To co-create or disperse Kid Village?
What is happening with Kid Village this year?
Discussions are underway among some gathering participants regarding Kid Village.
Many of the usual focalizers of Kid Village will not be at the 2025 Gathering, nor will most of their equipment be there unless prior arrangements are made.
Some folks think it's best if families with kids camp in small groups.
Some folks think families with kids can co-create a more centralized space.
What happens is up to the folks who show up on the land, but ...... If you have children and are interested in setting up a kids space, join Everybody's Zoom on Sunday evening at 6 PM Pacific time/9 PM Eastern time discuss what is required with other gatherers. Ask questions, try to connect with others who have the vision you have.
The Kitchen Dilemma
If you are looking to co-create a kids space, then Focalizing a Kitchen is critical. You will need pots and pans, grates, bowls and serving utensils, hand wash, water filters, saws, rope, tarps, etc. Art supplies, toys, swings, etc. are great. Face Paint as always fund.
Why it matters
Watch "Growing Up Rainbow"
Thank you Karin! I will be present.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you!
This is Yaudi
DeleteLoving you!
Kid village has always been an icon of the gathering ...a shinning example of our ethic and the greater vision that people can work cooperatively and selflessly for a common good if they choose yo..it would be a shame if that vision does not manifest
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to donate for KV. But I will be at Mountain Friends Camp, a Quaker Youth Camp in Mora, NM, south of Taos. Our first Gathering was Idaho '01, and we joined KV. The next time l camped by KV was UT '14, because l was with a couple moms and little ones. I hope it in some way continues. It's stressed, too, because of the passing of time. I see the cook Flour is in Pahoa, dishwasher, assistant water lackey me, is in Hilo, Mark passed, my kids have kids now and they can't attend. l don't know who has come up with the energy the last ten years. The camp has a morning of silence and ceremonies learned at Rainbow.
ReplyDeleteIt seems a lot of old school kitchens are "dying out" these days, but why , do you ask??? Well it is mainly the lack of participation...Any key focalizer will tell you the same thing...From scouts who get bare to no support, to institutions like Kid Village,Granola Funk Theater, to Montana Mud, all kitchens lack support in money. Labor and daily help..It seems instead of plugging in and making it happen together.Its now show up , check it out., and eat and leave or watch and leave. Or worse, make a mess and leave. Instead of a family. We have become wandering strangers looking for personal experiences instead of shared experiences. No camp or kitchen can last without fellow rainbows to participate in its daily cycle of preparation and service to the family. We are now in a time where Rainbow love and cooperation is more important than ever and a alternative to the crazy is not just needed,but necessary...Please come back home to share and participate in something bigger than ourselves... 🌈
ReplyDeleteI'm a hard worker but I'm currently stuck in Harper's Ferry trying to hitch out.
DeleteOnline rideshares don't seem to work at all -_-
So we'll see if I'm going to make it the 1000 miles in the next 10 days.
Hitch-hiking is so ugh...
...but The Universe bringing people Together is a miracle to behold, certainly.
Regardless, we're on our way!
~LionHeart
In New Hampshire the official kid village did not attend.
ReplyDeleteChildren were spread out to different camps. It really helped keep the overall vibe of the gathering on a level that the innocent would be respected... After all what better excuse to help keep the vibe high then, hey we've got kids here!
Children naturally gravitated toward main circle to play during the day.
During main circle dinner we experimented with a inner circle of children and caretakers. We wanted to make sure children were getting fed even without KV. Filled bellies all around the inner circle (even when the rest of the circle didn't.) if you've ever seen the child lead mob that is the beginning of dinner it can be chaotic. But having them sit in a circle made sure all their hands were clean, all the children got a choice of food ECT...it brought a lot of joy to the rest of us sitting around the outer parts of the circles to be able to watch the children and remember why we're there.
Children should never have been detached from the rest of the gathering. Creating safe spaces is important, tho isolation creates division 💜🌈
Having one central place children are to be found also creates a breeding ground for predators
-someone who has been part of focalizing KV for nearly a decade
Why would having a central place for children 'to be found' create a 'breeding ground' for predators?
DeleteThat's like saying we shouldn't build playgrounds or elementary schools because predators know kids will be there—rather, we should protect the playgrounds and schools, so no such 'breeding ground' can occur.
Predators exists whether kids are gathered together or not, and some might come to Rainbow with nefarious intentions.
Having a designated space for families+children i.e. Kid Village creates a SAFE SPACE for those people—that is, of course, if Rainbow adults maintain and uphold that space and keep it safe.
Assuming adults do their job and watch over/protect Kids, then Kids are more safe with a designated location i.e. Kid Village.
Arguing kids are less safe at Kid Village is preposterous.
I encourage families+kids to explore the gathering and other kitchens away from KV at their leisure, but to deny kids a space to play together is like paving a playground into a parking lot.
I understand the rationale for segregating kids in the gatherings, but I also see advantages in integrating them more broadly. For one, I can see how predators might gravitate towards a target-rich environment. On a more practical note, parents, especially single parents, often have their hands too full to effectively focalize and contribute to maintaining a kitchen, and more people with fewer responsibilities like that could certainly lighten the parents’ load. I’d hate to see the cool "playground equipment" disappear, though. Maybe they could be spread around the gathering, which could turn into a kind of scavenger hunt for the kids and make waiting around for mom and/or dad as they gab on and on more tolerable. My daughter (now 26) and I never camped in KV, though we did often visit it. Wherever we did camp, the nearby kitchens treated her like the little queen she was (especially Faerie Camp, I should note).
ReplyDelete