The following generally applies to kids 5 and older. Kids 1-4 will spend most of their time either with their parents or playing in Kid Village, although they are welcome in all areas and all activities all weekend.
The RE conference is an exciting, stimulating, life-supporting and life-changing event for a great many kids, teens and adults who attend. Many leave at the end in a state of blissful exhaustion, having sacrificed sleep in preference to sharing time with new and old friends alike. Everyone who attends is afforded maximum freedom to choose activities, friends, interests, etc. Sessions and activities take place every day until the wee hours. A great many kids and teens arrive at the start and only occasionally see their parents when the day is done or the conference is over, especially older kids and beyond.
There are hundreds of kids and teens in attendance, and the conference is a magical opportunity for them to understand themselves and others ,
make new connections, feel alive, whole, and filled with promise as an unschooler, a.k.a. one who is in charge of their own life.
Your child and teen are welcome with open arms to attend the conference and will be supported in all ways. If you or your teen/ child is new to the freedoms built into this extraordinary event, you will naturally want to spend much time with your child/teen during the weekend, as you work together to build mutual respect, responsibility and more freedom to be.
Here are some ways to help you understand
your child/teen and the conference experience:
- Does she enjoy her own company, love to be with others of varying ages, comfortable with making new friends (is she social, outgoing, comfortable in her own skin?)
- Has he been successfully unschooling and enjoying the process? (is he in control of his own education, i.e., free to explore and focus on his interests?)
- Is she accustomed to exercising her freedom at home and other forums (does she choose her own bedtimes, mealtimes, friends?)
- Has he been raised knowing he is respected, listened to and treated fairly by adults (does he have adults in his life he can be honest with and confide in without negative repercussion?)
- Is she comfortable taking charge of herself and her activities (does she show interest and understand how to "make things happen" to support her interests?)
- Does he understand responsibility and accountability for his choices and actions (does he understand that blaming others for his actions does not remove him from being held accountable?)
If you and your child/teen are coming to the conference with many of these ideas being new to you, the conference is an excellent forum for both their and your exposure to such young people and their parents. The conference is all about learning how to express and maximize one's freedom over one's own life, whether as a child, teen or adult (yes, parents learn alot too).
You, your child or teen will not be out of place or left out if these characteristics are not in solid working order, but you will probably need more time to talk, digest and re-think during the weekend. Our goal is for everyone to be safe, enjoying themselves, following their bliss.
We ask parents unfamiliar with "freedom-to-be" to stay closely connected to your child/teen during the event - not in a controlling way, but in a caring, supportive way.
Give them the room they need to grow and learn, yet stay connected to the pulse of what's going on. Remember that with freedom always comes responsibility. Take this weekend to practice new ways of being with your child/teen, challenge yourself to remain open, listen, do not judge, don't give advice unless asked, and just BE with him or her. And don't worry, we always have many new unschoolers in attendance... all eagerly and anxiously taking it all in.
Birds fly, fish swim, man thinks and learns.
Therefore, we do not need to motivate children
into learning by wheedling, bribing or bullying.
We do not need to keep picking away at their minds
to make sure they are learning.
What we need to do, and all we need to do,
is bring as much of the world as we can into their lives;
give children as much help and guidance as they ask for;
listen respectfully when they feel like talking;
and then get out of the way.
We can trust them to do the rest.
John Holt
...
My son and I just got home from the conference and we were both WOWED.! It is not easy to Wow a 15-year old. We were so inspired and I think that he was finally able to relax about his decision to unschool. I felt like I had traveled through space and found my planet with all my people. Thank you so much for organizing this and we can't wait until next year. Everyone was so welcoming.
