This booklet contains a lot 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 had a blast at our first camp and plan to do so again in August 1997! If you have questions about camp, please check first to see whether we've already answered them in this booklet. If we haven't, feel free to phone, fax, or write and we'll get back to you ASAP.

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 102.

Your staff: Your hostess is me, Grace Llewellyn, author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook: how to quit school and get a real life and education. I will be joined by my husband Skip and by approximately 16 other unschooling adult friends (see more under "staff"). In addition, Camp Myrtlewood is itself staffed by a truly wonderful, dedicated couple who looks forward to having us back.

(Non) religious orientation: Camp Myrtlewood itself is operated by the Church of the Brethren, which is a Christian denomination. The resident managers, John and Margaret Jones, are absolutely wonderful, warm, open-minded, and peace-loving people. Not Back to School Camp is a non-denominational, non-religious camp. We will strive to honor each person's religious beliefs or lack thereof, and ask that all campers do likewise. We will hold a brief, simple chapel meeting for people of all faiths on Sunday morning. Attendance will be optional. In the Quaker style, leadership will be minimal and anyone who feels inspired to speak at this service may do so, as long as time allows. If you'd like, bring a brief reading to share at this meeting. (Keep it to 1 minute or less, and be aware that we may not have time for everyone to share.)

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.

We'll meet in Eugene, Oregon, and drive to Honeyman State Park, where we'll spend our first 2 nights in a campground all to ourselves. Then we'll move on to Camp Myrtlewood, which is located 3 miles outside of the tiny town of Bridge, Oregon. It's about 120 miles Southwest of Eugene, in the coastal mountain range.

Lodging: The first two nights, you'll sleep in a tent. After that, you'll have a real roof overhead, electricity, and a mattress pad under your back. Camp Myrtlewood provides clean, simple cabins with bunk beds. Each cabin houses 10-28 people. Girls and boys have separate cabins; all ages are mixed together. Bathrooms and showers are in separate buildings, within a few yards of the cabins. Staff will stay in separate cabins, unless it becomes necessary for us to supervise more closely.

Facilities: In addition to the cabins and bathrooms, Camp Myrtlewood offers a cozy lodge where we'll cook, eat, and hold many meetings and activities. There are ping pong tables, a piano, and a fireplace. Outside: a campfire circle, a swimming hole in the creek, hiking trails, a huge playing field, swings--and plenty of gorgeous Oregon forest! Camp Myrtlewood is not a luxury resort and it doesn't have a lakefront or tennis courts or other glories traditionally associated with summer camps; it is simple, peaceful, and beautiful. I knew that money would be an issue for lots of you, so I contacted all the retreat centers, camps, etc., I could find in Oregon and Washington, as well as many in California and some in other random parts of the U.S. Camp Myrtlewood's prices are the lowest of any, and its resident managers are the most wonderful people we could hope to work with.

Our first two nights, we'll camp near the Oregon coast. We'll head out of Eugene in big yellow school buses (well, unschool buses) and set up camp at Honeyman State Park. You'll share a tent with a few other people, and we'll get to know each other, play games, and have a simple, warm dinner. During our campout, we'll continue to get to know each other, do some fun team building activities, have time to explore the beach and the dunes and swim in a lake. The Oregon Coast is awesomely wild, rugged, and beautiful.

The weather: Oregon coastal mountain weather is always unpredictable, though in late August you can usually bet on clear, sunny days. We'll probably have nice hot summer weather, but it may rain too--and if it does, you don't get your money back. If it rains, some of us will undoubtedly sing, dance, hike, and splash in it, but we'll also make sure to adapt plenty of organized activities for indoors. We can find lots of ways to whoop it up in the lodge and our cabins. But remember what John Ruskin said: "There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Rain or sun, it's all a gift.

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 (i.e. teach a workshop, lead a sport or an evening of campfire singing, etc.) and not-quite-so-creatively (i.e. wash dishes, cut vegetables, pick up trash, etc.).

Daily schedule: Each day we'll have a morning meeting and an evening meeting and group activity. Everyone will be required to attend both meetings, during which important announcements are made and campers and staff are able to raise concerns. Everyone is encouraged, but not forced, to attend evening group activities. We also share mealtimes, of course. Beyond this, there will be a number of scheduled daytime activities, sports games, workshops, and other events--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: will be special--sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate. We'll have a campfire sing-along, talent shows (see below), dancing, and other good stuff.

Workshops and activities--a sampling:

We'll have literally dozens of workshops and activities to choose from during the week. They'll reflect the talents and interests of all staff and campers. At the first Not Back to School Camp, we had approximately 100 workshops, including breakdancing, solar cooking, kung fu, orienteering, yoga, surrealist games, co-counseling, drama, poetry writing, origami, art booklets, swing dancing, youth rights, tree identification, beading, and photography. You can decide each day what you want to do. We do plan to 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 hour, but 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. Even some schoolteachers have discovered that brand-new readers sometimes make the very best reading teachers. As many 1996 campers discovered, even if you are a beginner, you may be a good workshop teacher. We can provide scissors, a boom box, sports equipment, and a few other supplies, but you will probably need to provide most of the materials for your workshop.

Sports: There will definitely be sports games organized, but again, exactly which sports will depend on what staff and campers volunteer to organize. At our first camp, we had volleyball, basketball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and softball--as well as informal games of ping pong and foosball. If there's a particular sport you really want to play, consider volunteering to get a game started.

Unscheduled activities: Most of the time you'll be 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 (Oregon law requires supervision of swimming at camps), hike on trails, talk with new friends, read, nap, swing, practice a new skill, whatever.

Show and tell nights: Talent shows were a great highlight of our first camp. Next year we're changing the name to "show and tell" and scheduling more time for them. You can play the piano or another musical instrument if you bring it along, 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 even just stand up and tell us all 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, 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.")

Planning your unschooling year, 1997-1998

During several of our optional workshop sessions, we'll make some time for you to clarify your vision for your own life, and then to plan goals for the year that reflect that vision and build toward larger goals. (You may already have clear goals that reflect your vision for yourself, of course, in which case you may still want to join in these sessions to refine them even further, or simply to encourage your friends.) Our intent is to provide support and inspiration for each other, certainly not to tell you what your vision or goals should be.

In 1996, our multi-faceted, caring, funny, altogether delightful staff was unquestionably one of the best things about NBTSC. They shared their amazing cooking skills, led group singing, taught outstanding workshops and coached sports, and those who weren't exhausted from cooking meals stayed up late and joined in the midnight revels. For the most part, the staff adored the campers and the campers adored the staff. I, Grace, basked in the great feeling of watching my friends and family connect with a bunch of kids I was crazy about. All the 1996 staff are of course warmly invited back; some of them won't be able to make it due to various new plans. There are lots of other wonderful candidates eagerly hoping for the opportunity to help with NBTSC; I look forward to sharing some other genuine and talented adults with you next year.

Advisors: Each camper is assigned to a staff person who will be your designated "advisor" during the week. Although you are welcome to talk with any staff person about your concerns or questions, this person will have the responsibility of 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 12 other campers) each morning as part of our meeting, to discuss any concerns or ask questions.

Three yummy, simple vegetarian meals each day, made with mostly organically grown ingredients. There will always be vegan alternatives for people who request them in advance, and we can accommodate wheat-free diets too. People with allergies or other special diets need to supply their own food; we can provide pantry and refrigerator space, and our kitchen staff can heat up pre-cooked dishes for you at regular mealtimes. If you can't live without meat for a week we suggest you bring a small supply of jerky. You can also bring lunch meat, salami, or other pre-cooked meats, but you cannot cook meat during camp and you will have access to refrigerated items only when a staff person is in the kitchen.

I have my own selfish reason for starting this camp. When I wrote the Teenage Liberation Handbook 6 years ago, I was fueled by my 2 years of contact with a couple dozen kids I had really gotten to know and love while teaching middle school. My work on the TLH felt grounded, personal, and meaningful, because there were a bunch of specific people in my life whom I wanted to share that information with. In more recent years, I've had a lot of contact with unschooled teenagers--but instead of long term, daily contact with several dozen people, it's mostly been very brief contact--a few hours or a weekend or a letter--with hundreds.

A few years ago, I started asking myself whether I wanted to continue this work. My answer: YES, but I have to make it more meaningful for myself by spending some quality, extended, relaxed time in the company of a bunch of teenage unschoolers. Solution? Not Back to School Camp, of course. A whole week to talk and laugh with you, hear your concerns and your suggestions and the stories of your lives, and thus gather my own inspiration for the coming year. That's the selfish part of my "why," and the first NBTS Camp gave me everything I'd hoped for--and more--in that department, so I continue with high hopes. Even more than I expected, I came away from NBTSC 1996 re-inspired, refreshed, my convictions about freedom and self-directed education stronger than ever before.

Also: as I've traveled around the country in the past few years, speaking at homeschooling conferences and suchlike, my mind is always working double time: "Wow, what a neat person. I bet he and Alex in Ohio would get along great--they could talk about their long distance bike treks and maybe even do one together. Wow, I wish I could introduce Maria to that guy Jesse in Vancouver; they have the same bizarre humor!" I am always thinking how amazing unschooled teenagers are, as individuals, and wishing I could put a bunch of you together for a week. I was delighted and amazed to watch the connections at NBTS Camp #1, and look forward to seeing more of them happen at #2.

And: We're going to do some important work together. You will have the opportunity and encouragement to prepare yourself for the coming year, to reflect on what is most important to you in your education, to make plans and set goals, to hope high hopes, to imagine the way you want your life to be in the next year, and to actually take a few steps toward your new goals. You'll have lots of support and encouragement to take risks and reach for the stars. In several workshops and discussion sessions, you'll get lots of coaching, advice, and encouragement for breaking your own limits as you design (or re-design) an educational plan that stretches far beyond anything school would ever confine you to, and that connects meaningfully to your own deepest values and highest aspirations.

Plus, of course, you're going to have a blast. How could you not? Unless you're allergic to fun, this is going to be one of the best weeks of your life.

$250 includes just about everything: travel from and to Eugene, 3 meals a day (starting with Friday dinner and ending with Friday breakfast), all lodging, and almost all activities. (Some campers or staff may plan optional workshops that require a small additional materials fee. If so, we'll let you know in advance.) You'll also receive a directory and other notes.

Please register by March 18. If you register after March 18, your cost is $275. All registrations must be postmarked by July 15, 1997.

A $75 deposit (non-refundable) is due with your registration. The balance is due by July 1, 1997. If your balance is not received by July 15, we will add a $15 late fee. If your plans change, the balance can be refunded up until August 1, after which point there are absolutely no refunds for any reason.

Bonus paper things you get:

A directory of campers' addresses, photos, birthdays, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.

Notes to go with some of the workshops and activities.

Fundraising: The very mention of fundraising gives me (Grace) a chill and reminds me vividly of dozens of horrible afternoons when I was a teenager: selling stupid notecards for ski club, stupid candles for choir, expensive chocolate for choir, etc. If you're so inclined, however, we can offer our own fundraising activities. Determined, gutsy people can earn part of all of their way to camp in one or both of the following ways (which we hope is an improvement over selling stupid notecards):

Option #1: After you register, you can sell copies of Grace's books The Teenage Liberation Handbook, Real Lives, and/or Freedom Challenge, to friends, relatives, seniors with senioritis, local homeschoolers, whoever. (Several young people have successfully sold cases to their friends in the past.) You will earn approximately 35%, or $5, for each copy you sell. So, if you find the guts and the perseverance to sell 50 copies of these books, you'll have your camp fee paid. Sell another 40 and you'll have $200 toward your travel expenses. (And if you're willing to sit on a greyhound bus for a long time, you can probably get to Oregon for much less than $200 from anywhere in the continental U.S.)

Option #2: Hold a Genius Tribe Book Fair. This means you pass out Genius Tribe catalogs to everybody you know and all their cousins and stepfathers, beg them to order books (their satisfaction is guaranteed), 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 get credited

10% of the total price of all items ordered. You have to sell more books to earn the same amount of money as in option #1, 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.

If you want more info on either or both of these options, phone, fax, or write.

Responsibilities: Each participant will contribute to the spiffiness of our camp in two major ways:

1) fun, possibly even 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! It's our responsibility to help prepare meals, clean up after them, keep the bathrooms clean, and clean our cabins and other facilities before we leave. You may have to clean a toilet or 2, but hey, you'll have partners and you can whistle while you work. Each camper will have approximately 4 hours of chores during the week.

Travel arrangements: Camp Myrtlewood is approximately 120 miles from Eugene, which will be our starting and ending point. You can fly into Portland or Eugene, or train or bus or drive or hitch to Eugene. (If you fly into Portland you'll need to take a bus or train down to Eugene; you may be able to arrange a carpool with other campers, but we cannot arrange carpools for you.) Our buses will make three stops on the way out of town: the Greyhound bus depot, the Amtrak train station, and the airport. So, you'll need to meet us at one of these places--you should be there by 1:45 p.m. at the latest. On Friday the 29th, we'll return you to your pick of those same locations. We'll shoot for 2:30 p.m., but you should arrange to leave at 3:30 p.m. or later in case we are delayed. (If you can't arrive early enough on August 22 or leave late enough on August 29, we'll help you make arrangements to stay overnight on the 21st or 29th in an inexpensive hotel, with other campers if possible.)

If you have special needs: Camp Myrtlewood is wheelchair accessible, though like any partly-wild outdoor setting it can pose physical challenges to anyone (including people in "normal" physical condition). Educate us about your needs as soon as possible, and we'll do our very best to make your week comfortable, safe, and exciting.

Health and safety: There will not be a 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. (An ambulance can come out from Myrtle Point, approx. 12 miles away.) You must basically be responsible for your own health and bring any (regular) necessary medications with you, etc. If you'd like a staff person to remind you to take those medications or help in other small ways, no problem. Your camp fee does include insurance for accidents/injuries that take place at Camp Myrtlewood.

More information later: If you register, in early 1997 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 asked last year:

Are the showers private?

No. In each bathroom there are 2-3 shower heads, in a communal shower stall.

Are there dangerous wild animals in the Oregon forest?

Not really. About 4 years ago, at another retreat at Camp Myrtlewood (not NBTSC), a woman was hiking alone on a trail and met a bear. (Black bear, far less dangerous to people than people are to them. All the grizzlies have been killed off around here, like just about everywhere else.) It looked at her for a moment and then ran off. Last time I heard from the camp managers on this issue, that was the only time they'd had a camper meet a bear. No poisonous snakes, etc. The most dangerous thing is probably poison oak, which we'll teach you to identify.

Why don't you have NBTSC in a different part of the country each year?

Because Camp Myrtlewood is inexpensive and suits our needs well. Also because for those of us who plan NBTSC, it would be a logistical nightmare to move. Having been through a logistical nightmare once already for the first NBTSC (I, Grace, spent the summer working so much that I didn't even get to go swimming until I got to camp!), we're going to save ourselves from premature gray hair by taking advantage of the work we've already done and sticking with Camp Myrtlewood. Maybe, in a few years, if NBTSC gets too easy and too popular, we'll add an additional week somewhere else. Or maybe not.

Why can't NBTSC be longer--10 or 14 days at least?

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 from other jobs).

3) Because it's nearly impossible to find a place that can host us even for more than 5 days at a time.

I feel that our rules are quite reasonable, and an overwhelming number of 1996 campers commented that with our policies and attitudes they felt incredibly 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 have another NBTSC camp in 1998, yet without limiting freedom unnecessarily. I've decided to include our 1996 rules here so that when you sign up for camp, you have a good idea of the behavior we expect and you are making a clear agreement with us. Some of them may seem obvious but in my experience things are much more fair, and there's less room for power struggles and manipulation, when expectations are stated clearly--i.e. it would probably not occur to most people to walk around naked, but others may be used to at least swimming nude, so I state the "no nudity" rule explicitly. Please be aware that it's possible we'll need to adapt these rules for 1997, or add new ones before or during camp. Our experience in 1996 was that for the most part, we got along superbly and people respected each other and the rules.

1. Attend camp only if you, personally, want to.

2. No radios or stereos except with headphones, during workshops, or in special cases with staff permission.

3. No talking or lights on in cabins during quiet hours.

4. Stay on the grounds of Camp Myrtlewood, unless hiking on adjacent trails with staff knowledge. (And of Honeyman State Park, while we're there.)

5. Attend all morning and evening meetings. Let your advisor know where you are after 8:00 p.m. if you won't be participating in our group events.

6. Be respectful and don't disrupt during workshops or other events.

7. No put-downs or verbal abuse.

8. No nudity (except to change clothes and shower).

9. Swim only when a lifeguard is supervising.

10. No use, possession, or sales of illegal substances.

11. Respect the natural environment and the buildings and other property owned by Camp Myrtlewood.

12. Be prompt and cooperative when it's your turn to do chores.

13. During quiet hours be in your cabin, in the lodge with the lights on, at the campfire circle in groups of 3 or more, or camping or talking outside in the camping area.

14. No open fingernail polish, hairspray, or other toxic chemical fumes in public spaces when it's reasonably avoidable.

15. No sex at camp regardless of what you do when not at camp.

16. Follow common sense rules of courtesy and safety.

17. Cooperate with any additional rules the staff needs to set during the week.

18. Do your best to have a wonderful time and to help others have a wonderful time too!

Consequences for breaking rules: We attempt to deal with each situation individually, and to make any consequences appropriate and fair. In the extremely unlikely event that someone causes a real problem (i.e. sells illegal drugs, assaults another person, etc.), the offender will be sent home immediately at his/her expense.

If you have further questions, feel free to phone 541-686-2315 (or fax 541-343-3158, or write c/o PO Box 1014, Eugene, OR 97440). Best times to call are 10 am--3 pm Tues-Wed-Thurs, Pacific Time.