Super Enthusiasm Hour

So I'm back from camp, and fuck.................................................I am tired. Whilst the energy of young people is infectious, once removed it's a big come down. I should be working on a strategic plan right now but have foolishly set it aside to finish off at 6 am tomorrow. So while everythings fresh and popping in my head I just thought I'd take the oportunity to record my thoughts on the camp before I sleep on it and decide I really hate kids or something.
First off I was a ring-in facilitator there to fill out the numbers and didn't actually have a great grasp on the depth of information that made up the camp's program. In fact I didn't know much at all, which also gave me the opportunity to not only experience it from the facilitators perspective but also experience the speakers and everything first hand.
It's kind of tragic but listening to a bunch of lectures is my idea of a good time. Then dumping interesting (to me) lectures in the middle of the bush, and particularly looking at the simple initiatives employed by Angair was a pure great experience. It would have been quie relaxing if it didn't also involve snapping my fingers and doing this:
it pays to be evil sometimes
Which most of the time I couldn't do because I had my enforcer sunnies on. I needed those sunnies because I didn't have M's enforcer voice to use on the kids.
But seriously as I befin to drift out of consciousness at a paltry 8.20pm it was a super good experience and another affirmation of how good something can be driven by members of the community.
And that's no small fucking thing, to just get up and step out of lne and be the genisis of something creative, positive and wonderful.
I can only imagine the headaches incurred by the planning process and the headaches that occured to me during the weekend and the steep learning curve for the students and the facilitators but it honestly did me a world of good to participate.
And just to make it clear I hope you do feel bad about yourself is all you do is buy accessories for your imac and draw pretty pictures and watch artsy self indulgent films that make you dwell on how tragic your life is. Because you should actually you know reach inside yourself in the way that doesn't leave a couple of litres of blood on the floor and try and use that to spark something or inspire something else.
Off the record I hope I inspired the kids to get asymetrical haircuts because that I believe more than anything else could make a difference to tomorrow.
Possibly the thing that can never be underestimated is that even when you are bombarded with information you never know when noise can spark inspiration. I think it would be hard for any of the participants in the camp to turn around after really seeing effective environmentalism in action and not have to stand on it's side of the line when called upon.
I had thought the quote was on earthsharing's website but I can't be fucked reading through it to find it but it was 'the human mind once enlightened cannot become dark again' so ultimately I think in terms of germinating a movement amongst future generations the camp will have been a success. Particularly given the gratuitous use of words young people find cool like 'rad, zap & cowabunga'
Karl would get feedback at the end of each night as 'best, worst and funniest' so here's mine:
best - seeing 12 year olds contributing and intermixing with 15 year olds.
worst - having my hearing diminished in the back seat of the bus by sheer enthusiasm where headphones and heavy metal had failed to.
funniest - when kirk asked a kid to pass him a ball and on recieving it said 'I hate balls' and throwing it away. I cried but you really had to be there.