SLEEP
Yes, that’s right. You heard it here first. The chances of you achieving any of the below responsibilities on the two hours a night you’ve been surviving on is slim to none. Begin with a bit of kip before attempting anything more challenging, to prevent broken bones and belongings.
WASH
Let’s face it: however hard they (and you) try, those camping showers don’t get you very clean. Either they are so cold that you dance around the water for fear of getting wet or they last for only ten seconds at a pop, cleaning you very ferociously in one concentrated area. A full wash in a normally functioning shower is essential. Plus… NO QUEUE!
UNPACK YOUR BAG
Guaranteed you will have packed in haste at 4am in the dark, so that you can help all of your young people with their own packing (and in some cases, do it all for them), so the task of unpacking the looming smelly beast is not an appealing thought. Our tip? Just put EVERYTHING straight into the wash. Socks, pants, cameras, left-over food… it will do it good.
CLEAN YOUR TENT
If your festival was a) in the UK and b) at some point this summer, then the chances are that your tent will have a) got completely soaked and b) got completely covered in mud. It’s pretty crucial to clean your tent properly, to prevent any new life forms growing inside your tent bag over the coming year. Try to make it a fun task by encouraging a young person or child to build a den (aka put the tent up) and then clean it (winner).
IDENTIFY LOST PROPERTY
If young people are good at one thing, it’s losing their belongings. The long and arduous version of this task? Take pictures of all of the items and send them around to your youth group. The short version? Bung it all in the lost property cupboard in your office and never speak of it again.
RETURN URN / TENTS / TABLES / UNIHOC EQUIPMENT TO THE CHURCH / CHURCH HALL / PARISH CENTRE / COMMUNITY CENTRE
BLEEEEURGH.
EMAIL THE PARENTS AND YOUR CHURCH LEADER
It’s time to rally up the best enthusiasm you can muster in your tired state, and send a round-robin to the parents and powers that be about how super awesome the week was. Or, if tiredness persists, simply forward on last year’s email again.
SLEEP
Surely it’s time for another snooze now… You’ve worked hard.
PUT HEALTH AND CONSENT FORMS, RISK ASSESSMENTS AND BOOKING DETAILS SOMEWHERE SAFE AND ORDERLY
NOT ON YOUR FLOOR.
AND… RELAX
Until next week when you need to send out next year’s summer festival consent forms.
