Alongside the outdoor activities we had on offer and our usual periods of Reflection and community living chores and meals, we were lucky to hear 5 minute presentations about each person's work across a great range of topics with the title given by their group leader explain your work as 'Research to change the world'. It was fascinating! Work ranged from a project looking at fathers in prison and how to stay involved in parenting, to attitudes towards women in 'maker spaces', to revolutionary work in heart disease, strokes and eye diseases, to supersonic flight efficiency, to stigma relating to abortion, to food insecurity in single men, to plant cell wall size studies and that's just me trying to find the headline topics from a few of the broad range of studies.
A number of the guests were international students which added to the rich experience with some Bulgarian and Tamil food being cooked for us when they made dinner for us all.
The week seemed to mean different things for different people such as involving self care, a step back from their work to find their way again in their work, connecting with other people in the same boat, getting out of their heads into their bodies, doing some personal reflection and some personal development type activities with their group leaders. There was some great conversation and connection and an air of relaxation and renewal with no chance for guests to have screen time, something many said dominated their lives.
Thank you for sharing your worlds with us and I hope a few days of Camas immersion has done some renewal for you going forward. We've certainly been left thinking about a few things we'd not even dreamt about and feeling inspired by all the valuable work going on.
GRAMNET (Glasgow Refugee, Asylum, Migrant Network) came for a fleeting visit for a bit of rest and renewal and connection with each other in the network. As their website says the network 'conducts research and qualitative evaluation on migration, refugees and the asylum process' and 'consults on migration-related policy in the UK and internationally'. Most of the people were based in Glasgow but some had travelled from London and Manchester to connect with their colleagues and have some time out at Camas.
People in the network did not all know each other so coming together at Camas was useful for bringing together people in a residential setting for some quality time together with fewer distractions and pressures from their ordinary lives. As they told us, the nature of their work is relatively stressful and full on with little good news, so the chance to be in beautiful surroundings, connect with other people, take some time out from their lives and do some activities was seemingly a welcome respite.
The group had a highly international feel doing some incredibly worthwhile and inspiring work. I've never had such interesting conversations and it opened my eyes to a whole wealth of experience, knowledge and information. Although it was a brief visit, they made the most of their time with a whole buzz of activity but also time to really rest and really take time for themselves. I really enjoyed the diversity of people I spoke to and drinking tea on the beach and swimming in the sea just added to the positive environment. Someone had the realisation the sea was salty after their first ever swim in it, so that moment alone was pretty special for me...And for them! Thank you for coming to visit and sharing yourselves with us.
