Where?
Oxford is a historic city in southern England. It’s easy to reach by bus and train from London and the rest of the UK. World-famous for its university, it’s lined with beautiful buildings and full of lively and impressive museums. Not only this, but it also has an excellent chain of independent ice cream parlours, G&D’s, so it really has everything necessary for a great event!
The Saturday programme itself will take place in a room above Turl Street Kitchen, a high-end independent restaurant/cafe, very close to the city centre.
When?
The event is 31st August to 1st September. It starts at 1pm Saturday (the 31st) and finishes at 4pm Sunday (the 1st). However, you don’t have to take part in the whole event, and it may be that some people stick around longer to celebrate.
Where can we stay?
There is no specific official accommodation for the event. But if you would like recommendations, please send us an email at komitato@jeb.org.uk, and we will be very happy to help 🙂
Aside from lodging, food, and travel costs, there is no fee for the event.
What will we do?
Saturday 13:00
In the room above the Turl Street Kitchen we will have the following program:
- The Annual General Meeting of Young British Esperantists (JEB). To vote, become a member for free before the event.
- “The Esperanto Youth movement for beginners” – lecture by Tyron Surmon
- Lightning talks – 5 minute lectures on a variety of topics (we’re still open for suggestions!):
- “The Quakers: a community of peace” and “Philosophy as a Friend” by Deak Kirkham
- “The Life and Death of Publius Clodius Pulcher” by Felix Stokes
- “Translating English songs in Czech” by Marteno Miniĥ
- “Wikipedias” by Tyron Surmon
- “Topology is Awesome” by Felix Stokes
- “Everyone can make a videogame! Introduction to Twine and Bitsy” – workshop by Ariel Bonkorpa about making games. Bring your laptop if you can.
- Board Games and Card Games provided by Tim Morley
Saturday 19:00
Saturday evening we’ll eat together in a restaurant, to be decided. Note your food preferences when you sign up, and we’ll prepare a few options and decide on the exact venue during the event.
Saturday 21:00
Afterwards, we will either go to a local Wetherspoons (as per tradition) or to G&D’s, the late-night independent Oxford ice cream parlour, or both!
Sunday 10:30
A guided tour of Oxford, seeing all of the major sights (Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, Bridge of Sighs, Oxford Castle, at least one college), all in Esperanto!
Sunday 12:00
Punting along the River Cherwell.
Sunday 13:30
Picnic in Christchurch Meadows. Note any preferences in the sign-up form, and we will provide the food 🙂
We welcome contributions to the program. Make a note in the sign-up form, or send an email to komitato@jeb.org.uk. If you want to give a talk, we ask that it not be more than 30 minutes. We’re ideally looking for lightning talks (5-10 minutes). Workshops, games, and other activities can go on longer.
How to get there?
There’s a direct bus, the X90, from London to Oxford, which is usually the cheapest option, at £8 for adults. If you travel very early, the Megabus Oxford Tube could be cheaper, at around £5.
Oxford is easy to reach by train from London Paddington. There aren’t always direct trains from other parts of the UK, but you can go to Reading or Didcot Parkway and change there. Alternatively, alight at Didcot Parkway and take the X2 bus to Oxford. To buy train tickets we recommend National Rail, as there is no booking fee. If you book via The Train Line, you can use your tickets on your phone. NB: in the UK it’s strongly advised to buy tickets in advance, usually by several weeks, as otherwise it can be very expensive.
Oxford city centre is relatively small, and it’s easy to reach the meeting points by foot. Otherwise, there are three bus companies which serve the city.
I have a question!!
Great, we have answers! Message us at komitato@jeb.org.uk.
Help! It’s my first Esperanto event
This event is not for complete beginners in Esperanto. However, even if you speak Esperanto well, going to your first Esperanto event can be nerve-wracking. We want to create as comfortable an environment as possible for newbies, but we can’t prepare for all possibilities. So, if you have particular questions or suggestions as a newbie, message us at komitato@jeb.org.uk or make a note in the sign-up form.
Accessibility details
Unfortunately, Oxford has many ancient cobbled streets, which can cause problems for wheelchair-users. You can find a full accessibility guide to the city in English here.
The average day temperature at that time of the year in Oxford is around 20 degrees. However, British weather is unpredictable, so it could be much warmer, around 25 degrees. If that’s warm to you, bring summer clothes, but also bring a jacket in case it gets cold. Also, in the UK it rains often, so check the forecast before hand, and pack an umbrella if needed!
Can I get a grant to attend the event?
If you are under the age of 25, and currently live in Britain, you are eligible to apply for a grant to attend the event and have all your costs covered through NoJEF (Norwich Jubilee Esperanto Foundation). All you have to do is send the secretary of the organisation an email (tim.owen@esperanto.org.uk), stating your likely costs, and promising to write a report about the event after you’ve attended. The organisers have often used this fund ourselves, so if you want any help with applying, please send us an email at komitato@jeb.org.uk 😊