Rural Youth Project 2019 Idea's Festival Recap

While in a strange time with Corona-virus ongoing, I thought I would do a little blog on my experience of the Rural Youth project 2019 Idea's Festival as the Idea's feasible this year has been postponed due to Corona-virus.

On the 8th of November 2019, I applied to attend the Rural Youth Project 2019 Idea's Festival which was due to be held between the 29th-31st November in Wiston Lodge, Biggar.

That same day I got accepted sop I filled my Eventbrite booking in and at that point I was excited that I got a space as I was wanting to go to the 2018 Festival in Kinross but I could not got due to me attending a conference with my work.

A few weeks past and I got an email from Alana one of the team members from RYP with a little peek of the program and the speakers were coming. I was excited because the reality had hit me that I was attending and that I was going to meet people from a different background from me as some of the people that were attending were from the farming and rural communities.

A few days before the festival, we got a final email with a kit list, final travel arrangements as two free buses were running, one from Lanark train station and one from Edinburgh and a final program. I had booked onto the Lanark bus.

On the 29th of November 2019, I traveled to Lanark and then got the free bus to Wiston Lodge in Bigger. I went into the main house and got a cup of tea and my welcome pack and then I headed through to the bit of the house where everyone was gathering. I started to talk to some of the attendees that I was going to spend the weekend with. Then the event started at 12.30. We started with some the minister of team building activities outside which was freezing because it was 2 degrees then it was time for our 1st Lunch of the weekend. After lunch, we did our session which was on Go On, Inspire Me which was had three young people tell their story, and then there would be a question and answer session with them at the end of the three presentations.

After the first session, there was about a break for everyone to settle into their accommodation for the weekend. I was in the cabins at the top of the hill with 5 other guys. We all got on so well and there were from all different parts of the UK. After a little bit of time off, we all re-convened in the room in the house for a drinks reception and a quiz, which was fun because my group was very funny. We came 2nd in the quiz which was good.

We had some dinner and then collected some mulled wine which was fantastic and then we went for a walk to the firepit where there were hot chocolate and marshmallows.

We then headed back up to the house and chilled and this was amazing because everyone was in the house together and was chatting and getting to know each other.

On the 30th of September 2019, I woke up and I got a message on the Group chat to say that there was no water in the cabins because the pipes had frozen, which was quite funny in my mind because I had thought that that would have happened the night before because it was -3 degrees. I went for breakfast, and then the 2nd session of the weekend started and this was about the People, Purpose, and Passion which involved another 3 young people telling their stories, and then there was a Question and Answer session that followed this.

Then there was out 1st workshop on the biggest issues on rural communities, that was good to listen in on people and chatting with people about where they live. One of the biggest issues on this was transport and being connected online.

A quick coffee/biscuit break followed this and then into our 1st workshop that was on the second session of the day which was on No one said it was going to be easy and this was about the biggest challenges and solutions that people have created in their rural communities. This was especially good for me as I have lived in a town all of my life and not had the proper rural experience yet. This session was followed by lunch then an outdoor activity. Due to demand, they decided to do two climbing activities at the same time with two groups. The other two groups did bushcraft and Archery. I did the climbing and it was hard because it was cold, icy and slippery but what an experience of doing this climbing course. on the way back down I was like a fireman, jumping from the rope down (joke).

Then it was back to the house for a music session followed by our last workshop of the day which was a Design thinking workshop and the idea of this was to approach a new way of creating new and innovative ideas to solve problems. This was a really good workshop as Gini who owns a jewelry business in the Isle of Jura volunteered to be the person who we would be creating new and innovative ideas to solve problems for her.

After that, we had some free time to chill and get ready for our St Andrews Day Feast. After I had got changed, I went back down to the house, and then there was a drinks reception before dinner and some canapes, and I got to talk to people who I had not spoken to before. We were networking for about an hour I think and then we got some photographs of the group and then we got piped into our Feast. There were some speeches and then we got to enjoy our dinner and there was more networking and de-brief of the day and what we liked over the weekend.

After dinner, there was a ceilidh and the second part of the drink reception. After the ceilidh, they were saying that if people wanted to climb up Tinto hill for the sunrise that there was a group of them heading up. I signed up for this, then I went to bed as it was 11.30 pm and we were waking up at 5 am to climb Tinto Hill.

On the 31st of November, the day started with a group of 15 people climbing Tinto Hill at 5 am. I almost reached the top and then could not climb anymore, but there were 4 of us that did not manage to make it up fully. The sunrise was amazing and it was worth it for such an early start. I then came off the hill and then has some breakfast. then it was time for the final workshop which was Make your Ideas fly and this was a series of talks and then at the end of the workshop, we had to write down what our actions for. Mine was to stay in touch with the group and try to visit people's farms and rural communities. As of the 30th, May 2020 In have only done one of those things because of Corona-virus.

After the workshop, there was lunch and an open mic for anyone who wanted to tell the best bit of the weekend. After that, I said goodbye and traveled back home.

Since the Idea's festival, I have been keeping in touch with the group and last Friday I attended a lunchtime meeting with some of the attendees and some more of the information from the meeting will be announced soon on the Rural Youth Project's social media and through their newsletter.

One of the attendees Luke that is on the Young Scot/Historical Youth Forum has started a podcast called The Rambling Ranger Podcast and you can check it out here - https://soundcloud.com/theramblingrangerpodcast

Another one of the attendees Gini has been making Jewelry and you can check out her Instagram here- https://www.instagram.com/ginibeanifairy/