The social committee and events at Bare Oaks

The time and effort that the members of the social committee are putting in is very much appreciated! The role of the committee is an important one. They provide a key link between all the members and Bare Oaks' management. They help organize and coordinate events to prevent conflict. They also maintain the schedule and help foster a strong feeling of community at the park. (Just look at the jam-packed event schedule for this year!) The counsel that comes from their experience and knowledge helps new organizers create fun and successful events.

But there has been some misunderstanding about the role of the social committee. Some members of Bare Oaks believe that the social committee rules over all events with an iron fist and decide what is allowed and what is not. That's not quite true. For those events that are submitted, they review them to ensure that they don't conflict with other events, that they meet the basic rules of the park and that they will have the support needed. I think the terms of reference on the committee's website (www.bareoaks.ca/social/terms.shtml) make it quite clear:

Mission
To bring the Bare Oaks community together in the organization and participation of Member hosted social events.

Purpose
To schedule and promote Member hosted weekend social events at those times when there are not park hosted events and produce an annual social event calendar for Bare Oaks ensuring each weekend during the camping season offers a social event for Members and guests of Bare Oaks.

Accountability
Management and Membership of Bare Oaks Naturist Community.

So, to clarify, nobody is forced to run an event through the social committee. If a member wants to organize a card game or some other event in the clubhouse, they don't have to ask anybody's permission.

But if they do not go through the social committee:

1. their event will not be included in the calendar
2. in case of a space/resource conflict, the event approved by the social committee will take precedence and
3. they will not benefit from the experience and knowledge of the social committee members.

This last item is an important one. People who have not organized events before will not know what needs to be done, where resources are found, and who to talk to. So submitting an event to the social committee is highly recommended.