International Meeting of Young Beekeepers - IMYB

[DanBee]

In a different thread about the BBKA, the following question was asked:

What is IMYB?

IMHO it's a jolly, and as far as drawing youngsters into beekeeping it appears to be a waste of vast sums of money. Have a look for yourself.

This year's event cost circa £55,500. 20 teams of 3 youngsters attended for a 3 day "conference and competition", which a look at the programme shows that most of the events were centred on "assessments". Not much training then, or non-competitive beekeeping sessions, so how much exchange took place of different skills and experiences between those international competitors?

Clearly the participants were already skilled young beekeepers, at a guess having beekeeping parents. At £925 per young person, is this really money well spent to encourage youngsters into beekeeping?

Government data shows around 6,000 secondary-age schools (of various flavours/funding) in England as at January 2017. £55,500 would give £9.25 per school, which would just about fund the printing and postage of a booklet to each school... not hugely satisfactory, surely there is a more effective way to spend the money?

With £55,500 to spend, what would you do to introduce youngsters to beekeeping? You might spend much of it on 'big ticket' items like an app, videos, or a teaching support pack that many schools could access for years to come, or go from the other direction and use it to support CRB checks and travel/materials expenses of beekeepers working with schools, or indeed try something else.

How would you spend the money?

 

[PaulCarroll]

I think we need to capture the imagination by funding for colonies to be used on site by the children themselves under appropriate supervision from experienced beekeepers. The cost of becoming a beekeeper is often out of reach of many young families as they cope with all the other demands of modern life. A link between local schools and local associations can surely work to inspire and educate future beekeepers. Sadly there are many associations with lots of retired folk like me, who would be happy to give of their time to work locally with schools to pass on the skills and promote the art of beekeeping.


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[beebopper]

I have some experience of this and run a bee club in a secondary school. It is really not easy. Ok funding is one thing but actually youngsters are really not that interested in becoming properly involved - too many other things to put their time into. Some come but quickly get bored inspecting hives or scream when a bee lands on them. The only thing that keeps them going is if they get free honey. I fund mine from honey sales to staff and parents.

Your best bet is to have sites available to beekeepers on schools with opportunity for kids to simply come and have a quick look if they wish and do a web cam link into the school.

 

[Poly Hive]

One of our local schools (Kelso High) is very active with beekeeping and the club I believe has 20 members and they are hands on in the hives. The school is to move shortly and is intending "Swarming" from the old to the new holding bees.

There is also a competition on the go and I will get that info later and post it up on a fresh thread.

PH

 

[beebopper]

Ya! I had 40 sign up reality though is something different. If I wanted to put positive spin I could; you never did contact me with the guys details - would be interested in having a chat.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

In a different thread about the BBKA, the following question was asked:



IMHO it's a jolly, and as far as drawing youngsters into beekeeping it appears to be a waste of vast sums of money. Have a look for yourself.

This year's event cost circa £55,500. 20 teams of 3 youngsters attended for a 3 day "conference and competition", which a look at the programme shows that most of the events were centred on "assessments". Not much training then, or non-competitive beekeeping sessions, so how much exchange took place of different skills and experiences between those international competitors?

Clearly the participants were already skilled young beekeepers, at a guess having beekeeping parents. At £925 per young person, is this really money well spent to encourage youngsters into beekeeping?

Government data shows around 6,000 secondary-age schools (of various flavours/funding) in England as at January 2017. £55,500 would give £9.25 per school, which would just about fund the printing and postage of a booklet to each school... not hugely satisfactory, surely there is a more effective way to spend the money?

With £55,500 to spend, what would you do to introduce youngsters to beekeeping? You might spend much of it on 'big ticket' items like an app, videos, or a teaching support pack that many schools could access for years to come, or go from the other direction and use it to support CRB checks and travel/materials expenses of beekeepers working with schools, or indeed try something else.

How would you spend the money?

Hello Dan, the root of the present situation seems to be the unprofessional behaviour shown in the correspondence (have you seen the documents mentioned in the other thread?). It appears that despite the changes of personnel the trustees still have a long way to go in learning and applying management skills.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

It's about time the Trustees showed a little bit of collective responsibility here. If any of them thought the IMYB was just a jolly, they should have expressed that view at the appropriate trustee meetings and not supported it. The fact is that the BBKA did support it and the trustees appear to have delegated the task of running it to two people.

Now that the event is finished, it's a bit late to say it was a waste of money and criticize the people delegated to run it. If certain trustees feel money was wasted and cannot resolve their concerns with internal trustee dialogue, they should resign. This unseemly annual bitching season by trustees is not what the members want or, at least, not what this member wants. The IMYB is not going to happen again in the UK for many years so there's no point in saying we should've, could've, would've..... The IMYB did get beekeeping on primetime TV for 6 minutes so the BBKA could have had in excessive of £60,000 worth of brand exposure if some trustees had pitched in and helped rather than bitching on the sidelines and leaving everything to two people.

Rant over, calm down ...

CVB

 

[Millet]

Where can i register to join this lovely organization/club ..

 

[WoodenBeam]

It's about time the Trustees showed a little bit of collective responsibility here. If any of them thought the IMYB was just a jolly, they should have expressed that view at the appropriate trustee meetings and not supported it. The fact is that the BBKA did support it and the trustees appear to have delegated the task of running it to two people.

Now that the event is finished, it's a bit late to say it was a waste of money and criticize the people delegated to run it. If certain trustees feel money was wasted and cannot resolve their concerns with internal trustee dialogue, they should resign. This unseemly annual bitching season by trustees is not what the members want or, at least, not what this member wants. The IMYB is not going to happen again in the UK for many years so there's no point in saying we should've, could've, would've..... The IMYB did get beekeeping on primetime TV for 6 minutes so the BBKA could have had in excessive of £60,000 worth of brand exposure if some trustees had pitched in and helped rather than bitching on the sidelines and leaving everything to two people.

Rant over, calm down ...

CVB

Well said - and I think a lot of members share your opinion.

 

[beeno]

Well said - and I think a lot of members share your opinion.

 

[Nige.Coll]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwJOuBixAoFMZXVJbzYzaXNnRHM/view

This doesn't say it cost £55k. This seems to say it made more than it cost.
Expenditure of £11000 income of £55000.
Every BBKA member was charged £1 for it.
The discussion continues on the facebook page.

 

[alldigging]

At the bottom of the email from Ian (From: Ian Homer

Event Coordinator – International Meeting of Young Beekeepers 2017

July 17th 2017

Dear Association Member)

is a sheet:

PROVISIONAL IMYB 2017 INCOME and EXPENDITURE as at July 14th 2017

Expenditure: 55,470.11
Income: 65,851.56

Net surplus: 10,381.45

I don't know how to attach a file to the forum to add it.

 

[Somerford]

The question has to be asked - what price did Marlborough College charge per head attending the summer school ?

These summer schools are common place in the public school and university sector. at £975 a head it's relatively cheap having attended a summer school on retailing at Oxford uni which was well over £4000 for 6 days and 5 nights hard slog.

Some of us on this forum will have attended scout jamborees or cadet camps or similar in our youth. It's commendable that the BBKA are putting on such a course, I can't think it would have been easy to get enough hives to the site to satisfy the curiosity and demands of 90 eager students

Some of which may decide to enter the world of beekeeping or even bee farming as a result.


The sound of this thread and some of it's contributors suggests a lot of negativity towards both the organisers and the event being held. To my understanding there were other summer schools being held too on the same site....are we to lambast and question them too ?

Could anyone here have or considered doing a better job ?

If the BBKA supported it financially that was a matter for the managing board - if you don't agree then get involved, join the association and effect change from within instead of throwing grenades from the safety of the internet.

If they made a surplus then GREAT.

And quite frankly, a £1 contribution in this day and age where £1 seems to be the new 10p is a drop in the ocean.

regards

Somerford

 

[DanBee]

It's about time the Trustees showed a little bit of collective responsibility here. If any of them thought the IMYB was just a jolly, they should have expressed that view at the appropriate trustee meetings and not supported it. The fact is that the BBKA did support it and the trustees appear to have delegated the task of running it to two people.

Now that the event is finished, it's a bit late to say it was a waste of money and criticize the people delegated to run it. If certain trustees feel money was wasted and cannot resolve their concerns with internal trustee dialogue, they should resign. This unseemly annual bitching season by trustees is not what the members want or, at least, not what this member wants. The IMYB is not going to happen again in the UK for many years so there's no point in saying we should've, could've, would've..... The IMYB did get beekeeping on primetime TV for 6 minutes so the BBKA could have had in excessive of £60,000 worth of brand exposure if some trustees had pitched in and helped rather than bitching on the sidelines and leaving everything to two people.

Rant over, calm down ...

CVB

Easy, tiger

Have you read the letters that went out, or just heard that there's an argument ongoing?

Firstly, it was actually the Associations that voted for the BBKA to take on IMYB, at the ADM in January 2016... with the proviso that £30,000 had to be raised as "industry sponsorship" before the associations would be required to contribute £1 per member. Secondly, you seem to confuse my questions - as to the value for money or otherwise of sending children of beekeepers on a £925 jolly - with the views of the BBKA trustees, which they are not.

I'm intrigued that you think that this is part of an "annual trustee bitching season". What are your thoughts on the last "bitching session" - the culture of lying, cheating, and fraud amongst former BBKA Trustees that was eventually proven in court? The documented witchhunt, un-investigated complaints, cover-up reports, and defamation of members in good standing who had the temerity to complain at the dishonesty, all done by BBKA trustees? You're happy that the BBKA was invoicing thousands and thousands of pounds for work that hadn't been completed, or expenditure that hadn't been incurred? And, concurrent with that, you're happy that activities like Adopt a Beehive were spending as little as 83p out of each £30 donation on the good cause advertised? You're confident that your £18 capitation in those years was spent on what you thought (or were told) it was?

Would you rather the minority trustees who opposed that corrupt regime had simply resigned and let them get on with it? Instead, they held their ground and appealed to the associations, quite rightly IMHO since those at the tiller were demonstrably not to be trusted, and it is the associations who should hold the BBKA to account when the trustees cannot or will not act correctly.

I have been the most vocal critic of the BBKA trustees when they deserved it. They do not deserve it now - that IMYB was a success was as a result of much time and effort by a large team of people to pull a mismanaged mess out of an unnecessary hole, despite the behaviour of certain individuals. When the full details are known, I would hope that you will look at all involved in a different light, unless you just want to knock the BBKA regardless.

So, back to the thread...

We generally agree that beekeeping needs new blood. I don't believe that IMYB represents value for money. The point was to ask how better people think £55,000 could have been spent to achieve the goal of getting young people involved in beekeeping. Now you've had your rant perhaps you could suggest something constructive in line with the original question?

 

[beeno]

Quote: Secondly, you seem to confuse my questions - as to the value for money or otherwise of sending children of beekeepers on a £925 jolly.Unquote

It rather depends on who the beekeeper is. There are not very likely to be many children taking up beekeeping without parental consent or involvement for obvious reasons. The representative my association at the time sent was part of a father/son duo in their second season. However, if a son or daughter of yours were to be sent one would obviously deduce that would be on a jolly.

As to the TV news clip of the IMYB (assuming I got it right}, I was rather upset that the clip contained information about letting a nuc raise their own Q from eggs which I for one don't approve of.

 

[colinc]

You will never increase the numbers of youngsters taking up beekeeping without parental or adult involvement, kids struggle to look after rabbits on their own. You need to aim elsewhere to increase youngsters (i.e. Younger than the average of 66) which due to costs and time involved needs to be young professionals with disposable income.

Would anyone like to contribute to my new organisation?

"Hives for Hipsters"

That's where the targeting for growth should go. Just send me the cheque for £55,000 and I'll knock up some marketing and grow a suitably bushy and welcoming beard.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was rather upset that the clip contained information about letting a nuc raise their own Q from eggs which I for one don't approve of.

Oh dear - it must be wrong then.

 

[psafloyd]

Easy, tiger

I have been the most vocal critic of the BBKA trustees when they deserved it. They do not deserve it now...

Actually, DanBee, I think there are some rather important questions that need answers not on the IMYB per se, but the reasons behind all these letters flying around.

And yes, I have read all of them.

 

[Somerford]

Oh dear - it must be wrong then.

If we all felt that way no new beekeepers would take up the profession

I'm just pleased 90 youngsters had a great 2 days learning. I wish I'd have gone on a similar course at that age !

KR

S

 

[fincaazul]

I m y b

This meeting of young beekeepers from all over the world has taken place for several years now. Until it was held this year in the UK it seems to have gone unnoticed. There were 57 young beekeepers from 19 countries, who were given a variety of tasks which were then assessed. These were both practical and theoretical. Practical tasks like making up a nucleus, finding and marking a Queen,and grafting young larvae into Queen rearing systems. Classroom assessments include plant identification, pollen and nectar sources throughout the year, and a very testing section on honeybee anatomy which included microscopic identification of bee organs. For anyone to say that these exceptional youngsters learnt nothing from this experience and were on a 'jolly' need to look to their own Laurels and think what they have done to encourage youngsters into the craft. My thanks go to Ian and Ruth who give their help unstintingly in practical organisation and enthusiasm. To the 'naysayers' talk is cheap actions are what count/