SOAK*2020 Leads Retreat Weekend
Last week (February 1-3), the SOAK*2020 Producers and Leads met for their annual Leads Retreat. This event happens every year and is considered the official kickoff to the year’s SOAK event.
The Leads Retreat is a chance for this year’s event Producers and Department Leads to gather and prepare for the upcoming event and plan the weeks of hard work ahead. The Precipitation Northwest Board enjoys having the opportunity to attend this annual event, to meet new and returning leads, and to work alongside the Producers and Leads to kick off the SOAK event year.
The retreat was held for the 2nd time at Mount Hood Kiwanis Camp, and was attended by all 9 Precipitation NW board members, all 5 of the SOAK*2020 Producers, and the majority of the 39 Department Leads.
Friday night was an informal potluck, and Saturday was a full day of presentations and discussion about the upcoming year.
In addition to discussing things like resources and budgets, the day also included time for each department to review 2018’s After Burn Reports (ABRs), which are reports written by last year’s leads that summarize important learnings and recommendations for how to improve over last year.
The Precipitation Northwest board once again presented 2 different sessions - one on Saturday morning generally about our organization and activities, and one session on Saturday afternoon all about finances. This session specifically covered how the Producers and Department Leads work together to propose both individual department budgets, as well as an overall event budget request to the board.
A special thanks to KosherBacon who volunteered his time to prepare and organize meals for the team over the entire weekend, and also manages the Burner Barn and keeps SOAK event materials safe and organized. Thank you to Battalion4 who in addition to being a SOAK*2020 Department lead, but who is also taking a lead role in producing Safety Northwest.
Overall, Precipitation Northwest left the weekend excited about this year, and overwhelmed with gratitude for the hard work and dedication displayed by everyone who help makes SOAK happen each year.
For more SOAK*2020 event information, visit www.soakpdx.com and join the Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/954212661616854/