Recorded round a picnic bench at the Wilderness Gathering (West Knoyle, Dorset). Lewis, Gemma, Adrian, Kay and Dave talk about staffing the Forest School Association (FSA) stand, county gatherings and the value of swapping ideas face-to-face.

• Why the FSA Southwest team came to the festival – pointing visitors to local settings, sharing good practice, recruiting new members
• Gatherings as “mini-conferences”: kit hacks, toilets, kitchen shelters, branding, social media dos & don’ts – and moral support for lone practitioners
• Isolation versus community – teaching background, moving from formal education into Forest School, worries about being “new” and imposter syndrome
• Geography challenge: Devon, Dorset, Somerset & Cornwall are huge; travel is tough but the benefit of meeting multiple leaders at once outweighs the mileage
• Skill-sharing examples: running sessions with one rucksack of kit, using ball of string + knife only; compost loos that started life as log-stores; creating all-weather kitchen roofs
• Tick-box “Forest School” vs full-fat, long-term immersion – minimum 12-week programmes, why principles matter, and how children themselves spot token projects
• The name game – Holly & Hawthorn, Children of the Forest, SM Forest School… and accidental “franchises” when others reuse your brand
• Open-door mentoring: inviting trainees in, fears of local competition, benefits of seeing several sites, how to keep impact low and structures removable
• Could the SW model scale nationally? Moving the bar gradually; idea for online drop-in (Twitch / Skype) chat nights for leaders across the UK & abroad
• Shout-outs: - Holly & Hawthorn Forest School (Shepton Mallet)
     - Coastal Forest Education (Dorset – now offering Level 3 training at the Sustainability Centre, Oct start)

Take-away
Regular regional meet-ups (plus a supportive online space) beat isolation, improve practice and give a united voice when you need to challenge “worksheet in the woods” programmes.

Get involved / share your ideas
Run a county gathering? Want to trial a monthly online drop-in? Email the show and tell us how you keep your tribe connected.

Contact / links
Email: admin@theforestschoolpodcast
Web: theforestschoolpodcast.com
Support & extras: patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast