Dear participants of the feminist_queerfeminist women* seminar, we are looking forward to the seminar and are sending you some important information beforehand:

Languages/Translations:
There is going to be simultaneous translation (mainly German – Italian). Since we only have four translators, we will see where the biggest translation needs are. We hope you’ll understand that we won’t be able to translate everything and that the translators might need a break at some point.

We are still looking for help with translation, also for potential whispered translations into other languages (German, Italian, English, French).
If you can translate one of the workshops, please send an email to amalie.salecina@gmx.de putting TRANSLATION in the header.

!!! For speakers and workshop facilitators: please send some material or workshop content to amalie.salecina@gmx.de (putting TRANSLATION into the header) beforehand (e.g. script if you have one, lists of vocab, especially texts you might read out). This applies to the German-speaking facilitators in particular, since German will probably be the “dominant” language and that means that people tend to take the issue of translations less seriously.

And again: not all participants have an academic background or are used to academic language. Complex matters can also be expressed in an easy way, this might even render the discussion and exchange more interesting. Please take this into account when planning your workshops and contributions.

The programme:
We are really happy about the many exciting workshops… Thanks so much! It has not been easy for us to select them. You can find the updated programme attached 🙂 Unfortunately, some workshops have cancelled at short notice.
We had planned to always offer an open space in parallel to the workshops so that there will also be some space for exchange and contributing spontaneously. Since the workshop programme is now a little reduced we want to promote the open space once more: If you have interesting topics, workshops, ideas, bring them along! Of course, this also applies if we couldn’t include your workshop idea in the first round.

Some tips on how to arrive at Salecina: http://www.salecina.ch/en/contact-booking/arrival-info/

Arriving by train:
You can take the train until St. Moritz, then take a bus to Maloja at the station square (for the connections check www.sbb.ch). From Maloja onwards, you will have to walk the last 20-30 min to arrive at Salecina. You can find a map when clicking on the link above.
If you cannot walk, we can also organise a shuttle. We will fetch you with your luggage between 9am and 7pm at the bus stop “Maloja Posta” – please let us know a day in advance by calling 0041 818243239 or by sending an email to info@salecina.ch

Arriving by car:
If you arrive by car and have some space for other people or luggage, please let us know. The prep team will also arrive by train and we are already wondering how to transport all the material…. 🙂

Looking for support in arriving:
Maria is looking for somebody to come along and support when traveling to Salecina, especially from Zurich to Maloja on Wednesday. Please cont us if you can help.

Weather/clothes/sun block

Salecina is located in the Swiss Alps at 1800m. The sun is rather strong, but it can also cool down to zero degree at times or start snowing in summer. Currently, it is around 2-5 degrees at night. We recommend taking warm clothes and warm sleeping bags for those camping and to take sun block (30-50) and hats!

This some advice for packing from the last years:

****** tips for packing *****
You will be provided with duvets, pillows and sheets but not with towels, tents, sleeping bags and camping mats!

You should bring:
* sturdy slippers, towels and toiletries (without chemical additives if possible)
* ear protection (especially if you are a light sleeper)
* good sunglasses, sun block (high UV protection, LS factor 35 and more)
* sun hat, cap for protection against sun, wind and rain
* warm, sturdy and waterproof clothing
* rain gear, sturdy skid-proof shoes

****** for hiking in the mountains *******
* skid-proof mountain shoes (that you have already used), soft trekking shoes are not suited to the rocky areas!
* hiking socks or thick woolen socks, it’s always good to have some band-aid for blisters
* please check in advance whether any accidents in Switzerland are covered. You can pay the membership fee for the Swiss Air-Rescue REGA in Salecina.

Food/drinks:

There are three (vegan/vegetarian) meals per day at the camp. There is only a limited supply of snacks in Salecina, though. If you need anything, you might want to bring it, this also applies to special food if you have a special dietary need. You can buy drinks (also alcoholic ones) in Salecina.
However, costs are significantly higher in Switzerland when compared to neighbouring countries. It might be worthwhile take bringing your own alcohol/chocolate.

Cis-men:

The seminar is not a place for cis-men. This is also taken into account when choosing the Salecina staff. However, Salecina is known throughout the region as an open house. The philosophy is to be open to everybody wanting to take a rest, the kitchen is also open to everybody. This can mean that there might be some cis-men temporarily on the ground during our seminar.

If you have any further questions, send us an email: amalie.salecina@gmx.de
We are looking forward to our time together!

Warm greetings and see you all soon