BarnCamp 2010

A Barn Camp in the beautiful Wye Valley from Friday 11th till Sunday 13th June 2010.

BARN CAMP 2010 IS NOW OVER! THANKS TO ALL WHO CAME AND MADE IT THE BEST RURAL HACKTIONLAB YET. TO ENSURE YOU DON'T MISS OUT NEXT YEAR - BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!!

BarnCamp 2010 is two days of workshops on topics ranging from renewable energy to foraging for food to citizen journalism to using free software for activism, up to three nights of camping, open space sessions, evening entertainment, great food on a beautiful farm co-op high in the Wye Valley.

Brought to you by HacktionLab, the third edition of our summer camp at Highbury Farm in the beautiful Wye valley is taking place between the 11th and 13th June and this year entitled BarnCamp. It'll feature two days of workshops, demos, discussions and practical, how-to sessions looking at how technology can be useful (and dangerous) for campaigners, community activists and general trouble makers. The event is now FULLY BOOKED so if you haven't already been issued with a booking code, you won't be able to come this time The price you've paid includes food, camping, entertainment and all workshops and open space barncamp sessions. In the evening there will be both indoor and fireside entertainment, and plenty of time to meet people, and chill.

BarnCamp 2010 is a hacklab-style event where we make it happen ourselves, you may well be roped in to help with some aspect of organising. We have a separate page for organisation and planning as well as a mailing list for those who want to get more involved in the running of BarnCamp. To get in touch, please join the list, or email one of the organisers at barncamp [at] hacktivista [dot] net

^* The cost is £35 on the gate. Please note that you still need to have booked your place before coming even if you are going to pay on the gate.

Past BarnCamps

This year marks the third BarnCamp convergence at Highbury Farm in the Wye Valley (Wales) where people interested and/or working in the areas of alternative media, renewable energy, on-line video distribution, free software and any other form of activism that utilises technology came together to share and discuss. Based on feedback from the previous years, we are deliberately making this year's camp less geeky than the previous years by having a more open range of workshops and open space sessions. Check-out what we got up to in 2008 and 2009.

The original idea for the gathering came from a number of years of experience gained by activists working for organisations such as Indymedia and includes specific experience from involvement in the Horizone Eco-Village in Stirling (2005), the Camps for Climate Action in Drax (2006), Heathrow (2007) and Kingsnorth (2008) as well as the No Borders camp at Gatwick (2007).

Getting there

You can find out more about where BarnCamp 2010 is being held and how to get there by visiting this page

Cost and paying for BarnCamp

This year we have fixed the cost for BarnCamp at £25 per person for two nights camping and food (six meals) for the weekend. Apart from the cost of food and camping, the amount helps to cover a few additional costs for transport of equipment (and tolls for Severn Bridge) and planning. The last two years we were able to be able to make an additional donation to Highbury Farm from the donations received and we hope to do so again. Left over funds are kept in the HacktionLab pot for running future events, workshops and publications. This page has more information about ways to pay for BarnCamp.

Kids

Kids are most welcome to come to BarnCamp and you do not need to pay for them to attend, but we would welcome a donation towards food. We are arranging crèche facilities so that parents can attend workshops. So that we know what we need, please let us know if you are are bringing kids with you, by emailing us at barncamp [at] hacktivista [dot] net.

Animals

Since Highbury Farm is a working farm, unfortunately we have to ask that you not to bring animals on site. Thank you.

Entertainment

Evening entertainment will include fireside acoustic sessions, live music, some open mic poetry and music, a solar powered cinema from http://thesolcinema.org and refreshments.

Food & drink

There will be food and drink provided during BarnCamp. Highbury Farm is a pretty much a vegan farm and the food will be primarily vegan with some additions, such as milk, and eggs as an option for breakfast. Highbury Farm requests that meat is not brought or cooked on site; so please don't, thanks. There is an excellent pub (the Boat Inn) across the valley within walking distance that serves fine ales and ciders and also serves meat dishes for those who cannot do without.

Tea, coffee and infusions will be provided within the cost of attending. We hope also to have local organic (we will attempt to get vegan) ale and cyder available at a reasonable price; we're also hoping to get some wine in.

What is a Barn Camp?

Well we just made it up 'cos it sounds cool. But the name has its roots in the Bar Camp concept. What is a Bar Camp? Well, if you visit http://www.barcamp.org, it'll tell you that it:

• is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment.
• is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants who are the main actors of the event.

So, it's the same - only it's happening in a Barn - yes a real Barn - on a farm. No shit. Well apart from ... you know. Anyway the focus is on a healthy take on technology, both new media and alternative, with a mix of free software, alternative use of technology for activism and general fun in the sun workshops so it probably won't be that intense, sorry! If that sounds good then get in touch with one of the organisers at barncamp [at] hacktivista [dot] net.

BarnCamp 2010 Programme

More in-depth details and notes about the current proposed workshops can be found at BarnCamp 2010 Workshops page. This year's BarnCamp we have 14 hours of workshop sessions available, seven hours running in parallel. These will comprise eight hours of programmed sessions and a further six hours of open space barcamp-style sessions. Workshop proposals for this year include: Regardless as to whether you're on the mailing list, already down as an organiser or running a workshop YOU STILL NEED TO BOOK. So get on and do it at http://registration.hacktivista.net/

• Renewable energy: 12 volt theory & practice
• Email security - strictly for non-techies
• Citizen video journalist workshop
• Free software desktop publishing with Scribus and Inkscape
• Audio editing for podcasting and other applications with free tools
• How to get Ubuntu running on your laptop quick and simple
• Food foraging, rocket stove and other outdoor-like workshops

Friday 11th June

• Arrive in the afternoon/evening (see getting to BarnCamp) for evening meal and campfire gathering and plenary. The bar will also be open.

Saturday 12th June

• 09-10 breakfast
• 10-11 morning plenary
• 11-13 workshops
• 13-15 lunch
• 15-18 workshops
• 19-20 dinner
• 20-02 party

Sunday 13th June

• 11-12 breakfast
• 12-14 workshops
• 14-15 plenary
• 15- lunch and goodbyes

Monday 14th June

• Infrastructure crew: site take-down and leave

Getting involved in logistics & planning

We have a separate page for planning and organising BarnCamp 2010 and organising what needs to be done and who is doing what. If you want to get involved in the grindstone of what's going on this year, please join our mailing list.