Should I Come To Camp (v1.23)

Hiya, I'm Andy and I'm 13 (also!) and I am British. I've been hanging around in the IRC Channel for some time but I figured that I should get involved with the wiki. I found NBTSC about a month and a bit ago now, maybe less, and at first I thought I'd never get to go because I live in England. I was idling in IRC and they eventually persuaded me to ask my Mother if I could go to NBTSC and she said *yes*, if I really wanted to. Hopefully you can help me decide if it is worth the cost. Reply

My name is Andy.
I live in the North West of England.
I go to a normal school but I believe in a lot of the unschooler principals and I like to think I am close to an unschooler in a regular school as you can get. I'm dropping a lot of my lessons early to focus on just I.T. and Science/English/Maths.
I could only come *next year* (2009) because of money and life, and I'd come to the *oregon* session.
I have long hair.
I've asked various people I know in real life and they think camp would be good for me. —Andy

I'm 20 now and a staffer at camp, but went as a camper from 15 to 18. I think it's a fantastic experience, and definitely worth the financial and/or time sacrifice. I've also known at least one or two people that attended camp while also going to school. For one of them I think it made going to school, well, not easier, but maybe less important seeming or intimidating. Reply

You'd definitely be welcomed and everyone is always excited about having a more internationally diverse group of people! Reply

Have you also heard of Camp With Wings? It's in Australia and may therefore be easier for you to get to. It's run by a really wonderful woman who's been staffing at Not Back to School Camp for years and who was inspired to create something similar on her side of the planet. The website is http://www.campwithwings.org/ and it happens in January. Reply

Hope to meet you one day! Reply

-Francisca Reply

Andy, Reply

While I live in Oregon and haven't had to deal with the travel thing, I think you should come to camp. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and you sound like a person who will be well suited to it. Travel itself is an enriching experience, and being immersed in this community will change your life forever. People have traveled before. We have staff people from everywhere, including Hawaii and Australia. I don't know where I would be today had I not gone to camp. Reply

If you're going to make the trip I would recommend saving enough money to go to both Oregon sessions. Reply

Take care, and let us know if you decide to come! Reply

—Molly Reply

Hey Andy, Reply

I'm Sam. I'm eighteen now, I live in western canada and I went to camp for five years (and I'm a guy who also has long hair). I've met a lot of people in the rest of my life who have seemed like unschoolers stuck in school, and have always wished that I could travel back in time to meet them when they were young teenagers and convince them to go to NBTSC. If you want it to be, camp can be one of the most wonderful, fun, inspiring things you can do with a week (or two) of your year. Reply

If you have the chance and you can raise enough money then yes, I think you should definitely come to camp. Reply

Good luck, ~Sam A Reply

Thanks Sam. It's nice to know that other people come from different countries to NBTSC too (even Canada is considerably closer than England). :) —Andy Reply
Gayatri Janine has staffed at camp several times now, and she came all the way from Australia! ;) ~BlueberryEmily

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Hi. My name is Nola, i'm a 13 y.o. unschooler from alabama. I just can't decide whether or not to go to camp. Some things that get in the way are: Reply

I'm from alabama, which is very very far away from oregon or vermont.

It's expensive, compared to other camps. I might need to come up with a way to make a bit of money to at least help pay for it.

I already go to a camp down in alabama, and i really love it. NBTSC and Camp McDowell here in AL are at different times, but it would probably be too much to ask of my parents to pay for them both and still feed me. And since i'm only 13, i can't work in a commercial business yet.
And of course, there is the question of: Will i have fun? I probably would if i went. And it looks like most if not all of you campers will confirm that.

Help me out here! As i sit here in my puddle of indecision, time ticks by! Reply

Wow, Cassia, that's pretty high praise! I'll talk to my parents about it..figure out if we have enough money. Dad has requested that we not go on a trip this spring because our trip buget is tight, so i might have to wait till next year. I've heard that this year's live and learn conf. is to be the last one so maybe this will give me another place to meet unschoolers. ~Nola Reply

Good news!! I talked to my mom about it and she says that while i won't be able to come to vermont '08, i WILL be able to come to vermont '09 and go to Camp McDowell 09 as well! I can't wait but i have no choice but to endure a LONG wait. Oh well! Doesn't matter! -Nola Reply

You're not alone! I have to wait for '09 too :(. It'll be fun when I get there though! —Andy Reply
Me too! Honestly, I didn't even think of coming to camp until a few days ago, and now it's a bit late as my summer is all planned, and even if I was able to get in for a session this summer, I don't think I'd have enough time to prepare (or save up!). :( I'll be going to Oregon, though, so I wouldn't get to meet you. :( —Sheila

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Dear Nola, Reply

Last year was my first year at NBTSC. I live in NC and had turned 14 just a month before NBTSC last year. I found out about camp in march yet I managed to save the money. I showed the web site to all my friends and told them how much I wanted to go and they helped me by giving me jobs cleaning lawns and Babysitting. I managed to save up the money with out a really job. If you really want to go youll find a way and it will be worth every penny.—Storm Reply

Yes! You should absolutely come to camp. NBTSC is unlike any other camp I've ever known of, so comparing it to any other camp is just silly. If money is a problem, you can apply for a scholarship or a worktrade, and that will help a LOT with the money thing. You will almost definitely have fun. I've never known of someone coming to camp and not having fun. I've never known of someone coming to camp and regretting it, or not liking it, or wishing that they hadn't come. Plus, it will change your life. Camp gave me the love of my life, some of the best friends I've ever met, strength, inspiration, more love than I ever knew I was capable of receiving, the capacity to love more than I ever thought I could, courage...I've never regretted going to camp for a second. I went to one session in 2006 and then went to all three in 2007, which was amazingly expensive and time-consuming and I don't regret it for a single second. Camp has honestly changed everything about my life, because in some way, it's changed everything about me, and in a better way than I can ever begin to tell you, even if I could talk forever. Please do come. We'd love to meet you. *hugs* —Cassia

New here! I would LOVE to come to camp...maybe 2009? Anyway, how far does everyone travel? I'm in Canada (BC, to be exact), so I don't know, it would be really hard (and expensive....) but I think it might be worth it. Honestly, I just don't know how to do it. I would love some encouragement and support! Thanks so much! —Sheila

There are quite a few campers who've come from BC. Sam Alder, Virginia Berger-Hawthorne, Fiona Clement, Oriana Varas, and Fiona Balasi are the first who come to mind, but I think there are even more than that. It's definitely possible. Heck, I come all the way from Massachusetts, which is even further, and some people come from Alaska. It's really expensive, and has absolutely killed my bank account, but it's 100% worth it. I wouldn't trade going to camp for anything. It has completely changed my life. I can't tell you exactly how to go about getting to camp from Canada, but I can tell you that you can do it and that I think you should. —Cassia

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Thank you. That is really encouraging. I just feel so LONELY sometimes, and I think that coming to camp would really be an amazing experience. I think I'll start saving. :) —Sheila

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Quick question: Is there something different about OR session two than about session 1 and 3? It seems like there's something different about it, but I can't quite tell...? Thanks for any info! —Sheila Reply

Projects. Sessions 1 & 3 don't have projects, and session 2 does. Basically, at session 2, you get your choice between about 5-7 projects. It can be a music project, where you work together to write and learn to perform a song in front of the whole camp; or a cob project, where you help build a cob hut, or anything like that. Whatever it is, you work on that project with the other people who chose that project as well. For most of session 2, you devote about two hours to that every day. Some people really like projects, some people really hate them. That's what's different. :) —Cassia