Setting up for Set-Up (part 1)

Dear readers, it has been far too long since our last update. The sun has begun to sporadically shine and those grey muggy days have finally reached their longest: it must be British summer. By now a small team of Green & Away’s trustees have assembled on site and started to make the field a home once more. There with them are the happy new interns, eager to learn all there is to know about running a tented conference centre.

My interviewees this time are the friendly Yanna and Rob, each with their own impressive story, as beautiful as they are different. Nothing makes the world feel as big to me as people who have walked it in their own ways, their individual experiences trailing an infinity across the globe.

So, Yanna, please tell us who you are.

Hi every-one! I currently study Civil Engineering in Denmark. My parents are French and German, but I have a difficult time answering the ‘where do you come from’ question because I lived in Japan until I was sixteen years old, and then flew off to the United World College in India.

Another intimidating opening. The life you were given is just as exciting as the life you have chosen. As a former resident of Japan myself, I can’t wait to hear more about your upbringing and how it has affected the decisions you subsequently made. So please, tell us what interests you.

I like to travel…

Indeed.

…especially when I have the chance to stay in one place for some time, is that a slight paradox? I like to be able to get a better feel for the culture and maybe become part of something. And this is exactly what I’m looking forward to this summer at G&A! It’s the first time I’ll be in the UK for longer than a weekend, and I already get a feeling that G&A is quite a tight-knit, very friendly community.

It certainly is. We of course have returning volunteers and many of us hang out together during the rest of the year. But what you will find immediately is that your fellow interns will become just as close-knit, that the new volunteers will become your extended family and the field will become your home. There’s as much present and future as there is past, and with every new friendship we’re honouring the work and love of those who made it theirs over the decades that came before. So how did you hear about our community?

G&A actually caught my eye because I’m interested in sustainable building methods and water and sanitation solutions. A group of graduates at my university here are building an earth ship, which I find inspiring. I’ve also tried my hand at organic farming last year, and love being outdoors. I think G&A will be a good chance to complement my studies, while working on something practical.

In what way would you like that to happen?

The variety of people who seem to come together at G&A is one aspect I’m particularly excited about. I’m curious about all the skills and ideas which I’m sure will be brought to the table. I look forward to meeting you all – staff, interns, volunteers, and conference participants – hearing some good stories, sharing some new hobbies, and working together to make this a successful season.

We do attract some fantastic people each summer. The perfect blend of creativity and practicality is what we’re good at, and I think we’re always improving. With our initiatives such as the Green Woodworker- and Artist-in-Residence, we have managed to find some of this country’s most industrious and brilliant young minds. I’m getting a good feeling from our interns especially. You guys are going to make it the best summer yet.

Ladies and Gentlemen, be sure to check back with us in the next couple of days to read the incredible journey of Rob. Until then – I hope you’ll be joining me tonight in a howl to the SUPER MOON. *Hooooooooooooooooooooooooo*

Andy

A New Season – A New Team

When I first attended Green & Away in 2009 they were just at the beginning of a little experiment, having hand-selected a small team from the many who applied, the season would see this organisation’s first interns. It is a learning experience for all who attend, from the first time to the twentieth time, but for those chosen few it would be a summer of responsibility, a test of dedication, and an education like no other. With many hundreds of delegates passing through all summer, what position would you feel most comfortable filling? At the time no one had any idea what each job might require of them – office, kitchen, light industrial, H&H…what do they even mean?

It’s been a few years now. The dust has settled, turned to mud, been kicked up and resettled. Each year a new team of interns has taken it upon themselves to help run Europe’s only tented conference centre, and each year they have done fantastic, some say magical, work. With an eye to the coming season, I asked our newest group of vivid young environmental crusaders to introduce themselves.

Ingvild

Please tell us who you are.

My name is Ingvild Hokstad, and as you can tell from the name, England is not my native country. I am born and raised in a small, cold and beautiful village in the Norwegian mountains. Although pristinely picturesque, my hometown grew a little too small a little too soon in my life, so at the age of 15 I was already looking up study abroad options. This led me to apply for United World Colleges at the age of 16, and half a year later I was on my way to a two-year stay at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales. The road from there was a short one, ending up in London for my undergraduate studies. This leads us on to my topic of study and perhaps biggest interest, which is politics; the study of the governing and the governed, the foundations of modern society, and the interactions between institutions and individuals. Under this very wide category many more of my interests and activities are derived; human rights, sustainability and political equality being some of them. Outside of university life I enjoy running, yoga and martial arts, as well as having spent a lot of time volunteering, my favourite session being teaching dyslexic children reading and writing.

Wow, that’s an impressive introduction. I wish my interests were half as interesting. Still, someone has to watch cartoons all day, right? So, tell us what you think about Green & Away.

I expect that this will be fresh take on internships with practically oriented daily tasks. As I will be working in the office I hope to gain more knowledge and skill in management and organization. I expect to be given challenges and responsibilities within the management area of things; as well I am sure we will be offered any needed support. I also envisage rain, and lots of it – it is England after all. Hence, I figure we’ll get some hands on tasks in adapting to the different changes in weather. Hopefully, we’ll also get to work with the various organizations attending the conferences. I’m also hugely motivated for the educational workshops G&A are setting up for the interns, I anticipate I’ll be trying my hand at some mild debating and opinion sharing as well. Expectations aside, I’m excited to take on any challenge headed my way and I’m very optimistic about this summer.

You’ll certainly be enjoying the summer rain, Ingvild. Remind me to stay out of your way during the debates…it sounds like you know what you’re talking about. But I’m sure our broadly intellectual trustees and volunteers can provide you with the challenges and stimulus you crave. What about your future after the summer?

I hope to gain experience in management and knowledge of the operational side of Green & Away as a conference centre. Beyond this, I hope to learn from the people around me, as I know Green & Away attracts a wide range of hugely knowledgeable and remarkable people. Since I wish to work in public policy making, I’d love to gain a further insight into environmental solutions, social enterprise and the workings of various interest groups. This will certainly be something valuable to bring with me in my future career. I think an internship at G&A will help me push some boundaries and stimulate solution-seeking ways of thinking.

As well as gaining from this experience myself, there’s another thing I’d like to gain from this summer; I’d like to walk away with a feeling that I have contributed to Green & Away positively and offered my qualities in hope that it will have helped in making this an excellent summer. Lastly, I’d love to make friends with the cats I heard occupy the G&A office.

A beautifully touching statement there. When you arrive with love and a desire to do good (and know how to safely use a sledgehammer) there’s nothing that can go wrong and nothing that you can’t achieve. Thanks, Ingvild!

Rachel

Please tell us more.

Hi, my name is Rachel and I am one of the new maintenance interns. In my free time (if I ever have any!) I love doing arty things. I also enjoy hiking and swimming and although I can’t sing to save my life, I still love to, when no-one’s listening! At the moment I am studying Mechanical Engineering at Durham University. I am really interested in renewable energy and the environment, and would like to specialise in this subject. My interest in this area sparked from my belief in God and my desire to care for the earth that He created for us.

Well, Rachel, having worked the fires that heat G&A’s showers in the morning, I can tell you that being unable to sing does not stop anyone from trying. And why should it, eh? If you’re lucky perhaps you’ll hear the confused yet manly grumblings of me and Kevin as we partake in another singing workshop – have you ever wondered what a sad bear sounds like? No that’s not the real question. How did you find out about G&A and what hijinks do you think you’ll be up to this summer?

In my search for summer internships related to renewable energy I came across the organisation. This seemed the perfect way to spend my summer – learning more about how to practically look after the world, as well as using some of the engineering knowledge that I have been studying. The thing I am most excited about is meeting new people, and learning from my experiences with them. I am hoping to discover ways to live more simply and to reduce my need to constantly rely on electricity and home comforts. I enjoy being busy and I’m sure there will be plenty of things to keep me occupied on site. The idea of spending the whole summer in a field sounds like fun – I love camping!

We certainly have a lot of camping. In fact you could say it’s our defining feature. As one clever reporter once said: it’s in tents. There’s no doubt you’ll have one of the best summers of your life. Bring it on, I say.

Amy

Please tell us of yourself and of your life.

My name is Amy Macfadyen, I am 20 years old, I love to cook, sew, dance, sing and dress up. I am a people person, I am fascinated by human beings, how they socialise and react with one another. I am currently self-unemployed and am taking myself to the university of life. Doing lots of courses, my main focus is that of becoming a Doula (birth support) and working with children and pregnant women in vulnerable situations. I have always strived for independence and although I am incredibly close to my family, I left home at 16 to spread my wings. I spent 6 months working as an au-pair in France. I then went onto India, Cambodia and Vietnam where I had time to see many different cultures and ways of life that supported my belief that I can learn all I need to know from the people I meet along my life journey. I believe that within everyone I meet there is so much untapped knowledge that I want to create a space where it can be passed on, to me or others. I live by the ideal that I want my work to work around my life rather than working to retire, which I feel a lot of people do.

Very wise words. It seems the school of life has taught you well so far. Without even realising it I think a lot of us who attend G&A, and keep coming back, think along very similar lines to you. There’s always someone new to meet, someone who can make you see the world differently and, very often, make you see yourself differently too. How did you hear about G&A?

I heard about G&A from a dear friend of mine who has visited many times and has always dreamed of doing one of the internships, but with two young children the practicalities of this make it unlikely. When she forwarded this to me I could see immediately that it would suit me and my current situation incredibly well.

So much of what happens at the site each year comes in some way from word of mouth. It’s the greatest tool we have, in my opinion. That and the mattock. Mattocks are ace.

I am very aware that the internship will require a lot of hard work, I will be doing the kitchen internship so will be creating incredible meals and become a pro at quantities. I also hope to meet lots of inspiring people and be challenged in regard to the work but also people ideals.

The kitchen internship has challenged many, but beaten none. From all that hard work comes incredible reward and it’s something you’ll carry with you forever. What about your future?
Socially I live a very communal life at the moment, but dream of living in a community outdoors and embracing the principles of sustainable living. I feel like I will learn a lot from green and away and the people who I will meet. I also believe that in the near future we will be seeing increasing food shortages and the main reason for my interest in the kitchen internship is that I want to feel confident feeding large numbers of people that I feel will be in great need of good, nutritious, locally sourced food.

Sounds like the same reason I practice with my crossbow. Who knows what apocalypse is coming? Haha. Seriously, though, G&A is one of the best places to live and learn about the issues that affect us and will continue to affect the coming generations. What I personally like most about the organisation is that it’s run on a very practical level by intelligent, forward thinking people from all walks of life. And while some of us dream and sing and dance like hippies, we’re dedicated to changing the world with economics, with science, with simple solutions. And with compost. Just wait till you see all the compost.

Well, that wraps up the first instalment of Get to Know Your Intern, with me Andy Melhuish. In the next post we’ll be talking to Yanna and a few more of this year’s studious team. Are you excited for the summer yet? It’s almost time for shorts, for grass between our toes and for the sun above our canvas heads. Until then keep dodging those raindrops.

Recommendations from past interns

We thought it would be helpful to have a few words of encouragement from past interns for those people wondering whether to apply or not, and what we got was brilliant testamonials about how valuable the experience was. Read on…

“I arrived on day one to the unspoilt rural paradise, the long lush grass beneath my feet and the people who would make the next 2 months so special. Peter, Helen and the rest of the gang are so knowledgeable about not only the Green and Away project, but about sustainability and green debates on a wider scale. The summer passed with many informative discussions with a range of influential “Greenies”, opening my mind to new perspective as well as learning about the eco-life that Green and Away demonstrates so well. From fresh, locally produced foods to solar, wind and fire power, composting toilets, alternative building and usefully reusing anything available, Green and Away certainly practices what it preaches! It is still, three years later the only place I have known to do this with such commitment. The experiences and knowledge I gained at Green and Away have certainly benefited me when finding related jobs as well as influencing my long term dreams!”

Sofia Yarwood (UK) 2009

 “I spent the summer of 2009 for seven weeks with Green and Away as an intern. I was assigned to the kitchen and I enjoyed it very much. I learnt so many things regarding sustainable and healthy cooking. I worked as the kitchen manager helping run the field kitchen which was producing three meals for around 35 crew members each day, plus additional catering for around 130 delegates at each of five conferences of two days each. My work included menu planning, stock control, food ordering, health and hygiene awareness, managing staff and volunteers and rotas as well as cooking. I enjoyed the time I spent there so much and I kept volunteering the following year. I feel like I am a member of the G&A family.”

Yilmaz  A. (Turkey) 2009

 “I can honestly say that the time I spent as an intern with Green and Away was one of my best summers yet! As an intern we got to witness G&A from set-up, through functioning as a conference centre, to take-down at the end. During set-up I found myself leading little construction teams. Completing the various (and often puzzling) structures was hugely satisfying. Whilst the site was running, I spent my time between the office and the kitchen. In the office I got an idea of how the organisation operates and in the kitchen I got to experience being a kitchen manager. I learnt a lot from each of these posts.

It’s hard to say what I enjoyed most about G&A. It was fantastic to spend so much time outdoors in beautiful surroundings and I loved the sense of accomplishment at the end of each day. But I think what I liked best was the real sense of community and being able to enjoy simple pleasures with a wonderful group of people. I hope to go back soon!”

Becky Piggot (UK) 2009

“As a graduate student studying international environmental policy, I chose to intern at Green and Away to gain an outside perspective on how others around this world take on environmental issues. While at Green and Away, I learned valuable skills in sustainable food practices, alternative energy, volunteer management and organizational structure. I also greatly enjoyed the ‘afternoon chats’ from the trustees, which covered interesting topics like building dams for tribal communities in Sinai, alternative medicine and hydrogen automobiles. These skills and lessons were very tangible as they dictated your daily routine while on site.  My time at Green and Away has helped me live a happy and healthy life, as well as prepared me for a career in community-based environmental activism. Most importantly, I met amazing people who still continue to inspire me from a distance.”

Sarah Gilliam, (U.S.A) 2010

“Through being a kitchen manager intern at Green & Away 2010, I gained important skills and lasting friendships. Right from the start of the application process I was kept in the loop by the management team, and that continued until the end of site takedown when we left the site we had found it. I learnt more than I could have ever expected from my experiences there, particularly in terms of personal growth and development. I’m so happy to be part of the Green & Away family, and I plan to return for a third time this summer!”

Bryony Ridge (UK) 2010

 “Green and Away is perfect for potential interns who want responsibility with a strong support network around them, as they are expected to work hard and autonomously yet there is always somebody there to help you if you need it. Regular mentor sessions ensure that you are never out of your depth and allow you to track your career and personal development. But, it’s not only work! You will meet a fantastic array of people from all different walks of life and live in a truly unique community that teaches you more than any office ever could.”

Miriam Al-Sayed (UK) 2011

 “As the maintenance intern for Green and Away I learnt a great deal of practical and organisational skills, how an organisation is run and how to organise a group. I made some good friends, got to do a range of things that I’ve never tried before such as carpentry, and to top it all off I got as much free tasty food as you could eat three times a day!

I was shown the ropes (quite literally) by Peter Lang as to how to carry out my job and received some excellent training, regularly working with the other interns as a team. It was an experience I greatly enjoyed and would highly recommend it as a highly informative great experience.”

Gordon Moran (UK) 2011

Thank you to all the past 20 interns for all your hard work and dedication.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

If you know of anyone who would like to follow in the footsteps of Gordon, Sophie, Yilmaz, Miriam, Sarah, Bryony or Becky, please show them the Internships page of our website for more information.

 

Arts and Crafts at Green and Away

Having just got our 2012 internship programme off the ground with advertisements and a good number of applications already, it is time to turn our attention to the appointment of an Artist in Residence.

For the last two seasons we have engaged young artists to work with us to engage delegates and volunteers with the natural world, to interact with nature and to see it from a different perspective.  The intention is that once engaged people will take more notice and more care of the environment and live more sustainably.

For the first year of this scheme we had a pair of artists, Ana Ospina and Cara Flynn who operate under the name of Fourth Wall Creations. They came up with lots of wonderful ideas including the outdoor sitting room, the conversation tree, pinhole cameras with exposures lasting for 1 month, and “Mr and Mrs Cranston”, photos taken of the same two people in the same place at the same time every day for a month. 

There are loads more great photos Cara and Ana’s website.

Our second AIR, last year, was Charli Clark.  Charli was a recent Arts graduate living and working in London and Bristol.

Charli says “my work… normally focuses on our relationship with nature and how we experience it…..I look to highlight new ways of seeing and feeling the world around us and found that living a basic way of life, consistently outdoors at Green and Away, allowed me to gain a new experience of our world.”  Charli then set about conveying that experience to others.  She designed and built a human scale bird’s-nest for a bird’s eye view of the world, a musical tree,

You can see more of Charli’s work on her website.

Green and Away is inviting applications from Artists for Residency this summer.  See our website for more details.

This summer we also plan to engage a Crafts-person in Residence too.  Look out for more details in future blogs and on the website.

Passing on our environmental expertise

In the next few days Green and Away will be advertising for 7 people to come and join our management team on an internship.  As a voluntary organisation, where even those in charge can’t always spare 8 weeks of their summer to come and help run Green and Away we have had to find a way to plug the gaps.  For the last 3 years we have run our internship programme to offer the opportunity of learning many new skills to young people who are keen to find work in the charity or environmental sector. In just two months the interns learn about event management, people management, commodity supply, maintenance, food, cooking, health, renewable energy, and lots more.

The catering interns manage a field kitchen producing up to 200 meals three times a day, plus bread and cakes, while coordinating a staff of 20 people.  For a 20 year old whose previous experience was helping out in the local pub when on holiday from university, this is a big ask but one that Bryony rose to magnificently.

The office interns have to give an introductory brief every one of the 100 or so volunteers who come through our gate during the course of the summer, arrange social events for the volunteers, liaise with conference organisers, keep track of all people movements on site and carry out various projects as well as the day-to-day task of keeping a large organisation running.  Emily and Frances had the additional task of acting as PA to the coordinator and they coped wonderfully.

The maintenance interns are responsible for the integrity of more than 50 assorted structures, the solar and wind power, solar hot water system and a collection of willing handymen.  Gordon was more used to a lecture theatre and studying Anthropology than keeping all our spares and repairs sorted plus care-taking the site but he did a brilliant job.

The deal for our interns is that they work for nothing, the same as the rest of our staff of volunteers and trustees, but they get all food, a tent if they need one, an intense training period, lots of responsibility and mentoring from the coordinator.  In addition we provide an education program aimed at widening their knowledge of the environmental sector and send them away with a full report and reference for future employers.  For some it is a baptism by fire and they do things they never thought they could.

Green and Away has benefitted enormously from these wonderful people and they have made strong friendships with each other and other volunteers.  It has certainly show us that the calibre of graduates is not only excellent but what amazing young people they are.

Applications are due in by 23 March for interviews on 14/15 April.  If you know of anyone who might be interested and internship with us please direct them to the Internships page of our website.