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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is TransCamp?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TransCamp is an annual mental health and community-building weekend retreat exclusively for trans folks. It’s a chance to come together as a community for a weekend of workshops, activities, socialising, and downtime. TransCamp is specifically designed to be accessible to folks with social anxiety, neurodivergence, mental health challenges, and different disabilities who may struggle to find, access, and build their own local trans community. We hope it can serve as a jumping off point for building deeper community bonds across Brisbane and surrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who is behind TransCamp? Who is running it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TransCamp is brought to you by The T Cottage, a small trans-run and autistic-run allied health practice in the Logan area of Queensland, Australia, on the unceded lands of the Yagara and Yugambeh people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TransCamp is run by Tobi and a team of support workers. Tobi is an accredited social worker and trauma therapist, specialising in somatic (body-based) trauma treatment for queer, trans, and neurodivergent folks. Tobi has extensive experience designing and running queer community events and is extremely excited to be running the first TransCamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Am I ‘trans enough’ to attend?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n YES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We got a lot of questions in the EOI about what \u2018type’ of trans people this retreat was intended for and our answer is \u2013 all of you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We invite all trans folks \u2013 binary and nonbinary folks, folks who transitioned early or transitioned late in life, folks who chose medical transition or chose not to medically transition or who want to but haven’t yet had access, folks with clear gender identities or nebulous messy ones, folks far along their journeys and folks just beginning\u2014and every combination therein and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only requirement is that YOU identify yourself as trans, gender diverse, or a related identity. We are not gatekeepers of gender or transness and fully support self-identification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, we do ask that folks show the same expansive ideas of transness to others in the group and refrain from behaviours that gatekeep or criticise others’ experiences of gender and trans identity. For example, this is not an appropriate place to insist upon transmedicalism as the only acceptable trans narrative or to question the validity of nonbinary genders. We’ll send out more information about these topics ahead of TransCamp to help build the overall safety of the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can I expect at a day of TransCamp?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While every day will be a bit different, in general we’ll kick off each day with a leisurely, drop-in breakfast from about 8am-10am with plenty of options for folks who want to sit and chat or those who want to be minimally perceived until they’ve had a few cups of coffee. Around 10am, we’ll kick off with some trauma-sensitive movement to settle into our bodies for the day, then have a morning workshop. Then, we’ll share some lunch around 1pm and have a bit of downtime for rest or just hanging out. There’ll be another workshop or other activity in the afternoon, followed by another break before shared dinner about 6:30pm and a shared evening activity. We’ll wrap everything up by 9:30pmish so that folks who need it can have an early night and folks who want to stay up socialising can have some time to hang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All activities will be opt-in \u2013 there is no pressure or expectation to participate in any particular activity and you’re always welcome to take a break or do your own thing if you prefer. Expect every day to include a mix of structured activities\/workshops, semi-structured social times like shared meals, and unstructured downtime to do whatever you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where is TransCamp being held?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first TransCamp will be held at Sine Cera Rainforest Retreat Centre, which is about 1.5hrs south of Brisbane in Northern NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a large property with shared accommodation, large kitchen and workshop facilities, lots of beautiful bushland, and a few swimming holes. We will have exclusive use of the centre during our stay, so no need to worry about other folks onsite except a few friendly staff who will mostly just liaise with Tobi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will organise point-to-point transport for NDIS participants and central-meeting-point carpooling for other participants who would like help getting to the venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about Sine Cera here: https:\/\/www.sinecera.org.au\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is the venue wheelchair-accessible?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes! There is one fully accessible suite suitable for a fully-time wheelchair user, including a wheelchair accessible bathroom with an accessible shower and toilet. The main accommodation is ‘mostly’ wheelchair accessible–a few tight hallways and turning points to the rooms–suitable for partially ambulant wheelchair users. The living room\/hang out space and\u00a0the kitchen\/dining building is also fully wheelchair accessible although it involves crossing a flat gravel path from the accomodation. These two spaces are where we will spend a bulk of the retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a lot of outdoor space around the venue that does not have paved paths. We’ll have to suss out once we get there how accessible these spaces are to everyone who shows up (different wheelchairs are better in grass than others, depends how muddy, etc.) but last year we managed to get wheelchairs down close to the creek. Rest assured we will only offer programming that everyone can access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many people will be there?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The retreat centre we have booked has space for about 20 people, depending on who needs a private room and who is comfortable to share. We are currently planning for 4 staff and 16 attendees for the second TransCamp. There’s a bit of flexibility in this, but we’re currently scoping that to include 4-6 NDIS places, 1-2 places for self-funded private rooms, 6-8 places for self-funded twin share rooms, and 2 scholarship places (twin share).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, I thought it’d be bigger! Why isn’t it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To be honest, we’ve been a bit blown away by the size of the response! We originally envisioned an even smaller retreat (about 10 in a holiday home) but from the EOIs, decided to find a proper retreat centre and do something a little larger. We did wrestle with the pressure to try to pull off something even bigger from the start, but ultimately decided to stay true to our original vision of a small, intimate retreat space where there was ample time and space and support for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also want to create something that is sustainable for us and our workers, so starting small gives us time to see what works and what doesn’t. If the first couple of smaller retreats are successful, we will consider holding a larger TransCamp in the future that has less of a “small intimate retreat” vibe and more of a “grown-up school holiday camp” vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What if I miss out this time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Provided it goes well, we are hoping to make TransCamp an ongoing thing, with 1-2 retreats a year and possibly one larger event in the future. The second TransCamp is planned for November 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How much is TransCamp going to cost?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are committed to making TransCamp as affordable as possible and are offering TransCamp at about half the cost of equivalent retreats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are paying for TransCamp yourself (self-funding, not using NDIS), there are two price points, depending on whether your share a room or want a private room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note the increased price for your own room reflects the added cost from the venue for each private room upgrade. Both prices include all accommodation (4 days, 3 nights), exclusive use of the retreat facilities for our group, food, and activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are also offering two reduced-cost scholarship places to multiply-marginalised trans folks from the Brisbane area. Applications will open in late September. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are paying for TransCamp with your NDIS, the cost (assuming a 1:4 support ratio) is $3090 which can be paid out of any Core funding. Note this is slightly below the pricing guidelines and includes 4 days of STA funding (2 weekdays, 1 Saturday, and 1 Sunday). A bulk of this cost is to pay for dedicated support workers exclusively for NDIS participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I really want to come but I can’t afford that outright. What are my options?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We recognise this is a big expense. We especially realise some of the folks who most need something like TransCamp are least able to afford it. In addition to the limited scholarship places, we are will offer a payment plan option. For the payment plan option, you can put down a $100 deposit and pay the rest off each week or month leading up to the retreat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can’t afford this one, keep an eye out for the next retreat. We’ll continue offering scholarship places and are investigating additional accommodation options \u2013 for example, the retreat offers a bunkbed dorm option we could explore for the future. This could reduce costs down to about $300-350 per person, but many people in the EOI expressed worries about not having enough privacy \/ space \/ introvert time, so we’re worried that may offer a significantly subpar experience for a lot of folks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is the NDIS price much more expensive than the self-fund price?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The NDIS price is set in guidance with the NDIS Price Guide for Short-Term Accommodation (STA), which is sometimes also called Respite. We have used the 1:4 pricing line (unless you request a different support ratio), which is the least expensive line item for STA and charge a bit under the maximum amount, to help you make the most of your funding. The main difference is that the NDIS price includes 24\/7 access to a support worker (shared among 4 participants, unless you request a different support ratio), whereas the self-fund option does not. A majority of this fee goes to cover the labour cost of staffing a 24\/7 support worker who will be there specifically to support NDIS participants, who may need extra help to attend an event like this. STA funding is also designed to be all-inclusive and has some requirements for attendee safety, so the NDIS price includes a few other things like a single room upgrade, point-to-point transport, etc. that aren’t included in the base self-fund price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m an NDIS participant. Can I bring my own support worker?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a general rule, STA\/respite care is designed to be a break for and from your regular care team, to reduce carer strain\/burnout, and to provide opportunities for you to experience new situations. As such, NDIS will typically not fund STA and a separate support worker at the same time. However, we recognise this can clash with key NDIS principles of choice and control, where a participant may have a strong need or desire to have a familiar worker. If this applies to you, you are welcome to speak to us directly if you have concerns or want to see if something can be worked out. Please note for the safety and well-being of all participants, this is a trans-exclusive space and that includes all staff and support workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n