A note from the founder

Back in June 2015, as a group bearing backpacks slowly swelled beneath the clock at Liverpool Street Station, I couldn’t have imagined that the wild camp we were about to share would mark the beginning of a community that would last for years.

I tried to nurture the infant YesTribe based on how I’d carried out my own adventures. With the power of a grin and a good idea as the fuel of each next step, with an emphasis on following the wind or recommendation, with heart and kindness and good intention playing a much stronger hand than numbers. With the healing benefits of the great outdoors coupled with the company of like-minded people who share - or at least support - the same goals. And with stories, endless barmy stories each of which simply needed a good, solid “yes!” to get started.

We’ve created endless spaces, hundreds of events, eight festivals, a community which at its prime topped 50,000 people across over 100 regional and interest-based groups. We took a waterbike around the UK picking up litter, converted a double decker bus, provided a first stage for hundreds of people to speak publicly on for the first time and introduced the lovely, wonderful pastime of wild camping to thousands.

Courage has grown, adventures have been enjoyed, tales shared and inspiration spread. With these all seen and heard, more first steps were taken.

This Summer the YesTribe turns nine, and for all the amazing things that have happened there have been so many creaks and stumbles below the surface which haven’t been shared. Founding this community has been one of the greatest projects and honours of my life but boy, it hasn’t been easy at times. I didn’t start all this to be a leader and I certainly couldn’t have imagined the conflicting emotions that I’d carry - often quietly and kept to myself - as the good stuff continued in the public eye, thanks to the endeavour and generosity of hundreds of regional and event leaders who have volunteered for the YesTribe over the years.

For a while now, I’ve struggled to bear the demands of running this community and the time has come for me and my wife Em, who herself has offered so much time over the years to making the YesTribe wheels turn, to step back a little. We haven’t yet figured out what this means for the YesTribe but we do know that we need a break and a pause to free up time, energy and enthusiasm for our own new challenges.

Part of the difficulty for us has been isolation. in 2020 we moved to what continues to be a growing and thriving project in Lincolnshire which takes much of our heart and soul, and this has meant that we’ve often only be able to join YesTribe events when they come to us. In between, there are then hundreds of events going on around the country and, as you can imagine with a large community, now and then problems arise which need a little attention. Over the past two years we’ve found ourselves dealing with more of the unenjoyable stuff than the fun, and without doubt this isn’t what I started the YesTribe for.

So, 2024 is going to be a gap year for us as we figure out what the future holds. We’ll continue to host events at our place, the Big Sky Hideaway, including Yestival, our April tree planting camp, and September’s hammocking gathering, the Big Sky Hang Out.

Those regional tribes around the UK that have continued to grow and thrive will carry on doing what they do best, bringing people together to do new things, but we’ve decided not to take on any new tribe leaders in 2024 (bar one exception, who will join existing leaders in their region) and have stressed that only leaders who have attended a YesTribe Team Summit (annual leader training) can run events on behalf of the YesTribe.

I have a feeling that my YesTribe story isn’t quite over, but there is a chance that if we can find a way I may retreat from the leading this community into its second decade. For now, we’re quite tired and are looking forward to a good reset in 2024. My emails will be read far less this year, our YesTribe leaders will continue to hold events in their regions and both Em and I hope we get to see some of you at Big Sky this year, whether for a YesTribe event or just a camping trip.

For now, thank you for your support, look after yourself just as much as you take care of others, and and remember, sometimes it’s ok to say yes to a little rest.

With hugs

Dave

YesTribe Weekly: Wild Waters

We all find different ways of feeling refreshed and putting a little adventure into our day, something to take you away from it all for a short while, and for some people in this group recently it has been wild swimming!

One member of the YesTribe posted this week that she had said yes to a sea swim despite the less than perfect weather, and I loved this! There are days when the weather is cold, windy, grey, rainy…but we still have that need for a little refreshing activity in nature, and let’s face it – the sun doesn’t always shine.

Of course, I admit, when the weather is what we often refer to as ‘miserable’, I do sometimes decide to have a cosy day indoors and watch the world outside the window! But most often, if I need nature and the weather is less than perfect, nothing stops me and I take myself out to enjoy the elements. 

My partner once picked me up from my place of work – an office at the time – after a bad day and he drove me to the beach. We stripped to our underwear as we had no swimming stuff, and raced each other into the water for a chilly swim, then drove home wearing nothing but our massive hoodies which we had in the van as we had no towels either! It was totally spontaneous – he knew I needed it, and god did it make us happy. I totally forgot about my bad day.

Enjoying the elements

I remember swimming in rivers and lakes on so many camping trips as a child, and they were the best holidays! It was so exciting to jump into the water in the middle of nature, or walk down streams just to explore and see where they lead! One of our members, Emma, ended up going for a wild swim this week after being invited by another YesTriber, and decided to take her kids too!

I think this kind of thing is just awesome for kids – there’s something magical about releasing them into the wild, so to speak! The magic of nature, the freedom, the escape, the fresh air and fresh water! I think kids benefit massively from spending time in nature and it’s so great to see them exploring and enjoying the elements.

The kindness of strangers

I read a post this week which was asking members to remember times when a complete stranger had helped them during their travels or adventures.

Sue Wallace spoke of two occasions on her travels where some kind strangers had insisted on helping her – these strangers had invited Sue into their family home when she had been stuck for a place to stay in a different country, and they asked for nothing in return. On one occasion, Sue chose to walk two hours with the stranger’s son to help collect water, and realised the scale of their generosity where a family who did not have much, still shared what they had with her.

People who have little, still give kindness

The truth is, adventures are not always smooth sailing. There are times when things do not turn out as planned or you end up a little stuck. Although we often deal with the situation the best we can and try to smile through it, there is nothing more comforting than the kindness of a stranger to relight your spirits! 

When you are stuck somewhere unfamiliar or in a situation where you can’t move forward (we’ve all had a puncture and no repair kit at some point…right?) and a stranger approaches to help you, it just lights you up inside I think. These people make everything so much better at times when we don’t expect it, and at times when we need it.

If you see someone who looks lost, stuck, or even sad – try to offer something, whether it’s a favour or just a friendly smile. You don’t know how much of a difference you could make to that person’s day.

YesTribe Weekly: Vibe on the Tribe

In the past week I’ve been browsing daily over our little (big..) tribe (gang..) and noticed several new people joining and introducing themselves for the first time, which is pretty great! Stepping up and saying hello to thousands of strangers, while looking for ‘yes’ and inspiration!

And in true Yes Tribe style, you’ve all been so welcoming – throwing out positivity like free hugs after lockdown. 

One of the questions put forward by a new member was; “What have you said ‘yes’ to recently?”

Now, an old version of me would have initially thought that I’ve got nothing good enough to mention that I’ve said yes to, and I’d tell myself that I’m not that exciting…but you don’t have to have been on a big adventure or done something spectacular – today I did yoga and ate cookies!

Whatever you say yes to also does not have to be some grand experience. It can be absolutely anything, big or small. On one of my many lists I have written two tiny things; Learn to do a French braid, and learn to make an origami boat. So I’ve since made a few pretty little boats and my hair’s been a bloody mess!

Lurking on the tribe!

When I joined the Yes Tribe, I was a ‘lurker’ for a while…okay I was actually lurking for a few years! I was one of the people who didn’t like to expose myself on the group – it can make you feel vulnerable, right? So I just sat back and watched everyone else posting, and you know what? That’s fine. We’re all about inspiring.

Although I didn’t show myself for so long, the group still did me a world of good just by being there – anyone can take what they need from this group, but know that you will always be welcomed warmly if you step forward to say hello (warning: you might get encouraged to say yes to something!).

Art attack

Something else I’ve seen this week is that you lot have also been getting pretty creative lately, and I love a little art to make my eyes happy! I think art and creativity have been a kind of therapy for many people recently.

Some do art on the regular and some are just trying something new – you’ve been painting some gorgeous images and landscapes, making gem jewellery, someone made an awesome clock out of sticks, and one guy painted some pebbles as pretty realistic strawberries. As rocks go they looked delicious. 

I’d say it’s a pretty brave thing to share your own personal art to literally thousands of people! What’s even nicer, is when people from those thousands come forward and appreciate it, encourage it and welcome it, which is what this tribe is really all about – you do you, and man, are you loved for it. 

There have been some words in the group this week which have been mentioned several times; positivity, inspiration, and sharing. I think it’s safe to say that those themes are pretty constant here in general. 

Whenever someone shares something, it’s providing inspiration for all who need it. You never know – your one post could spark something in just one person amongst those thousands, which would be amazing, right? A little yes can go a long way.

• Join the YesTribe on Facebook

This is very ambitious, but here goes

This is an account of social media fulfilling its potential to do good in the world, at a time when that message is especially important. By Chris Lee.

Early in March I left my prized Alpkit sleeping bag - the one that kept me warm while cycling across Canada - on a train bound for Newcastle.

I'd thought it was a train bound for York until we'd been sitting in York station for about thirty seconds. The next three seconds involved me realising the train was about to move; that if it did I'd miss my important and imminent meeting; and that I had to get myself and my stuff out of the train sharpish.

The sleeping bag was mistakenly abandoned in the frantic fluster that followed.

"Bugger", I thought, when I noticed its absence after the train departed. Bound, irretrievably, for Newcastle.

I asked the platform attendant where to report lost luggage. "Try the ticket office", she offered.

I asked the ticket office if I could report lost luggage. "Try the kiosk", they countered. "We're LNER, you need TransPennine". The first allusion to the multi-company rigmarole I was about to encounter.

I asked the kiosk if I could report lost luggage. "Sure. What was it? What did it look like? Which train? Where did you get on? Which coach? Which seat?" They noted everything down in a book, and told me to wait for a call.

Which I did, all morning. The prescribed time came and went, while images of my suspicious sleeping bag package being detonated by The British Transport Police filled my mind. "See it. Say it. Sorted."

I took to Twitter in an attempt to expedite things. LNER put me in touch with TransPennine, because they operated the train I'd been on. TransPennine put me back in touch with LNER, because they manage the station at Newcastle. LNER put me in touch with Northern, because they manage Manchester Victoria where I'd joined the service.

By the end of this I had the call sign of the train when I'd been on board, it's new call sign, it's current location, and various other bits of information. But no further information on the location of my sleeping bag.

Then, later in the afternoon as I was beginning to abandon hope: "Chris, great news! We've got it! I've just spoken to the conductor and he's now back in Newcastle so it must have been on a trip today!"

I was elated. Getting it home from Newcastle was the next logistical challenge, preferably without me having to go and collect it in person: A return ticket to Newcastle from home costs about the same as the sleeping bag did new.

So this time I took to Facebook, and more specifically to The Yes Tribe: An excellent bunch of people with the tagline "where strangers are just friends waiting to happen".

"This is very ambitious", I typed. "But here goes."

I wrote a post recounting the spiel above, then asked if anyone living near the station could pick it up and send it down to me. "I will of course pay for the postage and add the price of two pints (or equivalent treat) for your troubles."

The silence I expected was short-lived. "I have a friend who will be passing through Newcastle late tomorrow evening so could potentially pick it up?" "I can pick it up on Wednesday / Thursday if you’ve not found anyone yet." "I'm going to Newcastle next weekend so can if no one has got it by Saturday!"

The offers poured in. Seven people, formerly strangers, all willing to go out of their way to help. A few days later the postman handed me my sleeping bag, safe and sound.

The YesTribe was founded in 2015 by Dave Cornthwaite, who by then had spent a decade being led by a personal motto, ‘say yes more’. Dave dropped me a line after seeing the sleeping bag post and was delighted to hear it had been returned safely. Dave said, “If there was ever a vision for the YesTribe, it would be that its members were mirrors of those trail or river angels who once helped me, a stranger, when I momentarily passed through their lives in the midst of a personal adventure. My belief in humanity was refreshed at each encounter, and now The YesTribe has blossomed into a community that puts kindness and decency first, whether in the midst of an exciting adventure, or the hardest times in life, or like this, a little moment where making someone’s day depends entirely on you willingly offering a few minutes of your day to help someone you’ve never met before.

“It should be noted that Graham, the YesTriber who helped return the sleeping bag to you, got in touch and said he’d like to donate the postage fee you’re sending him to the YesTribe. We’ll gladly put it towards a fund to buy a sleeping bag for someone who wants to go camping, but can’t afford the gear”

If you want to find out more, follow the YesTribe on Facebook and Instagram and visit the SayYesMore website.