This is the (very) abridged version of our big vision document that lays out all the things you would need to know about Intents if you wanted to partner with us. That can be requested by writing to info@intents.org.uk
Here are some of our most popular FAQs. See the bottom of this page for COVID-19 updates.
When is Intents 2020?
Intents in 2020 will be on the 22nd to the 25th of May.
What Ages is it for?
It is aimed at School Year 6 and above. At the age of 16 we encourage young people to be part of young team, especially if they have been before. See ‘Why not a firm cut off age’ in Youth Group Help
What is the Cost?
Intents Costs £45 per child and its fully catered. If your leader has a code it may be even less! Try and find a better deal than that!
Where is it?
It’s held at Brandon House Farm, Brandon Parva, Norwich, Norfolk, NR9 4DJ.
For (very!) detailed instructions, just go here
Do you have to be a Christian to come along?
No! Of Course not, you can be anything you like! The talks are about God stuff and it’s all about our choice to follow Jesus, nothing is insisted, no one is “converted” and you can even be a follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (we love that guy!).
What exactly is it?
Intents is a camp for young people that involves lots of outdoorsy stuff, talks, music, games and an opportunity to explore the meaning of life and what Christianity means for us today.
What is the one line mission statement of Intents?
Intents is an affordable spring weekend retreat that gives year 6 and high school aged young people the chance to respond to what God is doing in a place that is safe to do so.
What are the site rules?
See Site Rules
Is Food Provided?
Yes! Intents if fully and completely catered for. You are welcome to bring cake. Or an offering of your finest chocolates for the team. Seriously – we love chocolate. There is a cafe on site if you want to spend pocket money and buy Chocolate (for yourself… or you know, for the team).
How do I book in?
You can book in on this very website! First you need to make sure that your “over 18” youth leader is booked in, then let us know your youth group name. (If you don’t have an over 18 who could be responsible for you, don’t worry, we sometimes have spare youth leaders lying around so just give us a ring on 07598 475 436!)
Once you know your youth group’s name, you can book yourself in here! This is so that we know that someone is responsible for all the younglings on site.
Do groups bring their own tents?
Yes! Youth Leaders and/or parents must ensure their young people have somewhere to sleep, and ensure that they have all of the correct equipment for camping. It is highly advisable that young people who know each other share tents where possible, because it saves space and is more fun that way. The Intents Team will organise space allocation in the field, but cannot manage individual tent usage and sharing by young people, so come with that in mind.
What is the responsibility of Youth Leaders during the weekend?
The responsibility of the youth worker is:
– The Active Safety of the individual young person. The Intents Team take responsibility for the passive safety – the site, the games, food, activities and so on. Active safety includes making sure you know where your young people are, ensuring they know to go to any member of Team if they fell unwell etc. – Basically all the things that knowing someone personally and having responsibility for them entails.
– Medical/Legal: Youth Leaders have legal guardianship for young people at all times during the event, this includes medical consent in the case of emergencies. It is essential that Youth Leaders gather “Parental Consent Forms” from all of their young people so that, basic first aid as well as emergency medical care (by 999 Staff) can be given in the event that a parent is not present.
– Behaviour: Youth leaders must ensure their young people abide by Intents and Site rules at all times. These can be found here
-Encouraging young people to engage with the weekend – sometimes young people can become disengaged with what’s going on, especially when staying in bed sounds better than an early morning seminar, but please encourage them to get involved as much as possible. We recommend setting a rule that they attend a minimum amount of seminars and activities, to make sure they get the most out of their time away, but this is down to your judgement- you know them best!
Do you have any disabled facilities. i.e wheelchair access, disabled toilet?
There is access to a disabled toilet on site and most major walkways have been hardcored or concreted for easier access for wheelchairs. No area that young people will be accessing has steps or stairs, with the possible exception of the stage. There are grass and field walkways though, so bear that in mind.
Do all over 18s need a CRB or DBS Check?
ALL Intents team will have a CRB/DBS certificate that is up to date (and checked by team leaders). It is really strongly encouraged that all youth leaders have a current CRB/DBS certificate that is held by the trustees or management of your Youth Group. It’s basic good practice, it covers you and it’s simply a wise thing to do.
Do young people need to have Consent forms?
Young people coming with youth groups will need to have consent forms with their youth group according to their group policy. If you would like a template consent form to use we can send you one – head over to the Youth Group Help page.
Do you sell Merchandise and If so, isn’t that selling out a bit?
Yes, we do sell a really small amount of “Merch”, things like T shirts etc.
If you are like me your first response might be “Merch? Aren’t you selling out?!”, but let me give you our reasons –
– we want Intents to be an attractive thing and we want to give people the choice to have something to take away with them
– This hopefully will get people talking when their friends ask “What is Intents?”
– nearly all of the cost of the festival is covered by donations and the money people pay for “tickets” firstly, But little things like this does make Intents more sustainable, but that’s not the primary reason.
The primary purpose for Intents will ALWAYS be -A) To give young people a wonderful, low cost weekend away full of fun things and information so they can make a choice about following Jesus and B) To give small youth groups that cant resource trips to far off, big events like Soul Survivor (whom we LOVE by the way!!) the chance to have an awesome weekend away.
How will COVID-19 affect Intents?
We think it’s important to update you on our plans for Intents 2020 given the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 virus. We are monitoring the developments provided by the NHS, Public Health England and the UK Government. We are taking their advice seriously and when they advise that it is unsafe to gather in large numbers and that schools should close, we will have to postpone or cancel Intents. Unfortunately, if we have to cancel, it is unlikely that we will be able to give full refunds, we will have to look into our finances to see what we can do. As a team we are discussing other possible dates that we can hold intents in 2020, so that the event is postponed rather than cancelled. Until then, we will do our best to keep you fully updated and we will still be gathering and worshiping at the farm as we always do until we are advised not to do so!