Just the facts
what: Not Back to School Camp
who: About 105 unschoolers ages 13 to 18. An adult staff of approx. 19, led by Grace Llewellyn and Taber Shadburne.
when: Session 1, August 27-September 3, Session 2, September 5-12
where: Camp Myrtlewood, approx. 120 miles from Eugene, Oregon
how much: $450 (or $350-550 if you wish to participate in our sliding scale experiment). $25 additional if you register after March 18, 1999. An additional fee (about $25) for an optional day trip to the coast. Approximately 10 half-price scholarships and 4 work-trade scholarships are available.
why: To change ourselves and the world, teach each other great things, and sleep under the moon....
how to reach us: PO Box 1014, Eugene, OR 97440. Phone 541-686-2315. (If you have questions, our office hours are 9a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon, Wed., Thurs, Pacific Time.) Fax 541-343-3158. Email NBTSC@aol.com.
web site (maintained by campers): www.nbtsc.org
what’s new for 2000: Both sessions at Camp Myrtlewood, with just a day in between. The field trip will go to a closer beach, for a shorter driving time. Volunteer youth advisors. Grace welcomes Taber Shadburne as her new co-director. Half-price scholarships. More inside…..
Parents say: Just a quick note of appreciation from a very pleased parent! I know [my son] had one of the best weeks of his life and he’s had a lot of excellent weeks in his 17 years…back he comes from camp with a zillion new friends—he promptly hooked us up to e-mail and in the last 3-4 weeks has written well over 100 letters!”
“My son returned from your camp with renewed enthusiasm for life and learning! Thank you so much for having this get-together of, apparently, some of the most gifted and interesting people on earth!”
“[Our daughter] returned to us full of self-assurance, excitement, and positive loving energy. The revelation that there are other teenagers out there with her unschooler ideas was a delightful awakening for her.”
“I should tell you that [my son] had a wonderful time at NBTSC. It's resulted in some significant changes in how [he] approaches life, and he's enthusiastic about going back next year.”
Hello! This booklet contains lots of information about Not Back to School Camp, so you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to join the ruckus. We've had a blast during our first four camp seasons and plan to do so again in 2000! If you have questions, please check first to see whether we've already answered them in this booklet. If we haven't, feel free to phone, fax, write, or email, and we'll get back to you ASAP.
Who
You: Unschoolers/homeschoolers from anywhere on this planet are invited, if they speak English and are between the ages of 13 and 18. Can you still come if you go to school part time? Or if you're not yet a homeschooler, but are about to become one? Or if you've "graduated" from homeschooling and now attend college or hold a job? Or if you have smelly feet? Sure. The maximum number of campers possible is about 105.
Your staff: Your hosts are Grace Llewellyn, author of The Teenage Liber- ation Handbook: how to quit school and get a real life and education, and Taber Shadburne, Grace’s best friend and NBTSC staff veteran. We will be joined by about 17 more wonderful adults.
(Non) religious orientation: NBTSC is a non-denominational, non-religious camp. We strive to honor each person's religious beliefs or lack thereof, and ask that all campers do likewise. One highlight of our week is an optional, brief, simple Quaker-style “spirit circle” for people of all faiths.
Not Back to School Camp welcomes diversity. We are open to homeschoolers and unschoolers of all races, ethnic backgrounds, genders, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, and physical capabilities.
Where
We meet in Eugene, Oregon. Our buses will deliver you to our home for the week, and back to Eugene at the end of the week. Camp Myrtlewood is near the tiny town of Bridge, Oregon. It's about 120 miles Southwest of Eugene, in the coastal mountain range.
Lodging and facilities: You'll stay in clean, simple cabins with electricity and bunk beds. Girls and boys have separate cabins; all ages are mixed together. Bathrooms are in separate buildings a few yards away. Staff generally stays in separate cabins. Camp Myrtlewood has all the facilities we need for a great week: a dining hall, swimming hole, big field for workshops and sports, plenty of room for workshops and dances and games.
Weather: Chances are good we'll have warm weather with coldish nights. It may rain a bit—it often does, but we just keep on playing anyway.
What We’re Gonna D
Swim; talk; sing; drum; dance; hike; stare at the sky; play volleyball and horseshoes and softball and soccer; take creative, emotional, and intellectual risks; encourage each other to do amazing things; have talent shows; teach and learn from each other. Each camper will be encouraged to contribute both creatively (teach a workshop, lead a sport or group singing, etc.) and not-quite-so-creatively (wash dishes, cut vegetables, pick up trash, etc.).
Daily schedule: Each day we have a morning meeting and a brief evening meeting; everyone is required to attend both, during which important announcements are made and campers and staff are able to raise concerns. Everyone is also encouraged, but not forced, to participate in evening group activities. And we share mealtimes, of course. Beyond this, there are many scheduled daytime activities, sports games, and workshops—led both by staff and by you and your peers. You can choose among these daytime activities—or nap, talk with a new friend, or create your own fun.
Evening events: are special—sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate….a campfire sing-along, talent shows, dancing, and other good stuff.
Workshops - —a sampling: We’ll have literally dozens of workshops to choose from during the week. They'll reflect the talents and interests of all staff and campers. At previous camps, we’ve had about 100 workshops per week, including breakdancing, solar cooking, kung fu, orienteering, yoga, cob-oven building, web-page designing, surrealist games, co-counseling, VW engine fixing, drama, poetry, getting published and self-publishing, origami, art booklets, swing dancing, youth rights, tree identification, beading, and photography. You can decide each day what you want to do. We do offer a lot of really good workshops and we expect that each of you will go home with new skills you're excited about. But the point is not to be frantically busy, and it's fine if you don't want to participate in lots of these organized activities. The sun and the forest will have plenty of suggestions of their own.
Your workshop or sport: Each camper is strongly encouraged to lead a workshop or coach/teach a game/sport. Most workshops run 1 to 1½ hours, and many groups make plans to get together again later or to continue a discussion over lunch. You do NOT necessarily have to be an expert in your field to teach a workshop. As many NBTSC campers have discovered, even if you are a beginner, you can be a good workshop teacher. We can provide scissors, basic art supplies, a boom box, sports equipment, and a few other items, but you will need to provide most other materials.
Sports: We typically play volleyball, basketball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and softball. If there's another sport you want to play, volunteer to start a game.
Unscheduled activities: Most of the time you're free to make your own fun if you don't feel like participating in a group activity. You can swim whenever the swimming hole is supervised, hike on trails, talk with new friends, read, nap, swing, practice a new skill…
Show and tell nights: Talent shows are a great highlight of camp. You can play music, balance on a ping pong ball, dance, sing, show your artwork, do stand up comedy, turn cartwheels, juggle forks, tell us the wildest thing that ever happened to your family, swallow a sword, read your poetry or a very short story, or just stand up and tell us what makes you tick. You might consider getting up and performing or sharing something related to your workshop. You'll have up to 4 minutes if you're going solo, or up to 7 minutes if you're in a group of 2 or more. Please do be brave and take this opportunity to let it shine--we're all richer if you share your gifts with us. I know there is a tendency, particularly among young people (but I think perhaps more among schooled young people) to feel it is narcissistic or egotistical to get up and perform. I feel very strongly that the opposite is true, that we are selfish when we don't share our unique selves. (I've lately been pretty fond of something modern dance pioneer Martha Graham said: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost, the world will not have it.”)
Staff
Our multi-faceted, caring, funny, altogether delightful staff is one of the best things about NBTSC. They teach outstanding workshops and coach sports, lead group singing, facilitate discussions, cook great food, and those who aren’t exhausted sometimes stay up late and join in the after-midnight revels. For the most part, our experience is that the staff adores the campers and the campers adore the staff. Many of our former senior staffers will be returning to at least one session of NBTSC 2000, and I look forward to sharing some other extraordinary adults with you also.
Advisors: One staff person will be your designated "advisor" during the week. Although you are welcome to talk with any of us about concerns or questions, this person is responsible for checking in with you regularly, making sure you're accounted for several times a day, etc. You'll also meet briefly with your advisor (and about 9 other campers) each morning as part of our meeting, to discuss concerns or ask questions.
Youth advisors: Camper Jake Matilsky made a fantastic suggestion we’ll implement in 2000—we’ll have some volunteer youth advisors who are officially involved in running camp—welcoming new campers, leading games and other group activities, possibly helping with advisee groups, generally taking a proactive role in shaping camp. Some people have done these things all along, of course, but I think NBTSC will benefit from our making that more of a recognized position, and putting energy into developing it. But don’t hesitate to be a proactive leader whether you’re a “youth advisor” or not, OK? We’ll have applications ready sometime soon—contact us if you’re interested.
Food Three yummy, simple vegetarian meals each day, made with mostly organically grown ingredients. Vegan alternatives for people who request them in advance, and we can usually accommodate wheat-free diets too. People with numerous allergies or other special diets may need to supply some or all of their own food.
Money
The cost of NBTSC (including supplies, food, local transportation, staff salaries, labor, lodging, overhead, etc.) is $450 per person. The camp fee includes just about everything: travel from and to Eugene, hearty meals, lodging, almost all activities. (Some campers or staff may plan workshops with a small additional materials fee, and there will probably be an optional day trip to the coast, which will require a transportation fee.) You'll also receive a directory of all campers and staff, and a booklet full of notes to go with workshops and other activities.
If any families feel that they can contribute extra, we invite them to pay up to $550 (or more if they want to!). For each family who pays more than $450, we will make the extra amount available to a family who requests a discount. But please note that we may not be able to offer a discount to everyone who requests one; it will depend on the number of people who volunteer to pay extra.
Please register (with a deposit) by March 18. Later, your cost increases by $25. You may want to register much sooner to get into the session of your choice.
A $75 non-refundable deposit is due with your registration. The balance is due six weeks before the start of camp, and it is very important that you get it in on time. If your balance is not received on time, we will add a $15 late fee, and if it's not in one month before camp starts we’ll have to drop you from the roster and give your spot to someone else. If your plans change, the balance (if paid early) can be refunded up until 6 weeks before camp starts, after which point we refund money only under a very few circumstances. If you prefer, you are welcome to pay the whole camp fee at the time of registration.
Scholarships and work trade positions: This year we are happy to announce 10 half-price scholarships for families who couldn’t otherwise afford NBTSC. Also, we will continue to make 2 work-trade positions available at each session of camp. These, too, are intended for families who would have trouble paying for camp. If you’d like an application for either a scholarship or work-trade position, please contact our office.
Fundraising: People earn camp money in all kinds of ways—one girl sells candy in her yard, right after the nearby school gets out in the afternoon, while kids are walking home. Some people get jobs. One girl earned all of her 1999 money by playing her violin on street corners. You could also ask for a group of your friends and relatives—or your local homeschool support group—to sponsor you, spreading the cost among lots of people.
Some people host Genius Tribe book fairs, or sell copies of Grace’s books:
Hosting a Genius Tribe Book Fair: This means you pass out Genius Tribe catalogs to everybody you know and their cousins and stepfathers, beg them to order books, give them a deadline, collect and tally their orders ($300 minimum), and mail all orders in together. You then receive the books, sort the orders, and distribute them (or get everyone to meet you to pick them up). In exchange, you earn 10% of the total price of all items ordered. You have to sell more books to earn the same amount of money than if you sold Grace’s books (below), but your friends/ customers have more books to choose from. And they don't even have to be interested in unschooling to find books they'll like. Catalogs may be in short supply, so contact us ASAP if you're interested.
Selling Grace’s books: After you register, you can sell copies of The Teenage Liberation Handbook, Real Lives, and/or Freedom Challenge, to friends, relatives, school friends, local homeschoolers, whoever. (Several teenagers have successfully sold cases to their friends in the past.) You earn approximately 35%, or $5, for each copy.
Contact us for more info on either options, and say you’re coming to NBTSC.
The possible second annual NBTSC
Bike Tour
Sarabeth Matilsky, a former NBTSC camper who worked as
an advisor at NBTSC 1999 (and who rode her bicycle to camp from
Virginia in 1997!), organized the first annual NBTSC Bike Tour from
Eugene to San Francisco in 1999. She (and/or some of the 1999 riders)
may organize another bike trip for 2000. They haven’t decided on
a destination as of this writing, and the trip is not officially
connected to NBTSC, but it was a great success in 1999 and I imagine
it will be again in 2000. If you're interested in more details,
contact Sarabeth at touringsara@hotmail.com, or write her at 109 S.
Fourth Ave., Highland Park, NJ 08904-2622, or check the 1999 bike
tour webpage for possible updates,
http://personal.smartt.com/~douga/bike/index.html
The Fine Print
Responsibilities: Each person contributes to the spiffiness of
camp in two major ways:
1) fun, possibly creative work which
draws on your unique talents. Each of you will be asked to coach a
game or sport, lifeguard for an afternoon at the swimming hole, teach
a workshop, lead the singing around the campfire one night, or some
such.
2) You'll get to perform a few grungy, possibly even
disgusting menial chores too! We help prepare meals, clean up after
them, keep the bathrooms clean, and clean our cabins before we leave.
You may have to scrub a toilet or 2, but hey, you'll have partners
and you can whistle while you work. Each camper has about 4-5 hours
of chores during the week.
Travel arrangements: You can fly, drive, train, bicycle, or bus into Eugene. (Some people fly into Portland and then take the bus or train down to Eugene.) Our buses pick campers up at the Greyhound bus depot, the Amtrak train station, the airport, and a city park. On our last day, we'll return you to your pick of those same locations. You should arrive by 1:30 if possible, and 2:30 at the latest. On our last day, you should arrive back in Eugene by 1:30. You can also drive yourself, or have your parents drive you, directly to Camp Myrtlewood. If you have a car with you during the week, you absolutely may not drive it—no matter how old you are—and must turn your keys over to us until camp is over.
(If you can't arrive early enough on the first day, or leave late enough on the last day, we can make arrangements for you to stay in a hotel room with other campers and a staff person; cost will be about $25.) Please do not take advantage of this offer unless your travel schedule really requires it! And, be aware that beginning in 2000 we will be supervising hotel rooms more closely, and will enforce a curfew.
A logistical note for people attending both sessions: We may need you to ride the buses back to Eugene in between the two sessions, so the Camp Myrtlewood staff can clean and so the NBTSC staff can sleep and hold their long long long ending and starting meetings. Or, it may be possible for us to pack you all into a couple cabins and let you stick around. We don’t know yet. At any rate, we will either have to charge you for two nights in a supervised hotel room in Eugene (unless you know someone to stay with, or make your own hotel reservations), or for two nights of staying (and eating, etc.) at Camp Myrtlewood.
If you have special needs: Camp Myrtlewood is wheelchair accessible, though like any outdoor setting it can pose challenges to anyone (including people in "normal" physical condition). Educate us about your needs, and we'll do our best to make your week comfortable, safe, and exciting.
Health and safety: There is no camp nurse or other medical person on staff. There will, however, be at least one staff person trained in first aid and CPR. In case of emergency, there is a hospital approx. 35 miles away in Coos Bay (session 2). You must basically be responsible for your own health, bring any (regular) necessary medications with you, etc. Your camp fee does include insurance for accidents/injuries.
More information later In June 2000 you'll receive a handbook which includes a list of what to bring and plenty of other information to help you prepare for and get the most out of camp. In the meantime, hang onto this booklet.
Answers to questions some people ask
Why don't you have NBTSC in a different part of the country
each year?
Because Camp Myrtlewood is inexpensive and suits our
needs, and for those of us who plan NBTSC, it would be a logistical
nightmare to move. However, we may add camps in other parts of the
country in the future.
Why can't NBTSC be longer?
1) Because that would make it
too expensive for many people.
2) Because that would make it
harder to find staff (many staff people come to NBTSC on their
vacations).
3) Because it's difficult to find a place that can
host us even as long as 7 days at a time.
Rules
An overwhelming number of past campers have commented that with our policies and attitudes they felt free, trusted, and yet safe and well cared for. The rules we do have are very important—designed to protect everyone's safety and peace, and to ensure that we can continue to have NBTSC, yet without limiting freedom unnecessarily. Please do be aware that for any serious rule infractions, we always contact parents. (Some parents may prefer to know in advance that we do not enforce a bed time; we require lights out/quiet in cabins from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., but people can stay up later in the lodge, at the campfire circle, etc.) Our past experience has been that for the most part, we get along superbly and people respect each other and the rules, which we spell out clearly to avoid misunderstanding.
Hope to see you in August or September!
Other stuff we want you to know about
1) We're putting on a retreat for homeschoolers--"parents & teenagers in confusion, conflict, conversation, compassion, cooperation, co-creation, & celebration!" It'll be April 27-May 2 near Redlands, California. It’ll be geared for any less-than-completely-perfect family—those who have a good unschooling thing going already, as well as those in serious conflict. Parents will listen to teenagers, and teenagers will listen to parents, and each family will co-create an unschooling mission statement and get very motivated and invent win-win solutions to all of their problems. Well, to some of their problems anyway. This is going to be a life-changing retreat!
2) Sometime in the summer of 2000 we’re running a Community and Sustainable living skills Camp for unschoolers & other people, ages approx. 16-22. We have yet to work out details and dates, but check Grace’s website for updates, or let us know if you’d like to be on the mailing list when we figure out the facts. Lost Valley is an intentional community that specializes in permaculture and other sustainable living skills. They’ll share their experiences in community living, lead workshops in various aspects of permaculture and stuff like that, and we’ll also bring our own staff and offer our own workshops.
3) Come live and work and learn with us! There’s also a very good chance that sometime in the late spring, summer, or fall of 2000, we’ll open a residential house for teenage unschoolers in Oakland, California. We’ll coach people in setting and reaching goals, facilitate house meetings and teach communication and conflict resolution skills, and have a “resource coordinator” to help hook residents up with good classes, volunteer opportunities, apprenticeships, mentors, etc.
To find out more about any of these, check Grace’s web site for updates (http://members.aol.com/GraceJanet/index.html), or ask us to put you on the mailing list for the specific things you’re interested in.
Campers say:
“Wonderful people, and everyone following their bliss. Camp is an energizing bath of joyful energy that left me full of awe and inspiration for my own life.”
“Camp was one of the most inspiring and purifying experiences I’ve ever had. It makes me hungry for life again.”
“This camp was by far the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“The only thing I don’t like about camp is leaving at the end. I mean I know that we have to leave at some point, but I wish we didn’t. I just love camp that much.”
“I had never been in such a big group of people that were so open, nonjudgmental, loving, honest, and just wonderful to be around! The energy of it all was so incredibly awesome! It was the best experience I have ever had. I will definitely be coming back next year and for both sessions!!! I had the time of my life at NBTSC!”
“I just want to let you all know how much of a great time I had at camp. I really think the people at camp were the most open, loving, fun and supportive group of young adults. Thank you all for the things I learned at camp. I really, really, really want to be there next year!”
“Overall, I think this was the best week of my life. The energy of vibrant, thinking, life-loving people is the most intensely powerful thing I can imagine.”
“Camp is good for me. It’s good for my spirit. It totally rejuvenates me, and inspires me. This is partly who I am, camp affects everyone a little differently, of course. Don’t send your kid here thinking they’ll come home some kind of superkid. Camp isn’t for the parent. It’s for the kid. Its’ an experience they won’t forget. But everyone processes differently, and every kid may NOT come home totally inspired. The majority will, I suppose….”
Never before has a camp had such an effect on me as this one. I was so at peace with myself and others, it was incredible. I never wanted to leave.”
This camp gives you the feeling that no matter who you are or wherever you’re from, you will always be welcome!”
Camp has been the best three weeks of the last three years of my life. Some of my very favorite people are the people I’ve met here in the last three years.”
Every year it continues to amaze me how so many wonderful, accepting people there really are. I’ve made more lasting friends at camp than in the whole reset of my life put together.”
I’m writing to say again how thrilled I am with camp. You get together such a great group of wonderful, talented people. I’m really amazed at your ability to make it work so well.”
“I feel like a different and better person. I haven’t even fought with my sister who also went to camp. Or my other siblings for that matter.”
“Camp is the high point of my unschool year. Each time I make new friends, learn new things, and leave with a beautiful feeling.”
“To be at NBTSC is a life changing experience. It sounds like a cliché but it’s never been more genuine than in this case.”
"This was the funnest camp I've ever been to and everyone was so nice!"
“Not Back to School Camp has consistently and persistently demanded that I try new things and challenge the way I look at the world. I have come across so many amazing people with amazing talents, I think I have a new family of 120 people!”
“I was thrilled by everything: the idea, the staff, the campers, the openness, the inspiration that lasts all year. Thank you.”
“Like last year, I came home totally inspired. I feel like the days are not long enough for all the things I want to learn/study now. I feel like I can change the world. I know I can change the world. 120 campers and advisors felt the same way that week, I think, and many of them have carried that feeling home. It was worth every bit of money and time, I love camp. I highly recommend it, especially to those who are wondering if they’re doing the right thing, and to those who feel apathetic and unenthusiastic about learning, life, whatever. There is a joy in life at camp. A warning, however: you can’t get much out of camp if you don’t put much in. The more you participate in things, try talking to new people, and explore, the better time you will have. And personally, I find that by the end of camp, what energy I put into being there has come back, multiplied, a hundredfold.”
"This camp totally changed my life. I feel confident and proud to walk the path I chose."
"I really liked the way the whole day was basically left for you to do whatever with it....I loved the way people were so accepting and non-judgmental. They were so open to new ideas, and wanted to learn from everyone. I think the way you did the rules was great because they kept people safe yet didn't crunch our freedom. I liked the responsibility I felt there; to be at meetings and workshops on time, to check in with advisors at 11 p.m., and everything else we had to do for ourselves, stuff you trusted us to do. I've never been to a camp that trusted so much. It was excellent!"
"The staff was great, I loved being with them. Camp was the funnest time I ever had. It really made me psyched for life. I felt so peaceful and free."
"I felt really supported by the campers and staff. There was always someone to talk to."
"I have returned home with so many things to think about...my life has taken on [more] focus and sense of direction....Going to the workshops made me remember that there are so many neat things to try out there in the world."
"This was the best camp I've ever been to. I really love being with other unschoolers."
"The sense of togetherness was incredible. I've never been a part of such a large group of cool open-minded people...I'm looking forward to next year."
"The kind of learning and unity we have here has enabled me to grow immensely each moment, and will inspire me to keep growing long after camp is over."
"I grew in so many ways. It was wonderful to be in such a loving and free environment."
"Camp gave me so much energy and inspiration! One of the best things was to see unschoolers teaching each other about things they care about."
"I loved the freedom and the trust...A truly remarkable and inspiring and amazing week."
“NBTSC is one of the most amazing weeks I’ve ever spent, and it always reassures me that there are other likeminded teenagers out there. I think everyone deserves a place in our special little family.” “This camp really taught me a lot about myself, and others, things I will never forget. It was one of the best and most fulfilling experiences of my life.” “NBTSC is the highlight of my year. There is incredible spirit and fun here.”