Participants

Questions about the target group:

• How old are the participants? Treehouse building is a physical activity with a lot of heavy lifting. The group should either be physically developed (i.e. 15 years and older) or there should be a good balance within the group (i.e. parents and their children).
• How much experience do they have? If the participants already have some experience, this has an influence on the project. If the participants have little or no experience in building tree houses or in pioneer techniques, this must be taken into account in the planning of the project. Treehouse building is however a simple method that can be learned quickly. Previous knowledge of construction, statics or other technical skills is not absolutely necessary.
• What is the children:leader ratio? How many leaders do you want for how many children? During the building process you want enough leaders to keep an eye on safety. This ratio also depends on the level of experience of your leaders. If you only have experienced people the ratio is different than when you have more new leaders.
• What do the participants expect? Depending on how the project is advertised, the participants develop different expectations. Think about what you want to achieve with your project and what expectations you want to create with your project.
• How do you reach the participants? To get participants you need ideas of how to promotion the camp. Consider a website, facebook page or posters/flyers, but also pitch it at schools, local youth centres, scout groups etc.

As soon as you know who your participants are, you'll want to inform them and their parents. Information letters, packing list, and information evenings are some examples of how to let them know what they can expect. You also need important information from them about their health, contact details in case of emergency etc. For this you can let them fill in a questionnaire with all the for you necessary information. Examples of these letters can be found in the downloads.