Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Tribe vote for capacity of 30 pre-booked spaces on Vorovoro

RESULTS (after months of debate…)

How many places should be available in a standard week on Vorovoro for booking in advance?

• 20 places – 26.50%
• 30 places – 45.30%
• 40 places – 28.21%
• Number of votes 117

Should a small number of extra places (e.g. 5-10 max) be kept available for last minute bookings at the discretion of Tribewanted?

• Yes 85.09%
• No 14.91%
• Number of votes 114

Should ‘festival weeks’ (e.g. 1 September) be allowed where more places are available in advance?

• Yes 89.47%
• No 10.43%
• Number of votes 114

Implications of vote results

There will be a re-launched version of the island booking system online by mid August which will mean members and non-members will be able to view availability on Vorovoro week by week.

Once 30 is reached in any given week members will be alerted. There are currently several weeks that have twenty or more already booked, so now is the time to get your first choice week booked online if you have not already.

September 1st 2007 is when prices will be leveled out for old members, so if you still want to buy extra weeks or extend your membership beyond one year you must do it before 1/9/07.

Buy extra weeks/ upgrade your membership online!

Festival weeks, once proposed, will be voted on separately.

Pictured: ONYABACK on the beach; The tribe model the anti-plastic bag island future. Onyaback bags are made from recycling parachutes.

Doug & Mary Lou officially tie the knot

7/7/07. Deputy Chief from September 2006, Doug ‘Rambo’ Holt said he would be back and he was. And this time he brought his fiancee Mary Lou, and seven members of their respective families to Vorovoro.
The Arizonan tribe spent the week building a chicken coup near to the tribe village before the big day finally dawned. Over 100 people gathered on Vorovoro to prepare a lovo feast, a series of meke’s and a traditional Fijian wedding ceremony and big grog party to make it an unforgettable day for all.

Congratulations to Doug and Mary Lou from all the tribe.WEDDING PHOTOS
Pictured: Mr & Mrs Holt legally married on Vorovoro’s beach with best man Epeli.

Twitter live link from Vorovoro

You will see on the homepage that we are now sending messages directly from Vorovoro.
If you get yourself a Twitter account you can add Tribewanted as a friend a receive email or SMS notifications in real time.
So to celebrate the launch of the Tribewanted Twitter we will be doing some twitterering of our own on Vorovoro. Add your bula online:"Eco fascism is the way forward. All non bio-degradable packaging and products should be banned on Vorovoro. Discuss
"Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Is an overused metaphor that has no practical application to an island like Vorovoro. Discuss

September chief voting: Alice Vs Chris

We have two applicants for September 2007 Chief, Anna Chinn from Scotland and Chris Marino from Canada. It will be a big month on Vorovoro and will require a well organised chief!

• View Alice’s full manifesto here
• View Chris’s full manifesto here
• View Alice’s chiefcast
• View Chris’s website here

Why would you like to be Chief?

ALICE: "When I recently left Vorovoro after an inspiring, enlightening and humbling four week stay, I knew I would find some way to return during my world travels. September is my month, and Chief is the position for me. As a tribe member, it was fantastic to play a part at the very core of the Tribewanted project, but it also gave me an understanding of what the role of chief entails. I would relish the challenge of contributing further to this unique social experiment as chief, and will not be truly satisfied until I have done so."

CHRIS: "I joined Tribewanted because I wanted to part of something that had some meaning. Waking up to go to a job everyday helps pay the bills, but it seldom adds to the quality of life. That being said everything I do I put all my effort into it, to try and achieve the best results. This is why I am running for chief. Being a part of the online community and attending various gatherings in many different places is one thing, but being able to help implement ideas and organize for the future is where I feel I can really do some good for the tribe." In one sentence, why should the tribe elect you Chief?
ALICE: "I would approach the unique adventure of being chief with passion, energy, dedication, an open mind, and a wee drop of my dry Scottish sarcasm – in short, I believe that I can do this position justice."CHRIS: "I”m a pretty honest guy you likes to have fun and can makes jokes and be a joke, but when it is need I can be very resourceful and productive."

VOTE here. Closes 20th July.

Ask Alice and Chris questions here

August chief Vote halfway through – closes 13th JulyOctober chief applications Thursday 19th JulyMore info on applying to be a chief on Vorovoro.

Pictured: This weeks project on Vorovoro, Nick, a plumber from London, joins Save and Marau to build a reed bed.

Tui Aussie first week blog

Just had my first chance to get back online since last Thursday. It has certainly been a busy time on Vorovoro over the past couple of days, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. There has been a steady stream of people coming and going from the island, including the arrival of Doug, Mary Lou and their families in preparation for their upcoming wedding this Saturday. I arrived last friday (just in time for James’ birthday and to deliver his stash of Onya reusable bags) and thankfully have had a number of opportunities to talk with Ryan (June chief) about almost every aspect of island life and the chief’s responsibilities. I’m very greatful that i’ve had the opportunity to chat with Ryan, and he’s certainly helped make my life a lot easier. After getting up to speed on Friday, we had a busy day ahead of us on saturday with the chief handover ceremony and also a wedding blessing ceremony for Chaz & Lynn. It was a fantastic day with lots of grog, lots of mekeing and lots of laughs. Many thanks must go to Chaz for organising the lovo and I’d also like to congratulate both of you on your wedding. Great stuff and I wish both of you all the best. Monday saw the arrival of Doug’s wedding party and also our first official business meeting of the month. Doug’s crew have been working on a new chicken coup and have been flying through that project and have been working extremely hard. Vinaka guys. James has lots of ideas on the sustainability side of things, which is fantastic, but we’ll need to discuss things in more detail and prioritise them first before we can make concrete plans. With the help and hardwork of Marau, Save, Ray and last but not least, Nick our resident plumber, we have started work on a reed bed system to help treat some of our grey water. It’s not a huge project, but it’s been great to work with a number of the tribe members and also the local Fijians and combine our ideas on how to make the design work. Last night the tribe sat around the Great Bure and pounded leaves to make some more of the brilliant mats that are always seen around Vorovoro and Mali. James has been working hard on the Gardens and with Tevita’s help everything is starting to come together really nicely. Tonight we’ve got a new meke to look forward to learning and then we can begin the countdown to Doug and Mary Lou’s wedding this Saturday
Vinaka vaka levuChief Adama (Tui Aussie)Pictured: This weeks tribe

Introducing Anna Kemp, Vorovoro’s next island gapper

Bula! I’m Anna from Scotland. I fell in love with the Tribewanted project the minute I read about it on the STA website in April 2007 and immediately booked an 8 week stay on the island the next morning! My instinct did not let me down. I have just returned from spending the most amazing two months on Vorovoro and am thrilled to be returning to the island in August as the next gapper.
I loved every minute of my time on Vorovoro, having built strong relationships with the both the team and the local Mali people. I have seen first hand how crucial the role of gapper is, as both a guiding hand to help tribies get the most out of the time on the island and also in developing and maintaining relationships with the community that we seek to integrate with. I have lots of ideas that I will bring to the gapper role, including further involvement in the classrooms of local schools, working with them rather than just visiting them, and more joint activities between Mali people and the tribe members, with both learning activities such as eco workshops and recreational activities like a 5-aside tournament (volleyball, rugby, football). With the majority of the building work done, such events will be crucial to maintain and strengthen integration with the local people.
Vorovoro is amazing- the island and its people capture your heart. The opportunity to work as part of the team is a once in a lifetime experience that I can‚t wait to begin. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Chat to Anna
Anna, alongside September Chief applicant Alice Chiin, was featured in this weekends Scottish Sunday Mail

TWDF on Vorovoro + TWOT fundraiser in Braunfels

From Helen Lang, Tribewanted Dream FOundation on Vorovoro:
"The first phase of work on the ground to get the Dream Foundation up and running is now getting under way. I’ve been spending time with the people of Vorovoro and the neighbouring area talking about how things work here and learning about how the Dream Foundation can help.

In the next few days I will be travelling around the villages, talking to families, teachers and Tribal elders to understand what we need to fundraise for. Iwill also be going to Mali school this week to talk to the teachers, and with the other trustees start to raise enough funds to rewire the school and to look atother ways we can help."
The upcoming Mein TWOT be oping to fundraise for the TWDF’s first project, the wiring of the Mali School. More info here

Bettina’s Blog: A german voice from Vorovoro

Vorovoro – Eine kleine Insel am anderen Ende der Welt
Nach 8 Monate reisen, hatte ich langsam ein wenig Heimweh und wollte meine Freunde und Familie wiedersehen. Gluecklicherweise fuehrte mich mein Round-The-World-Ticket jedoch erst nach Fiji. Ich wusste nicht wirklich welche Insel wohl die schoenste und beste ist, aber ich wollte etwas Besonderes erleben und keinen Urlaub wie aus dem Katalog bestellt. Nur durch Zufall hoerte ich von tribewanted und entschied mich dafuer. Ich war mir nicht sicher was mich erwarten wuerde als ich nach Vorovoro kam. Zu Beginn war es erst eine Umstellung, sich im Meer zu waschen, um Trinkwasser zu sparen und ohne Strom auszukommen. Man gewoehnt sich allerdings schnell daran und vermisst Nichts was man unbedingt braucht. Anstatt Tag fuer Tag in der Sonne zu baden, gibt es hier eine Menge andere interessante Aktivitaeten. An meinem ersten Tag entschloss ich mit zwei anderen Mitgliedern zu einer kleinen Klettertour um die Insel und wir konnten die sagenhafte Aussicht geniessen. In den kommenden Tagen besuchten wir eine Schule in Mali und hatten einen riesen Spass mit den Kindern zu singen, tanzen und spielen. Sammeln von Kokossnuessen um daraus Seife zu machen, Basteln von Kostuemen um den erlernten Tanz bei der Haeuptlingsuebergabe vorzufuehren und eine Reihe anderer wunderschoener Erlebnisse, bei denen wir eine Menge lernten. Die beste Erfahrung fuer mich war die unmittelbare Naehe zum Mali-Stamm, die mit uns zusammen auf der Insel lebten, arbeiteten und feirten. Unsere Abende verbrachten wir entwaeder am Lagefeuer und sungen Lieder oder wir sassen mit den Fijiens zusammen bis spaet in die Nacht und trunken Kava.
Nach nur einer Woche auf dieser kleinen Insel habe ich die Lust am Reisen und unterschiedlichen Kulturen wieder gefunden und wuerde liebend gerne wieder an diesen Ort zurueck kommen. Mit Hilfe der Internet-Community habe ich einen zweiten Platz in der realen Welt gefunden, den ich gerne meine Heimat nennen wuerde.
Vinaka Vorovoro!Bettina (mehr und Bilder unter: www.bettinafoof.blogspot.com)
and in English…