Hey there campers!  The open staff meeting is coming up very, very soon, and we (2014 staff) are really looking forward to seeing you there.  It’s a great opportunity to hear about planning for the 2014 conference and share your ideas with the community.

This year the staff members decided to rent a new site to host the meeting, and we want to be sure you know why.  So here’s our thinking behind the renting of Earthdance.

Spring has been outgrowing Glen Brook, and the conversation about alternative venues has been on the table for our community for many years.

The staff for Spring 2014 has been discussing a couple of potential alternative venues this year, and Earthdance stood out as being aligned with the mission and values of the Spring community. So we decided to rent Earthdance for the Open Staff Meeting.  This gives everyone a chance to see the space and think about what Spring could be like in a new location.  While Earthdance may not be a fit for the Spring conference, it would be valuable to build a relationship with the Earthdance community, and the site would be useful for smaller conferences and events.  We think being there for Open Staff will bring a new level of importance to the venue conversation and give our community ideas for locations.

The 2014 staff chose to use a small amount of Prudent Reserve funds to rent this space.  Each staff member contributed as much as they would for any other staff meeting, and the balance of approximately $200 will be paid from the Prudent Reserve fund. We feel this was a reasonable cost to further the search for a new venue.

We look forward to discussing this with all of you.

In the meantime you can learn more about Earthdance on their website:
http://www.earthdance.net

with love,
Chris K., David W., Jake A., Kat B., Kelly T., Lisa B., Sandy R.