10 Things We Learned From Housing Camp 2014

By Sarah Hewitt

On Saturday I attended my first ‘un-conference’. Organised by Jayne Hilditch and Jon Foster, Housing Camp is a day of sessions pitched and organised by conference goers, allowing us to talk about what we wanted to. There were a fantastic range of sessions, ranging from zero carbon initiates to attempting to fix the housing market. I left tired but energised by all the stimulating debate and enthusiasm the day generated. Keep up the good work guys and see you next year!

In the meantime, Jayne and Jon asked us all to jot down 10 things we feel about Housing Camp, so here you go:

  1. An unconference is a great idea and much more interesting than a normal conference!
  2. That so many people are committed enough to housing to give up their Saturdays to discuss, debate and learn.
  3. Coffee makes everyone happy
  4. The awesomeness that is Streetbank is not very well known – (it’s a searchable and local skills-swap website that connects people with skills and useful objects in their neighbourhood and has great potential for a template for volunteering in the housing sector)
  5. Branding is key – someone (sorry I can’t remember who) said “we should always be singing what great things you do every day!”
  6. We shouldn’t forget the social outcomes of housing; they are really important and have huge potential for change.
  7. Measuring stuff is great, but we should make sure what is measured reflects either your values or the organisation you are working with’s values.
  8. The energy and enthusiasm and organisation of Jayne and Jon (Housing Camp HQ) were fantastic – I’m sorry you didn’t get to sit in on more sessions!
  9. It was great to hear so many people thinking about and talking about well-being and user research – a topic we live and breathe every day but nice to know others do too!
  10. When’s the next one?!