Forest Education Initiative - National Networking Event 2011
FINAL EVENT REPORT
FOREST EDUCATION INITIATIVE SCOTLAND
NATIONAL NETWORKING EVENT
Thursday 26 May 2011
Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry
“Make new contacts, learn new skills, have fun!" (how the day helped)
SUMMARY EVENT REPORT TO FOREST
EDUCATION INITIATIVE
Lynnette Borradaile
June 2011
WHY, WHEN, WHERE, WHO & HOW
WHY? This one day networking event aimed to share ideas and activities for outdoor learning in woodlands. Also, to encourage FEI cluster groups to share their successes, and become more effective in raising awareness of particular aspects relating to forest education, particularly in this International Year of Forests e.g. careers.
WHEN? The event was held on 26 May 2011, to make the most of the improved weather conditions, compared to the traditional November date.
WHERE? Activities took place in the hotel, and in the grounds, at Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry. Both the hotel space and grounds provided an exceptional venue for holding this kind of event. The gardeners were particularly relaxed about the activities – including fires, and helped with the provision of logs and other seating/working furniture.
WHO? The target audience included Forest Education Initiative cluster group members, FEI partners, Forest School leaders, teachers and other outdoor learning leaders/ consultants (all sectors), and other interested parties e.g. ranger services, community services.
61 delegates attended; there were 4 cancellations, and 2 additional turning up on the day. There were 75 attendees in total, including organisers, workshop leaders and day guests.
Sectors represented included:
· FEI cluster groups and Scotland, England and Wales Co-ordinators,
· Forest School co-ordinators from Scotland and England,
· Forestry Commission Scotland staff – managers, outreach staff and rangers,
· Skills Development Scotland staff,
· Local authority teachers, rangers and community workers,
· Private business and freelance consultants – storytellers, woodcraft, outdoor learning,
· NGOs – Woodland Trust, National Trust for Scotland, Field Studies Council
· Private school teachers, and
· University/ college lecturers.
HOW? The event was promoted mainly through the FEI cluster groups, Forestry Commission Scotland and Sustainable Development Education Network networks. Skills Development Scotland representatives were targeted for the purposes of the Careers workshop only. Details of the event were posted on the FEI Scotland website and via the e-bulletins of other associated networks and contacts.
The promotion and bookings were handled entirely by the FEI Co-ordinator, in association with FCS HQ administrative team. Potential delegates were encouraged to complete and return a booking form, either as hard copy by post, or electronically to the FEI address provided.
Participants could attend 2 workshops from a choice of 6. They were asked to select three in order of preference on the booking form. The choice was made on the basis of a list of 6 workshop titles and short descriptions. It was possible, in the event, to accommodate most first and second choices, although late comers/bookers were allocated workshops where spaces still remained. Workshop groups were restricted to 12 members. This was possible due to the overall number of delegates, and fortuitously met the requests of 2 workshop leaders – due to the time in sourcing and harvesting the raw materials required.
An acknowledgement was sent to participants on receipt of their application. A week before the event all participants were sent, by email, a joining information leaflet for the day and evening events, with directions, plus an event programme. Workshop groups/details were provided at registration on the day.
EVENT FUNDING & ADMINISTRATION
FUNDING & COSTS - The purpose of reverting to a single day event was to attract more people to a less costly event. The price of the day event was £50.00 – including refreshments throughout the day and a buffet lunch. The informal BBQ in the evening was an extra £10 to cover food. This means that FEI were subsidising the event significantly, but this was planned for.
Overnight B&B accommodation was provided at a discount rate (£59pp) by the hotel. If preferred, delegates could book in at a range of campsite, hostels, B&B accommodation around Pitlochry. A spouse rate was neither offered, nor requested. Two discounted places (50%) were offered to every FEI Cluster Group, but not taken up by all.
Freelance workshop leaders received a fixed fee of £200 for delivering two workshops, plus travel and subsistence expenses at the FCS public rate, and/or free overnight (twin room) accommodation. Presenters were offered a free place for the event and travel expenses.
The evening contributors – building geodesic domes & spoon carving – were offered a fixed rate of £100, plus travel and subsistence expenses at the FCS public rate, and/or free overnight (twin room) accommodation.
TRAVEL - Pitlochry offers participants a wide range of travel options, allowing participants to arrive and leave at times to suit the programme – Citylink, train or car. Car sharing was also accommodated, by letting those from similar areas know.
REGISTRATION & PROGRAMME - Registration took place from 9.15 am on the day – although several delegates arrived before 9am, using public transport/ car. Refreshments had been ordered for this eventuality for 9am. The majority of people arrived before 9.45 (all but 4), one was delayed by a train hold up.
Delegates received a folder containing a name label with their workshops, a name badge; a programme; floorplan of the hotel; map of the grounds with a location for meeting workshop leaders, and list therof, and an FEI event evaluation form. In addition, everyone received copies of the new FEI and Forest School leaflets, FEI pencil, a copy of the FEI Annual Review 2010, and the new Woods for Learning postcard activity descriptors, and A4 Measuring tree leaflets 1-3, targeting 3 age groups.
There were a number of ‘freebies’ provided by FEI for delegates to collect at registration, apart from those in their pack, including – an FEI hessian bag, FEI first aid kit, FEI visibility vest, Forests for the Future & DVD resource packs, Forests and Climate Change packs, and Tree Trump card sets.
Programme - In response to feedback from previous years’ events, the programme was largely taken up by hands-on, participative workshops with short presentations to the whole group at each end of the day.
Annex 1 presents the programmes provided for facilitators.
The overall theme for this year was International Year of Forests – raising awareness and promoting their use for outdoor learning. A range of experienced practitioners delivered six different workshops. The topics were chosen to reflect the range of opportunities to explore trees and forestry and their international dimension, as well as to meet previous feedback requests for more arts; activities for senior students, and new directions for FEI.
Annex 2 presents a summary of the 6 workshops.
All activities were risk assessed by the leaders, and the outdoor sites and indoor spaces were risk assessed separately by the organiser, and shared with leaders. Summary briefings for general information and on health and safety were provided in writing to all workshop leaders, and by e mail/ phone to the presenters.
All leaders were asked to build in a period for reflection at the end of/ at some point during each session, in order to allow participants to reflect on the learning and its application within their own sites/situations/FEI cluster groups; to ask questions, or share relevant experience.
There were opportunities for informal networking and discussion over refreshment breaks and lunch – however, these were by necessity ‘squeezed’ times, and for a few this was detrimental to their overall quality of experience – they felt rushed, hassled, or inappropriately cajoled.
A sit-down buffet lunch was provided - meeting the needs of vegans, vegetarians, and various ‘non- food’ diets. The hotel was particularly good at meeting all these different needs, and this was much appreciated (and commented on) by those concerned. Coffee and teas were catered for throughout, together with biscuits/cakes.
There were displays and materials brought by Mindstretchers and North Lanarkshire Early Years, and resource materials were brought and distributed by Woodland Trust and Napier University.
FOLLOW UP – It was announced early on that a delegates list with contacts would be made available to all participants after the event, as suggested in the 2010 report. Names/people change on the day, so retrospective provision was selected. This also gives an opportunity to alert people to resources/write-ups/reports that have been loaded either onto the FEI and/or Forest School websites.
FEEDBACK FROM DELEGATES
EVALUATION FORMS - All delegates were asked to complete an evaluation form, and 44 forms were returned (69% of total number of participants). The response analysis is summarised/ illustrated by theme in the separately provided Annex 3 Excel spreadsheets.
Analysis and verbal feedback reflect that overall participants felt that most elements of the 2011 event had made it successful, and for some, possibly the ‘best ever’ FEI event. However, the lower number of overall participants, particularly at individual workshops should be taken into account when interpreting the quantitative analysis, as a few individual responses can skew the results.
The analysis of the 2011 evaluation sheets can be summarised as follows:
· Overall, feedback was positive and enthusiastic - the event entirely or mostly met the majority of the participants’ expectations (71% and 24% respectively). Participants were enthusiastic about how the event had provided networking opportunities, practical ideas and motivation and inspiration relevant to their practice.
· The majority found the booking arrangements ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (55% and 35% respectively). 59% found the information in advance ‘excellent’, while 76% found the organisation of the day ‘excellent’, and 36% rated these two elements good. A few commented on the lack of early confirmation of their booking – believing the joining instructions, a week before, to be their first confirmation of their booking for the event. They should have received an e mail confirmation soon after returning their booking form. It was intended to send the joining instructions out in the first week of May, in the event they went out 8 days before the event, however for the majority this was entirely/mostly fine.
· People felt comfortable at the Atholl Palace, and the setting was outstanding for this event, with 96% rating the outdoor workshop spaces as ‘excellent’. Several participants had felt the level of luxury, provided by the last venue at the Dunkeld House hotel, did not reflect the ethos of FEI. Most delegates were also pleased with the rooms and equipment and the catering - 84 % responded ‘excellent’ for rooms and equipment. 87% found the catering ‘excellent’, and the remainder ‘good’.
· For the icebreaker, updates and presentations opinion varied more. However, for each of these elements the majority verdict was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.
o Icebreaker (44% excellent [4]/good [21])
o FEI update (78% excellent [14]/good [21])
o Forest School update (78% excellent [14]/ good [21])
o East Lothian buddy system (80% excellent [22]/good[14])
o Intro to Forestry course (69% excellent [12]/good[19])
· Feedback on workshops was resoundingly positive. The Careers workshop suffered both in numbers participating, and the amount of feedback – it ran only in the morning (80% [4/5] responses rated it ‘excellent’). The majority response for all the outdoor workshops was a combination of ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, and none were rated ‘poor’ by anyone. There were several suggestions that the workshop descriptions given on the booking form should be clearer about the aims and objectives, and what would be going on.
· Many people were seeking inspiration at this event. The most important issues for all fell into the following areas – learning, new ideas and skills, funding, networking, motivation, how to connect more science with outdoor learning, and finding simple ways to put over complex ideas e.g. climate change. Overwhelmingly the event was regarded as having helped with networking, finding inspiration, gaining knowledge about FEI, and providing practical ideas/skills in working with groups of all ages.
· With regard to suggested improvements, clearly many participants were happy with the event as it was. Quite a few commented that they would prefer a return to a 2 day event, to allow for more workshops and time to network. One suggested the event is held on a Friday, to allow staying over for the evening – but realised this could have cost implications accommodation-wise, or a suggestion for an evening event before rather than after the event. The longer time given to each workshop was commented on favourably by a few; others wished for shorter workshops to allow 3 choices! There was only one comment on how limited individual budgets had impacted on their booking their place at the last minute.
· A number of people commented that they liked the event in May, but they would like more warning in advance, because it is a busy month. The first promotion of the May event went out in mid/late March in 2011 – perhaps January would be a preferred option. Most people liked the mix of practical, hands-on workshops, with the choice of more reflective/strategic workshops with an FEI cluster group focus. There were many requests for a repeat of the same choices of workshop. More high-level trainers was also a request.
· In addition to those workshops offered in 2011, suggestions for future practical skills workshop themes included:
o Bushcraft skills at all levels – elementary to advanced – outdoor cooking, foraging, knife skills for teenagers, shelters with/without tarps, tracking skills and demos, and others
o Rope skills – knot tying, rope pulley systems, making ropes
o Environmental art/ woodcrafts - making bark baskets, making tinder, paper-making, bridge building, wood carving.
o Others wanted links to curriculum and more discussion forums, with workshops possibly set for different levels of expertise. There were also requests for more music, art and crafts.
· Other suggestions related more to those working within the Curriculum for Excellence, particularly in Early Years and Secondary stages, or keen to benefit from FEI cluster groups. Ideas included:
o Making cluster groups work – ideas on how to set one up