The SCA can be a wonderful, transformative organization, teaching others medieval arts, courtesy, and other skills that can affect not only their in-game life, but their world outside of the organization. However, like any modern organization that contains people, the SCA has a DEI puzzle to solve. When studying the medieval world, its class systems … Continue reading Omphaloskepsis: In Defense of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
SCA Philosophy
More about Volunteer Retention
To add to volunteer retention: if people don’t feel appreciated or that their service is needed, they will stop volunteering. People also will not serve if they feel like they have no support systems. (And no, handing someone a handbook on how to do a job does not equal support.) This is how we lose … Continue reading More about Volunteer Retention
Volunteer Retention in the SCA
People are far more willing to give if they are invested but not abused; cherished, but not made a pawn; loved for who they are while also giving them space to find ways to grow and learn. Don't badger people for why they don't have awards or things you think they need, but be willing to make space for them to figure things out on their own. As long as it's not destructive, harmful, or hateful, let people be.
Family Heirlooms: how heraldic inheritance really works
With the interest in heraldry growing from the funeral of QEII, there's something I've noticed a lot of lately from folks outside of the SCA, and that is (mostly Americans) not understanding how heraldry works. So, you know those heraldic shops at cultural festivals and renaissance faires and occasionally the mall? You know, the ones … Continue reading Family Heirlooms: how heraldic inheritance really works
Gonna Show Off my Bling – Regalia vs. Badges
We all know it when someone is called before their Crown, and is handed a scroll (usually, we hope) and has a medallion placed around their necks. These are causes for celebration, of course. But what about all of those other badges that the SCA has registered? What's the difference between these? Who gets to … Continue reading Gonna Show Off my Bling – Regalia vs. Badges
Herald’s Admonishments: Chivalry for Heralds
About a decade or so ago, I became acquainted with Gerald Legh's Accedens of Armourie (1562) as a relatively new herald. Gerald Legh was an English lawyer (specifically the Inner Temple of the Inns of Court) and wrote a lot on heraldry specifically. Within the Accedens, he also admonishes that the people acting as heralds … Continue reading Herald’s Admonishments: Chivalry for Heralds
Omphaloskepsis: But I Can Do It Cheaper!
A thought. SCAdians are really bad about respecting the work of others. Hear me out. Because our culture is very much a DIY culture, it is quite easy to go "psh, I can make that - for cheaper than *that guy* is charging" without really thinking about the actual material and labour costs of what … Continue reading Omphaloskepsis: But I Can Do It Cheaper!
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot: proposal-writing for the SCA in five Hamilton quotes
There are a lot of things to get outraged over, including in one's hobby. In the time of Coronavirus, that all seems to be more magnified, as we're all stuck at home, with very little chance of meeting our friends and chosen family. It's tumultuous both in and out of the Society, and with several … Continue reading Don’t Throw Away Your Shot: proposal-writing for the SCA in five Hamilton quotes
Volunteer Development in the SCA
This article is a companion article to my Volunteer Management in the SCA article, and is a step beyond the items covered within it. If you have not read that one, please do before going forward with this one. The difference between volunteer management and volunteer development is best explained as such: volunteer management is … Continue reading Volunteer Development in the SCA
Omphaloskepsis: Anachronistic Learning in the Information Age
The Society for Creative Anachronism is by large a society based on information transfer, whether it be our own customs and law to how to create medieval items or even learning our method of martial art. Even with this, though, how critical is it exactly that our learning and information transfer happen only at events, … Continue reading Omphaloskepsis: Anachronistic Learning in the Information Age
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