Our second summer camp, and first official gathering under the name AYC, was held in Coventry in June 2023.
Logistcally, it was a big step up from our first camp. We increased its length to a week, and this time we were camping full time in the park, rather than sleeping in houses and commuting everyday. This meant less time was spent on travel, and there was a sense of our space being reclaimed and shaped while we were there. We still relied on nearby public toilets and and a house to do the cooking in.
Once again we got around 70 attendees, with a mix of students and non-students, and even some people from outside the UK. Our programme was very strong, covering a range of topics. Interestingly, although not planned, throughout the week we noticed a consistent theme of care cropping up in many discussion, as many participants took the opporunity to chystalise their reflections on local organising. For lots of us, this had been the realisation that prioritising looking after each other is essential for sustainable and strong movements to grow, and it was a relief to find out that lots of other people had been thinking along similar lines – we can and must do better than burnout culture demands!
The gathering was very fun and we considered it successful, both logsitically and politically, and we resolved to keep going every year.
