, gender differences, our sexual identities, safe space, questions of
gender and empowerment and lots more.
This year we
have already arranged a ceilidh with the venue’s resident band, a banquet and a
cabaret night. We hope that many people will turn up with ideas of things that
they want to do. Perhaps you want to do some massage, sing in a group, play
games on the lawn, or get into serious discussion about sexual politics. This
week is your chance to have a go, whether you just want to participate or
facilitate something yourself. If you think you might want to organise an
event, it would be helpful if you told us about it now; likewise if there is
something you particularly want to try, but there is plenty of opportunity to
come up with ideas on the week. If you’re wary of trying to facilitate
something on your own, there might be others who will help you.
Safe Space
We aim to
provide an environment where we all can create a space which is safe for all of
us. What do we mean by safe? Roughly speaking, that all the participants will
respect the differing needs and desires of the other participants. This is not
always easy - especially if individuals’ need conflict, so we also hope that
participants will share a willingness to negotiate with others around their own
and other’s needs. At times this can be uncomfortable, and it can feel risky,
but it can also be very exciting. We have found that when we’ve successfully
accommodated our differences, our sense of community and friendship has
increased enormously.
Support
Being
amongst so many people can be exhilarating and exciting, although sometimes it
can be nerve-racking and overwhelming. To ease this, there will be an
opportunity for ‘base groups’ to meet every day to reflect on what is happening
for each other, and to support one another. We hope to be able to offer mixed
and single-sex groups, but this will depend on what the other participants
want. You don’t have to join a base group, but doing so gives you the chance to
meet regularly with a smaller group of people. What base groups do with their
time is up to them - you might go to the sauna together, or climb trees, or sit
in the Hall talking about how you are getting on with the week, or plan a piece
for the cabaret.
Who is Celebrate! for?
Celebrate!
is for lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals who want to spend time together away
from the scene. All we ask is that you acknowledge the aims of the organisation and
respect the safety of others on the event.
What do I
get?
Celebrate! provides eventers with a full week away, with three full meals a day, hot drinks and snacks. The only thing left to pay for is your travel to the venue, any other drinks you want, and phone calls or postcards home to say what a good time you’re having!
How much does it cost?
Suggested costs are on a scale, based on your income,
but only you know how much you can afford, so we are happy to negotiate.
|
Income |
Suggested cost |
|
Unwaged |
£100 + |
|
Low Waged |
£170+ |
|
Waged |
£240 + |
|
Above Average Wage |
£310+ |
Each place
on this event costs the celebrate community a minimum of roughly £170 that
includes all food, accommodation, advertising, and other administrative costs.
It doesn't however include expenses that some people with differing needs may
have. Many people for many reasons, can't afford this minimum amount, so
surplus money can enable us to provide cheaper places for those with differing
financial & physical needs, and to enable us to carry on fulfilling the
aims of the organisation.
There are
some bursaries available if you have extra costs, for example expenses because
of an impairment, child-care costs, or if your income is such that you can not
afford the lowest level on the sliding scale. Please contact us if you need a
bursary. Normally we require a non-returnable deposit of 25% of the full price
which you will be paying in order to secure your place. The remaining balance
must be paid in full on the week. If you would like to pay by installments
before the event, this is also possible. If you have any questions or problems
with financing the week, please phone to discuss it with us.
Celebrate!
events are entirely self financing; all the co-ordinating team on the week are
volunteers, contributing to the cost of the week themselves.
Any surplus
money from our events will be used to further the aims of Celebrate! by making
the events cheaper and more accessible.
Children
Unfortunately we cannot offer places for children at this
event. Eventually we aim to hold events both with and without children, and a
team is looking to make this a reality in the not too distant future. If you
think you might be able to help with planning an event which includes children,
please get in touch.
