At the end of August, when most teens are getting ready for school, Ben and a few of his lucky friends are happily anticipating Not Back to School Camp at Camp Myrtlewood in Bridge, Oregon. It’s a terrific camp for unschooling teens, created by Grace Llewellyn, author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook and one of our first inspirations for considering life without school.
Every year now for the past five years, Ben has enjoyed wonderful camp adventures. He has met new friends from all over the country, learned new things, found mentors to challenge and inspire him, and gained a greater sense of self as he makes his way toward young adulthood. Each year, we look forward to hearing his stories, seeing camp photos, and noticing how he has grown and changed in just a short period of time. Enjoy!
- Ben and friends wait expectantly for the train at the Amtrak station. This train trip travel time together is the beginning of the adventure.
- After campers picked all these blackberries, Ben worked in the camp kitchen to make several blackberry cobblers.
- Ben and Josh take a little time to do some longboarding on the longboard they built together last year after camp.
Photo credits: Celina Dill, Kate Geurrero, Sophie Biddle, Sophie Thompson, Benji B’Shalom, Blake Boles, and Qacei Gold