Our first gathering was held under the name Sheffield Student Summer Camp, in 2022.
The context at the time was that there had been a massive student rent strike wave in 2020/2021 due to the mistreatment of students by covid policies. Lots of young people had been politicised by this struggle, but there were relatively few radical national forums for different groups to meet. An attempt to set up a national student organisation (the Red Square Movement) had limited longevity.
We brought together around 60-70 young people and students to a 4-day event in Sheffield. People slept in houses and campsites around the city, and all converged on Endcliffe Park in the morning to set up some gazebos and create our autonomous space. We had two streams of workshops, with lots of great sessions.
Logistics was made easier by the park having public toilets, and there being a nearby house where we could cook our meals. Overall the camp was really cool and was a good catalyst for skillsharing & relationships.
