Good question :) Honestly, it’s so that we can get an early low-committment expression of interest to give an idea of size, for venue search and to take to potential funders. Without a deadline, I don’t know how to get people to actually apply to things like this. Don’t tell anyone, but I expect that some people who apply after the deadline will be accepted to join the retreat.
There’s another question, which is “why are you planning this so far in advance?” And the answer there is “visas can take a really long time to process, especially when Africa is involved”.
Good question :) Honestly, it’s so that we can get an early low-committment expression of interest to give an idea of size, for venue search and to take to potential funders. Without a deadline, I don’t know how to get people to actually apply to things like this. Don’t tell anyone, but I expect that some people who apply after the deadline will be accepted to join the retreat.
There’s another question, which is “why are you planning this so far in advance?” And the answer there is “visas can take a really long time to process, especially when Africa is involved”.