Loch Arthur Camphill Community Youth Conference 2025
In the last weekend of June, Loch Arthur Camphill Community hosted the annual ‘International Youth Conference in Camphill’. The conference was given the theme The Fabric of Community: Weaving a life of many colours, which was chosen to highlight the ways in which our lives are interwoven both within community and with the wider communities that surround us. We intended to create a space where the next generation of Camphill co-workers could come together, strengthen our networks, and share our inspirations and aspirations for community life now and in the future.
The first day of the conference saw the arrival of around 60 youthful people from across the UK, Europe, and the United States. Our spirits were not quelled by the Scottish drizzle, and after some landing time around the Loch Arthur estate, we gathered in the Cresset Hall for an official opening. Lighting the candle that had been gifted from Mourne Grange, last year’s hosts of the conference, it felt as if we were tuning into something far greater than just this weekend. We were then silently led in the sacred word of Halleluja three times in Eurythmy, opening ourselves and our space to all that was to come. After some spirited ice-breakers and a rowdy game of ‘human bingo’, we broke for some supper. That evening, we participated in a World Café, where we were invited to gather in different groups according to different questions, and share quietly and mindfully with one another. We shared about ourselves, our communities, and our hopes and dreams for the future.
The following morning kicked off with some uplifting Shintaido, a form of body movement and reimagined martial art which favours peace and co-operation over fighting.[1] We followed this with some singing. The morning saw everyone participating in a project in Loch Arthur’s vegetable garden. A biodynamic preparation stirring area was erected, a willow ‘nest’ for a bench was created, some paths were wood-chipped, and many weeds and stones were plucked from the ground. It was a joyful, if not a bit damp, morning, and the garden was alive with happy faces. After some lunch, everyone broke off into their conversation groups, with themes focusing on community, four-foldness, karma, biodynamics, and an exploration of the Loch Arthur voices group. The second half of the afternoon gave space for workshops, which again were varied, with focuses on story-telling, nature connection, weaving, non-violent communication, circus skills, and the power of play. Our fantastic catering team had created dozens of pizzas for us to devour for supper, and with full bellies we headed over to Loch Arthur’s dairy barn for a Summer ceilidh, where we enjoyed a very energetic evening of dancing with the community and their family and friends.
Despite the late evening for many, we arose early the following day and enjoyed our Shintaido and singing on the lawn outside, surrounded by the trees. The attendees were then given a short introduction to Loch Arthur’s Sunday morning gathering by one of the community’s founding members, who provided some background to the evolution of the community’s unique approach to a Sunday service. This also gave a sense of the history of the community’s 40 years and how it has changed. We then gathered in the barn with the rest of the community and were led by a co-worker in thoughtful contemplation on the mood of St John, accompanied by poetry and music by Loch Arthur’s own folk band. By the end of the gathering, the sun was fully shining, and the rest of the morning was filled with swimming in the loch, bathing in the sun and enjoying one another’s company. The rest of the time passed too quickly, as friendships grew and the feeling of community within the conference strengthened. We engaged further in our workshops and conversation groups, and in the evening had the opportunity to share our ideas and involvement in movements with one another. There was a palpable feeling of both strength and struggle alive in the Camphill of today. We heard about communities facing the need for more co-workers and the changes which threaten the sense of togetherness. At the same time, we heard from those who are working on projects directly aiming to keep the Camphill flame alive and burning bright. We closed in beautiful harmony, with a song from Papua New Guinea.
On Monday morning, after a quiet meditation and a practice of Shintaido’s ‘Seven Sounds of Love’, as well as some heart-felt singing, we began our reflections. We heard from all the workshop groups what they had explored and discovered in their time together and were treated with performances from some of our storytellers and circus folk. We then moved out into our conversation groups for a last time, to share what we were taking away and back to our communities. Back in the hall, we were given a final opportunity to express ourselves on ribbons of fabric. Drawing on theme of weaving the fabric of community, we wove our thoughts, feelings, and gratitude from our time together into a massive loom. We ended as we began with our ‘Halleluja’ and bid our farewells to both new and old friends, looking forward already to our next gathering at The Mount in 2026.
Personally, I felt so glad to have been able to help host and participate in the conference. It showed me not only the power of people with a shared ideal coming together to make something special, but the power also of our community, and the wider group holding the conference’s impulse, to bring it into being. Watching how things came together over the months and weeks and days before the conference, how smoothly things ran, and the efficient way in which things were taken down afterwards and tidied away, I was impressed yet again at the astonishing ways in which we can work together. Organising a conference is no easy task, but when everybody does their bit, the result is a seamless and beautiful experience. We wove the fabric of the conference, like the fabric of our lives, into a tapestry of many, many colours, and our connections feel all the stronger for it.
Lila Kelly, Loch Arthur Camphill Community co-worker