Polywood Workshops and Other Offerings

Interested in hosting a workshop, or offering some other form of content for a Polywood Camping event? Learn more about the process below.

If you would like to volunteer in some other capacity, please see our Volunteers Page.

Why run a workshop?

Offering a workshop is a great way to make a positive impact on

your community while expanding your horizons and connecting

with like-minded individuals. By offering a workshop, you not only

contribute valuable knowledge, skills, or experiences to the Polywood community, but you also create an opportunity for networking and building meaningful relationships. Sharing your expertise can empower others to grow, learn, and thrive, fostering a stronger, more vibrant community. Additionally, the act of teaching or leading a workshop can be incredibly rewarding, boosting your confidence and personal growth. So, seize the chance to give back to your community, meet new people, and make a lasting impact by offering a workshop. Your contributions can help create a better, more connected world for everyone involved!

As a Thank-You, workshop hosts receive a free weekend pass to attend that year’s Polywood camping event. If the workshop host(s) will be camping onsite, they must still purchase a campsite (accommodation ticket).

What if I don't have a firm idea of what I’d want to do?

Have something you’d like to see at Polywood, or a rough idea of discussions you’d like to host, or skills you’d like to share? Do you want to brainstorm ideas and test out concepts? We’re open to that too. Submit a proposal and we can work together with you to flesh out ideas.

What is the process for submitting a proposal?

If you would like to submit a workshop, the first step is to fill out the form below. Once it’s been received, you will be invited to have a 1 on 1 chat with Psykhe, the main organizer, to talk about your submission and for her to get to know you. Event organizers will later reach out to you to let you know if your workshop submission is accepted or not for the upcoming year.

What information do we need?

Topic. What would you like to cover or share?
Components / activities. Would your workshop involve specific activities or opportunities for audience participation?
Would you prefer an Indoor or outdoor venue?
Do you have any AV needs / requirements?
Who is your intended audience?
Do you have any experience delivering the content? (not necessarily required)

Even if you don’t have answers to each of the above, please still reach out. We can collaborate to help you define and create a workshop with an experienced Polywood mentor!

How does Polywood decide what to accept?

Typically, there are 12 - 18 workshop time slots available at Polywood. A lot of thought goes into deciding what to incorporate into each year’s offerings. Some of the things we consider are:

Workshop Content
Workshop Style
Intended audience of the workshop
Presenter experience
The projected number of attendees
Presenter philosophies

Workshop Content

We want to balance content to offer a variety of topics so that we don’t wind up with too many of the workshops with overlapping content. We do this for a few reasons.

Diverse Audience Appeal: Our community is made up of individuals on slightly different relationship journeys who have been engaged in polyamory for differing lengths of time. By offering a range of workshop topics, we can engage and provide value to a wider audience, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to find relevant and interesting content.
Maximizing Learning Opportunities: Overlapping content can lead to redundancy, resulting in missed opportunities for learning and growth. Balancing content ensures that attendees can explore a diverse set of subjects and acquire a broader range of knowledge and skills.
Enhanced Networking and Collaboration: Hosting workshops on a variety of topics encourages participants to interact with different individuals who share their interests. This diversity of interactions can foster new insights, ideas, and perspectives, ultimately enriching the experience for everyone involved.
Community Engagement: When we cover a variety of topics, it shows that we value the diverse interests and needs of our community members. This inclusivity fosters a sense of belonging and encourages more people to participate and contribute to our community's growth and vibrancy.

Workshop Style

We aim for a mix of styles, some more active, some discussion based, some focused on sharing, some more academic, etc. We do this for a few reasons.

Varied Learning Preferences: People have diverse learning preferences and styles. Some individuals thrive in hands-on, active environments, while others prefer reflective, discussion-based settings. By offering workshops with different styles, we can accommodate a wide range of learning preferences, ensuring that participants have the opportunity to engage in a manner that suits their individual needs.
Inclusivity and Accessibility: A diverse set of workshop styles ensures inclusivity and accessibility for a broad audience. It allows individuals with different physical abilities or limitations to participate comfortably. Some may find it easier to engage in a discussion-based workshop, while others may prefer the physical activity of a hands-on workshop. By providing various styles, we make our event more accessible to all.
Fostering Creativity: Different workshop styles stimulate different parts of the brain and encourage diverse thinking. Active workshops can spark creativity, while discussion-based ones can facilitate critical thinking and idea generation. By including a variety of styles, we create an environment where participants can approach challenges and ideas from multiple angles.
Cultivating a Sense of Exploration: Variety in workshop styles encourages participants to explore and step out of their comfort zones, either verbally by sharing their perspectives and experiences, or somatically by engaging in physical activities. Having multiple methods of pushing personal boundaries and exploring comfort zones can add excitement and personal growth opportunities to the event.
Enhancing Overall Event Experience: Offering a mix of workshop styles contributes to the overall richness of the event experience. It keeps participants engaged and prevents monotony. This variety can lead to a more enjoyable and memorable event, increasing the likelihood that attendees will return for future events or recommend them to others.

Intended Audience

We try to offer content for a variety of audiences, from adults to youth, from those starting out on their poly journeys to those well seasoned folk who have been living the poly life for decades. Knowing the intended audience for a workshop can help attendees decide which content would be of interest and relevance to them.

The Projected Number of Attendees

More workshops may be approved as we get closer to the main event to offer more choices. We do this in an attempt to avoid overwhelming individual workshops with too many people.

Presenter Experience with the Topic/Content

For some topics, we will consider the host’s experience, history, and background. Here are some of the aspects that may be considered and why:

Higher Quality Workshops: The experience, history, and background of a workshop host directly contribute to the quality of the workshop. A host with a deep understanding and expertise in the topic is more likely to deliver a well-informed and engaging session. By considering these factors, we ensure that the content presented is of high quality and aligns with our event's standards.
Credibility and Trust: Attendees place trust in our event and its hosts to provide accurate and valuable information. Assessing a host's background and history helps us gauge their credibility and trustworthiness. Hosts with a track record of success and a reputable history are more likely to instill confidence in our participants.
Adapting and Tailoring Content: Workshop hosts with a rich background in the topic are often better equipped to tailor their content to the needs and interests of our audience on the fly. Their experience allows them to adapt their presentation to various skill levels, ensuring that attendees, whether beginners or experts, can derive value from the workshop.
Event Cohesion: Ensuring that workshop hosts have relevant backgrounds and experiences promotes cohesiveness and consistency throughout the event. It helps maintain a clear and coherent theme, preventing disjointed or irrelevant content that could confuse or disappoint attendees.
Risk Mitigation: Carefully assessing hosts' backgrounds and histories helps us mitigate potential risks. It allows us to identify any red flags or concerns that may impact the quality of the workshop or the safety of participants. This due diligence is essential for ensuring a safe and enjoyable event.
Personal Philosophies: This consideration is part of our quality assurance assessment. Members of the Polywood Steering Committee have attended talks provided by others that espoused principles antithetical to ours (i.e., that cheating is a valid form of polyamory, or TERF-related stances) or that gave advice that, if put into action, could be considered illegal under Canadian law. Knowing that there are hosts out there who include such information in their talks, Polywood tries to take a proactive approach to identifying such content early.

Get in Touch

If you would like to host a workshop, please fill out the form and we'll reach out to you.