Youth Leaders Guide

What’s included?

The price includes entry into everything. That means we’ll provide enough space for you on the campsite, plus entry into all the main meetings, seminars, sports, films, activities and any other goings on around the site.

There will be food vans & cafes where you can buy drinks and any snacks you fancy and rumour has it there will be a fairground ride which you will need to pay to ride on! There will also be merch that you and your young people may wish to purchase.

The things you will need to arrange yourself are your transport to and from the event as well as your camping equipment and your food. There’s a small shop on site where you can buy essential food items, along with a range of food vans that will be open at mealtimes and also after the evening meeting. There is also an Asda nearby in Stafford if you need to do a larger shop.

Power is not included in the price – but we charge a small fee to provide you with electric hook-ups if required. There are a limited number of hook-ups so please order sooner rather than later for these. Please note those who require electric hook-ups for medical needs will be given priority.

Holiday insurance isn’t compulsory but we’re not able to offer refunds after the 1st July 2022 so you may wish to arrange cover in case there is an emergency that means you or your group can’t attend.

 

HOW DO I BOOK?

Head to our website dreamingtheimpossible.org and select Book Now. This will take you through to Solid Rock our ticketing system. You’ll be prompted to register an account which you’ll keep for every Dreaming the Impossible event you attend.

The Group Coordinator will need to book on first and tick that that they are the Group Coordinator for your church/ youth group. A unique code will be generated for your group, which can then be distributed out to your youth group to book on. By using the unique code to book on, Group Coordinators will be able to see who from their youth group has signed up. The Group Coordinator should be the leader who will be responsible for the group whilst at DTI.

The arrival information, wristbands and contact information will be sent to the Group Coordinator prior to the event.

Adding bookings

You can keep booking on more people to your group up until the start of the event. However if DTI sells out, tickets will no longer be added to any group.

Young people can create an account and book a ticket within your group as long as you have shared your group code with them.

Group Coordinators will be able to view all the people who have joined your Group by logging into your user dashboard.

If bookings are added to your order or amended after the 1^st July 2022, wristbands for those individuals will need to be collected on site at DTI.

Booking confirmation

We’ll send you an automatic email after you’ve booked online. This will be a quick summary of your booking and the people you’ve added so far.

 

COMMUNICATION BEFORE THE EVENT

Arrival information

We’ll email you a few weeks before the event starts with your arrival information, including how to get to the showground and what time to arrive.

Wristbands

Your wristbands will be sent to you before DTI . You will all need to wear your wristband throughout DTI as it is your onsite pass to access the venues.

If there are any late bookings, you may be sent the extra wristbands just in time or you will need to collect them when you arrive. We will let you know.

 

ORGANISING A GROUP

Admin

For each ticket holder we will ask for a full name, address and date of birth, emergency contact, and for any medical/ access requirements. We do not need any other information but here are some things we ask you to arrange for yourselves:

DBS for your leaders

Your young people are your responsibility throughout DTI. We maintain a safeguarding policy of 1:6 (one 18+ for every six young under 18’s).

All of your leaders will need DBS certificates. We don’t need to see those but ask that you check them all before departure.

Risk assessment

You may be asked to carry out a risk assessment. This is common for social services if you’re bringing someone in your youth group currently in foster care. We can’t provide a risk assessment for you, but you can find useful guidance in assessing health and safety risks on the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk

We have provided a copy of the site rules that you can use for your young people to sign up to ahead of coming to DTI. These can be found in the appendices at the back of this handbook.

Contact info

You (the Group Coordinator) are the person we will contact in an emergency. However, we suggest you collate a list of the young people’s emergency contact details and store them somewhere safe so you can contact their parents/carers if needed. It’s wise to keep a printed list of mobile numbers in your group in case your phone battery dies.

Medical or allergy information

Although we have a first aid team onsite, any ongoing medical treatment (such as allergy tablets) can be administered by you, as well as basics like plasters and painkillers. We suggest you note down any allergies or medicines taken in case of emergency. The first aid team would be happy to store any medicine for you in their fridge, if that’s required. Please pop into first aid at the start of the week and let them know about any potential health problems in your group so they can be prepared.

Kit list

Whilst group sizes vary hugely, there are some basics that you almost always need for camping. We have included a kit list as a guide in the appendices of this handbook.

We advise you not to bring any valuables as tents can’t be secured; anything you do bring is entirely at your own risk.

Food

There is a small onsite shop for all your essentials including bread, milk and batteries. The nearest supermarket is Asda in Stafford (ST16 3TA), which is a 10-minute drive away.

If you aren’t able to go offsite and buy food, we have a range of food vans in our food court that will be supplying fast food such as pizzas and burgers throughout DTI.

Alternatively, we are happy for you to order online food deliveries to the showground. Deliveries will be able to come as far as the main gate. They will call you when they arrive  so please give them your name, camping zone and mobile number. When they arrive please be ready to meet them at the main gate as we can’t accept deliveries on your behalf.

Throughout DTI the Group Coordinator or a nominated leader needs to be responsible for food safety. This  includes storing food at the correct temperature, probing food to make sure it is thoroughly cooked and ensuring that leftovers are disposed of properly.

Generators & electrical hook-ups

Unfortunately, we do not allow generators to be brought onto site under any circumstances due to warnings from fire safety authorities about their safety.

We offer a small number of electrical hook-ups for the week for a cost of £125. Priority will go to people with a medical or physical assistance need, such as powering mobility equipment. Electric hook-ups can be purchased by the group leader when booking onto DTI

 

TRANSPORT

Dreaming the Impossible is held at Staffordshire County Showground in Stafford.

The address for the showground is:

Staffordshire Showground
Weston Road
Stafford

ST18 0BD

We are unable to provide any transport, so you’ll need to arrange your own travel to and from the event.

Travel by Car

Staffordshire County Showground is situated on the main A518 Stafford to Uttoxeter road, two miles from Stafford and five miles from junction 14 of the M6 motorway. Drivers from either the north or south using the M6 should exit at junction 14 and follow the signs for the County Showground.

Travel by Train

If you are arriving by train the closest station is Stafford Railway Station, approx 4 miles from the showground.

Travel by Bus

The 841 bus going towards Uttoxeter, can be caught from the Shrewsbury Arms Pub, a short walk from the station,and will take you to the showground

WHILST AT DREAMING THE IMPOSSIBLE

Camping Zones

The campsite is divided into 4 coloured villages: red, blue, brown and green, and allocate each youth group is allocated to one of these villages. Each camping area has a central marquee or Hub where your Campsite Hosts can be located from 08:00-23:30 each day throughout DTI. The Campsite Hosts are there to ensure you have the best time at DTI and will be on hand to help with all the practicalities from setup to set down and will be able to answer your questions throughout the week. You’ll find your coloured camping zone printed on your wristband.

We assign space based on the number of tents you are bringing. Whilst there is no limit on the number of tents that you can bring, we do ask you to be accurate in what you tell us so that we can fit everyone on site. Keep your camping info updated by logging into your online account. Please be considerate of other groups and only bring what you need.

When you arrive, your Campsite Hosts will welcome you and show you where to camp. They will help to ensure that your camping area meets fire safety regulations, and that your youth group has everything that they need throughout the week

Camping is allocated on a regional basis, so where possible youth groups from the same towns and cities will be camped together. If you would like to camp with a youth group from another region we may be able to accommodate this. Please email hello@dreamingtheimpossible.org and we will see if this is an option.

Car parking

When you arrive, you can drive your car or minibus to your campsite but you will need to unload your vehicle and return it to one of the car parks immediately. After the first day, vehicles will not be permitted on site unless permission has been granted by the welcome team at the gates. Please be aware that it is a working showground, so some areas of the site are not accessible by larger vehicles such as coaches or vans. If you are arriving by coach, you must notify us in advance so we can make sure your camping area is accessible for you.

When can I arrive?

All delegates may arrive from 12:00 Saturday 30^th July 2022. We will be unable to let any youth groups onto the site before this time due to final safety checks and site preparations. Any groups arriving before this time will be directed towards the carpark and will be unable to access any of the sites facilities.

You are welcome to bring additional team to get your campsite setup as we appreciate this can take a while!

Marquees & other deliveries

If you’re arranging to have a marquee, catering equipment or anything else delivered to the site, please arrange delivery times so you’ll be on site to receive the items. Please also do email us to inform us too so we can know when we can expect items to arrive.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted at any time inside buildings, marquees, individual tents and along the concourse.

SAFETY

At the gate

The showground’s main gate is staffed by our own team, who take care to ensure those under 18 remain on site unless accompanied by 2 adults, as well as ensuring those arriving on site during the week do so legitimately. The team also ensures traffic moves safely around site on arrival and departure days, and keeps a watchful eye on the car parks

In an emergency

We will provide First Aid cover on site. And, of course, we make sure all sporting activities are carefully supervised with appropriate safety equipment - we complete full risk assessments for every area of DTI.

We will have an emergency phone number printed on everyone’s wristband which will direct you straight to our team who will be able to assist.

Child protection

We have a dedicated Safeguarding Coordinator on site, whose role is to be available for advice, both for young people, their supervising adults and event servers. All our team are trained on and asked to adhere to the VCUKI Child Protection Policy. In addition, every team member must provide a reference of their suitability to serve from their church leader.

ACCESSIBILITY

We want to make sure everyone who comes to DTI gets as much out of the event as possible.

If you have specific requirements which mean you may need some extra help – for example, you may need BSL interpretation of meetings or accessible showers and loos – please let us know by noting this in the additional requirements box on your online booking form, and by getting in touch with us at: hello@dreamingtheimpossible.org

Blue badge holders

If you are a Blue Badge holder and will need to use your car once on site, please note this on your booking form and we will provide you with a parking permit

Access to venues

The main venue and seminar venues have level access. Wheelchair users and visually impaired delegates can enter the main venue five minutes before other delegates. Please ask a member of the host team for access when you arrive at the venue.

Accessible toilets/showers

Accessible toilets and showers are available on site and where possible we will try and ensure that you are camped in a village with close proximity to them

Induction loops

There are induction loops in place in the Main Venue.

PROGRAMME

When you arrive you’ll be able to purchase a programme for the week with all the important information you need! It will include info about the venues, a timetable and descriptions for the seminars, site maps, speaker bios and loads of other useful information.

Daily Schedule

Main meetings

The main meetings begin on Saturday evening. Every morning and evening we come together as family to worship Jesus, hear some great teaching from the Bible and spend loads of time learning how to pray for each other and hanging out in God’s presence.

Worship

Worship is a key part of our faith and is central to all that we do at DTI. We gather together as one family to sing and praise God. Worship allows us to draw closer to Jesus and press into a more intimate relationship with him.

Teaching

During each meeting, we make time to look at God’s word together and hear from a speaker who will help us apply what we read in the Bible to the things that are happening in our lives and in the world around us. We try and make the talks fun so that they are easy to listen to and engage with as we want to inspire and equip young people.

Ministry

During ministry times we ask the Holy Spirit to come and meet with us. We believe that the Holy Spirit is with us always but by asking him to come we ask for him to fall on us and for a fresh anointing of his presence. We believe that in ministry times God can heal us, set us free, and reveal more of himself to us. Susie and the team will talk you and your young people through what is going to happen from the front. Throughout the week in these ministry times there will be a few opportunities for the young people to give their lives to Jesus.

Seminars

Every day we have a jam-packed schedule of seminars. These are focused on a particular topic, covering all sorts of subjects such as praying for people, worship, reading the Bible, mission, being bold, and being set free from pain. Feel free to head along to as many of these as you like and encourage your young people to do the same.

Some groups gather together each morning and look at what seminars are coming up that day. People are often more motivated to go when they know others are going too and it might be that you/some of your leaders can take groups to seminars you think would be of particular interest.

Afternoons & evenings

As well as seminars, there is a tonne of other stuff going on to fill the afternoons and evenings. We have cafés, sports venues, fun activities and a whole range of seminars that you and your young people can attend.

We really encourage you and your young people to get as involved as you can whilst at Dreaming the Impossible. Engage in the worship, take notes during the talks, go along to seminars, make friends and pray for people. If there is anything you are not sure about or think we could do better, then come to Info and let us know - we would love to know what you think!

It’s always wise to plan some time out for yourself and your other group leaders each day. Check in on each other and try and have coffee together to keep a sense of team spirit – whilst it can be exhilarating seeing young people meet with Jesus, it can also be exhausting being surrounded by teenagers for five days!

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Equip

We believe that everyone gets to play, and that God empowers all of us to pray for each other and so we want to do our very best to empower the young people and youth leaders to pray for each other. To help facilitate this and make sure it is a safe environment for everyone we have an equip team. Our equip team is made up of people with experience in praying for people and they are there to support you and your youth group to pray. They are mainly in the main meetings but also pop along to some seminars. They will walk around during the main meetings making sure everyone is alright and may occasionally offer suggestions. They will be identifiable by their badges which say ‘Equip’ on them.

Chat Room

We have a brilliant team of people who are on hand to chat during the afternoons and evenings. We point people towards the Chat Room if there’s anything - big or small - that they’d like to discuss with someone who is outside of their situation. We offer prayer but this is not a counselling service. It is run alongside our Connect team (detailed below) who will step in if there is an issue that requires professional and/or ongoing support.

Connect

Sometimes information is disclosed in the Chat Room or during a ministry time that requires us to take more serious action. Our Connect team is made up of professional counsellors, social workers, teachers and other professionals that are knowledgeable in safeguarding procedures. They are there to support anyone onsite but mainly to make sure the correct action is taken to ensure that the young person is taken care of when they leave the event, whether that is by you or by your local services. The Connect team will liaise with you as the group leader of any young person they are in contact with.

First Aid

We have a first aid team who are on call 24/7 in case of emergency. They are a mix of doctors, nurses and first aid trained professionals.

Any ongoing medical treatment (such as allergy tablets) can be administered by you, as well as basics like plasters and painkillers. We suggest you note down any allergies or medicines taken in case of emergency.

Diarrhoea and Vomiting

If any of your young people are showing signs of diarrhoea or vomiting, we ask that you leave them in their tents and call for the first aid team to come to you to reduce the risk of it spreading.

Covid-19

We will be adhering to latest government Covid regulations at the time of DTI. Cleaning of touch points, showers and toilets will be done frequently throughout the event.

If any member of your group displays symptoms of Covid-19, we ask that they remain in their tent and a member of the First Aid Team will come to them.

As this is an ever changing situation and guidance is regularly being updated, please check this information regularly as we respond to the latest government guidance.

 

Helpful Info

Phone charging

Phone charging points can be found in some of the café venues on site and will be available when the cafés are open. You just need to bring a USB charger along with you and you’ll be able to plug in and keep your phone alive!

Ice pack exchange

You can swap your warm ice packs for frozen ones onsite each day – check the programme for time slots in the mornings and afternoons. Swaps are free or you can buy new ones.

Getting cash

We suggest you and your young people bring some cash with you. There are no cash points on site. The closest cash points are a short drive away at Asda.

Gas

You can buy gas canisters or replace yours for a fee in the Warehouse which will be open in the afternoons and evenings.

Toilets & showers

We provide significantly more than the required minimum of toilets and showers for the number of people camping onsite but if you want to shower at peak times, you may have to wait. We suggest showering in the afternoon or evening to help keep queuing to a minimum. We have a cleaning crew working throughout the day to keep things nice but depending on the weather, there may be a bit of mud. If you spot any problems with showers or toilets, please report them to Info.

DREAM KIDS’

There is a great Dream Kid’s programme setup for our  0-11s each morning. Check in opens at 10:30 and the session will run from 11:00-13:00.

There will be an evening session for 8-11’s and a film for kids aged 5-7. Check in will open at 18:30 and the session will run until 21:00.

Baby bathing

Baby bathing will be available each evening and we’ll provide baths and warm water. Please see the programme/site map for more details.

DEPARTURE

Wednesday 3rd August is a full day, with all the usual meetings, seminars, cafes and evening entertainment. The venues will close at 11.30pm.  We’d love everyone to stay on site and leave the following morning 4^th August.  Please make sure you’re all packed up and on your way by 9:30am.You can bring your car to your village to pack up any time from the Wednesday evening. Once you’ve packed up please move your car back to the car park straight away.

AFTER THE EVENT

Testimonies

We love hearing how God is meeting with people at Dreaming the Impossible and anyone who wants to share a story with us can do that by heading to our website https://dreamingtheimpossible.org/contact/ or fill in a stories form that will be available in our main meetings.

Resources

We provide a whole load of resources to help encourage and support young people in their walk with God, including those on our website www.dreamingtheimpossible.org/resources.

 

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS

We have photographers and videographers wandering around taking pictures and video for future publicity. They will be wearing an ‘Photographer’ or ‘Media’ badge for identification. Please be assured that any video shot during ministry times will be handled with the greatest sensitivity in order to respect everyone’s privacy. By attending DTI, delegates agree that their image may be captured and used by DTI and VCUKI. This may be in photographs or other digital media and may be used for promotional materials or other information which we produce.

Delegates can opt out of this by speaking to the photographer or asking us to remove their image by contacting the DTI media team during or  after the event via our website https://dreamingtheimpossible.org/contact. You can also inform your Campsite hosts who will pass on your request.

DISCLAIMER

This is intended to be a helpful and accurate guide for the event, but please note that some details relating to the event may be changed from the information in the handbook.