JEB is organising its first official camping weekend, between Friday 10th September and Sunday 12th September 2010.

The location which we have chosen is the Wowo campsite in East Sussex. Detailed information can be found here and it looks like a really excellent campsite, with plenty of facilities and even the opportunity to light real campfires

One of the aims of the weekend is to organise a series of discussion circles (diskutrondoj/Drondoj). These have become very popular within EAB over the past few years, and we thought it would be great if we could introduce JEB members to them too. The atmosphere will be relaxed and informal, the topics straightforward but interesting, so it should be a great way for us to practise our Esperanto whilst getting to know each other better

The campsite is very reasonably priced, so hopefully affordable for everyone. The nearest train station is Haywards Heath, which is easily accessible from London (Victoria). If you are under 26 and need help with your travel costs, don’t forget that you may be eligible for a grant from NoJEF

The campsite itself is situated approximately 6 miles from the station. Hopefully we should have three or four cars between those attending, so we should be able to arrange lifts for anyone who needs one – let us know if you will be in this position and we can finalise details nearer the time

Note that the campsite has a rule requiring everyone to book two nights (Friday and Saturday) which is why we are making this a long weekend. The advantage is that this means we will have more time at our disposal, and we are therefore hoping to organise an excursion to nearby Brighton

If you’re interested in coming, let us know – either on Facebook or in the forums – and book a place for your tent asap!

The JEB Spring Meet-up took place on Saturday, 21st February in Nottingham city centre. This was one of our most successful meetings to date, with a total of 10 different people in attendance, including members of the growing local Esperanto society. We had lunch in a pleasant pub by the canal before going for a stroll around the town and seeing famous sights such as the castle and Robin Hood statue As the afternoon progressed, we tried out some different pubs, some more enjoyable than others, and chatted to each other in a mixture of Esperanto and English, depending on the abilities and desires of the people in the group.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and some of us are already anticipating the next JEB get-together. Our current plan is to meet in Eastern England one weekend in early summer. Cambridge? Norwich? Somewhere else entirely? Feel free to get in touch with us in the forums to share your views

The Spring meeting of the North West Esperanto Federation will be taking place in Preston on Saturday 9th May, 2009. I have been invited as the guest speaker, and will be giving a talk on the theme “Mi kaj Esperanto: Spertoj kaj Esperoj”.

The meeting starts at noon and is expected to run until 5pm. There will be Lancashire Hotpot for lunch and sandwiches for tea, as well as Esperanto conversation circles, a raffle and the AGM of the federation.

If you would like to attend, you need to send a cheque for £10 made payable to South Lancashire Esperanto Group to Andrew Wheatley by Wednesday 29 April 2009. If you are interested please get in touch with me in the forums and I’ll pass his address onto you

Following discussion amongst members in the forum, the location for the next JEB meeting has been decided as Nottingham. The city already has its own growing Esperanto society and so we are hoping for a good turnout at this JEB event

The date has been provisionally set as Saturday, 21st February, as this seems to be convenient for those who have already expressed an interest. If you would like to come along or require further information, don’t hesitate to contact us in the forums.  There’s a thread in which you can make suggestions about what to do at the meet-up here.

The 2009 IJK will be taking place between the 18th and 25th of July this summer. The official website is still a little sketchy on details, but you can find it here and it’s sure to fill up with further information about the programme as we get nearer to the event.

You may think it’s a little early to be thinking about what to do this summer, but if you are interesting in attending the world’s biggest get-together of young Esperantists, now might be the time to consider signing up. Anyone who puts their name down before the 31st of January will be given a slightly discounted rate, which is well worth having You need to pay a 15 euro deposit in advance to guarantee a place – methods for doing this are explained on the website, but if you have any problems feel free to ask our advice in the JEB forums (there’s an IJK thread here) and we’ll do our best to help you.

And, of course, if you would like a chance to practise your Esperanto at home before heading off abroad, don’t hesitate to come along to one of our JEB meet-ups. The next one is scheduled to take place some time in February, at a location as yet to be decided – all suggestions welcome

Between 27th December 2008 and 3rd January 2009, six JEBanoj attended the Internacia Seminario in Biedenkopf, Germany. Approximately 130 participants from countries as far apart as Australia and Russia, China and Brazil, participated in a week packed full of lectures, concerts and international socialising. More detailed reports on the week’s excitement may follow at a later date from some of the JEBanoj who were able to participate in the event thanks to assistance from NoJEF. In the meantime, you will have to be content with a selection of photos, which show JEBanoj contributing to the programme and generally having a good time. Enjoy

The next JEB meetup is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 8th March in Peterborough.

This is an informal affair, to which everyone is welcome We’re likely to be meeting around lunchtime, probably somewhere in the vicinity of the station as most of us will be arriving by public transport. (more…)