NVC Camp in the North

On our camp, at the heart of all our togetherness,  we choose to hold each of our needs dearly and gently.   Our wee gathering of precious beings gives us the opportunity  to create a place of care for one another,  a place where regardless of age we can consider the needs of all, whether we are  4  or 64 …..each of us matter

Setting the scene!

Situated on the edge of the North Pennines, the community of Burnlaw provides us with a variety of accommodation from camping to a luxury air bnb studio.  A beautiful indoor room for our eating and activities,  a wonderful circular temple under canvas for workshops and singing.  There is a large camping field, children's play area, woodland copse, campfire area, outdoor pizza oven and  a large river 10 mins drive away.

What will the structure of the camp be like?

Our intention for the camp is that together we will decide how each day may unfold.

This means hearing the needs and requests from all of our community members including little children, teenagers, single mothers, older folk, those with disabilities …..everyone matters,.

Each morning we will come together and decide how to create the day as a whole group..  We may do some things together or branch off into smaller groups.  The hope is, however, that all of our community members we will be able to hold the needs of the whole group no matter what we choose.

So….there maybe a move to create a game of rounders, help on a building project at Burnlaw,  to have a discussion around empathy, to play some NVC games with the children, to run a workshop on anger, to go for a walk, a swim in the river, to do some singing or dancing……

Each day, each moment, new life will emerge where we will be invited to respond to and thus enable us to flow with the energy of our whole community.   We invite you to come and  hold  our temporary community gently in your hands.

Indeed here is an opportunity to live and breath NVC as much as we can in all of our interactions; at mealtimes, in our everyday comings and goings…..and of course, it goes without saying that we will be doing our NVC perfectly imperfectly…..we can all be beautifully inadequate together!

But there must be someone in charge?

The camp has been organised by some experienced and some less experienced NVCers.  Some of us have attended or been involved in  NVC camps, others have held space for groups of all sizes, some are certified trainers….so within the organising team we have the ability to hold the space, help create the support that may be needed, suggest possible ways forward and run some workshops……...however, we all bring gifts with us in so many areas just by being ourselves…..including YOU!!!!

Come with an open heart, come with an open mind….come with an intention to connect with your own and the needs of others….come with all of yourself:  your fears and longings;  Your anger and joy;  your unknowing of what will unfold in our time together…..come to create a community of beauty in all its human guises.

Accommodation and costs

The basic price includes all food and  camping. There are a handful of beds in a bunkhouse or a private  room.  These  are available at an additional cost.

Costings transparency:

The basic costs above  covers the cost of hiring the centre,  paying for the food and  the cook, camping, paying for the trainers  and organisers travel, accommodation and  material costs.

It does not cover the hours of time spent organising the event or indeed the expertise of the trainers delivering workshops and holding space.  Time that the organisers were not able to use doing other work that could have earnt them money to support their sustainability. For this reason we are making a request that if you can we would love to ask for a donation to reflect our hard work.  No need to do this up front, just book on the camp  and we will talk about this together towards the end of the camp.

This is the first camp in the North of England and we want to build community here by inviting those who live in the North to book first. If you live elsewhere in the UK - would you check in with us before booking?

For more information and booking please email Sandrine: mieschsand@gmail.com or Beth: beth.silverbirch@gmail.com