[Artemisia] More info about Volunteering at Uprising

[Ysabel de Lille]

Ok.  I have heard a lot of feedback so far (Which is Fantastic!  Thank you!!! :D) and I can see already we have a bit of a communication difficulty...sorry about that!  

Let us get something straight right now. 

VOLUNTEERING AT UPRISING IS ****NOT**** REQUIRED!!!!!

We are NOT going to introduce serfdom back into the current middle ages.  No worries there.  (Besides, if we were going to have serfs and slaves again, I'd be personally using them on my backyard, not Uprising ;D)

We are *asking*, *begging*, and *bribing* you all to volunteer.  Since we, as the volunteer coordinators, have two very small children (under 4), we understand that parents have a responisibility to their kids first!  We wouldn't have it any other way!  Uprising is about having FUN!  The reason we are asking for a lot of volunteers this year, and trying to coordinate it in this manner, is so that the small core of people who are volunteering literally all their time, including when they should be sleeping, can actually also have more fun at this event.  The more people volunteer, the more the volunteer hours are spread out, and the more fun everyone can have.  

The last thing we want to do is to cause stress to everyone, and *force* people to do things they don't want to do.  We are sorry if this was miscontrued as that.  This is a fun competition.  We will be contacting all the groups that register for Uprising, or else asking that they contact us, to let us know if they want to participate in this competition.  Consider this like the war points at Estrella.  You'll be getting a point for your household or barony or shire or...IF you *want* to participate only.  ONLY the groups that tell us they are interested in being a part of the volunteer competition will be given a minimum of hours to serve, and only they will be judged on how many they do in total!  We PROMISE we won't be flogging anyone or putting anyone in the rack or the iron maidens over this!  We won't even think badly of you, because we know that Uprising is vacation time for many, and busy vacation time at that!  There are classes to take and teach (teaching can be put towards volunteer hours, btw...), battles to fight and win, children to care for, and shopping to do.  

We appreciate the feedback we've received so far, and really hope you will all contact us if you think of anything else.  This is a work in progress, which is why we started talking about with all of you so early (3 months plus before Uprising).  We'd like to be able to work the kinks out of this and have it run as smoothly as possible its first go.  :)  Final rules/details etc will be posted at the begining to the middle of May, and that's when we'll need a representative to either contact us, or we will also be sending out emails to groups asking if they will be participating.  Note that key word of *asking*.

We're really excited that everyone's buzzing about this so much, so PLEASE!  Keep up the excitement, plan your strategies, and let us know what you all think about this!

Just one more note, sorry, I know this is long...There has been a lot of discussion about the "tween" kids, aged 10-14.  We are going to be checking corpora rules, etc, and will get back with you on them.  Obviously, they can't do a lot, and babysitting is not one of the things 10-14 can do legally, from what I understand.  Babysitting should be solicited by the parents and worked out (ideally!) between parents, willing and capable kids, etc BEFORE Uprising.  As a parent, I understand being picky about who babysits my kids.  I also know that there are arrangements that have been made between kids and parents before, and that *IF these arrangements are made again to babysit kids either not in their encampment, or else babysit royals' kids, then the kids babysitting should be able to get a point for volunteering for that (if no other compensation has been made.)  

Like I said, work in progress, this is new, and we'll hammer out the details by mid-May and let you all know.  :D

Again, thanks for your support, patience, and feedback.  Keep it up!

Yours in Service,

~*~Lady Ysabel la Serena de Lille~*~

Abeunt studia in mores