This summer, the very first worldschooling retreat in the Czech Republic will be held. It is based on freedom and respect with a focus on self-directed learning and is organized by the Czech unschooling organization 'Svoboda Učení' which translates to English as 'freedom to learn'. Their manifesto tells us that their unschooling philosophy is based on the non-aggression principle and respect for the child by counteracting adultism. This is something that should be obvious but isnt in our state-run culture. It is about respecting the individuals (i.e. the childs) needs over the societys. It's about practicing peaceful parenting.
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| Picture from www.svobodauceni.cz |
Worldschooling is about learning from and about the world. You can do it in different ways: by traveling, living in different countries, or inviting different aspects from other parts of the world into your home environment. You don't have to be present physically in another place if you don't want to or can't do it. Worldschooling can be done in different ways, such as unschooling on the move or by going to school in different countries. All worldschoolers, unschoolers, home schoolers or families who are about to take that path are welcome to the retreat.
Anyone who has not started their worldschooling journey yet will have a fantastic opportunity to get their questions answered, meet like-minded people and be inspired. There will be families attending from Sweden, Germany, Spain and different parts of the world. The main language is English.
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| Picture from www.svobodauceni.cz |
What is it?
The format is simple. There are some fixed activities and speakers, but attendance is voluntary and there is plenty of room for spontaneous workshops and activities arranged on site by the participants. The participants of the retreat are expected to respect each other and the children as well as to tolerate differences. There will be at least one discussion event where problem solving and the non-aggression-principle are discussed.
Every camp usually have 4 community meetings that are voluntary to attend but for the community spirit it's a good idea to go to them.
A typical day may look like this:
9:00 AM - Mindfulness / Yoga
10:00 - Juggling / wood working / baking (workshop)
13:00 - Light lunch (soup, salad and homemade bread)
14:00 - Body painting with henna / making barefoot sandals / slackline workshop
17:00 - Dinner
18:30 - Daily meeting
19:00 - Lecture / discussion / group meeting / sauna / concert / disco / film
During the same period, the festival "Collective awareness" is held in Poland, a short drive away as it is close to the border. There are various kinds of workshops including Capoeira, there are concerts and food in various forms. This can be fun to make an excursion to if you want.
The final program comes out about 2 weeks before.
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| Picture from www.svobodauceni.cz |
Confirmed speakers:
Elin Morgan - Elin runs Worldschooling Andalusia Hub in La Herradura in Spain: www.worldschoolingandalusia.com
Helena Houdová - Helena is a humanitarian Czech top model who is a trendsetter here for unschooling & worldschooling: www.instagram.com/helenahoudova/
Lucie Tatransky - Lucie has a Czech worldschooling & unschooling family and is working as a translator: www.slowtravelingworldschoolers.com
Caroline King - I will tell you about our escape from Sweden and about our worldschooling life in exile. I also run this worldschooling community in Prague.
www.denandraresan.com/
www.pragueworldschooling.blogspot.com
Lainie Liberti - Lainie left the US with her son in 2009. It was through her at a lecture in 2013 that I heard the word "Worldschooling" for the first time. https://projectworldschool.com/
What does it cost? What are the options for accommodation?
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| Picture from www.svobodauceni.cz |
Option A) - Indoors
You will stay in the SvobodUm unschooling farm or in the pension U Můrinek which is located 300m from SvobodUm. (the retreat is held at SvobodUm)
Adult or child over 15 years: EUR 300 (or CZK 7500)
Children 3-14 years: EUR 152 (or CZK 3800)
Children 0-2 years: free (without dinner and without bed)
The price includes 9 nights in comfortable and fully equipped rooms (with bed linen, towels, toilet paper and soap) and a dinner each day (see section below on food and cooking). Please note that due to special room sizes you can be placed together with another family.
Option B - Outdoor
You will stay in your own tent or caravan.
Adult or children over 15 years: EUR 196 (or CZK 4900)
Children 3-14 years / year: 112 EUR (or 2800 CZK)
Children 0-2 years: free (without dinner)
The price includes 9 nights , access to toilet, bathroom with shower, fully equipped kitchen (kitchen utensils, kitchen utensils, refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher, coffee maker, sandwich grill) and other interior spaces of SvobodUm. It also includes a dinner every day.
Food and cooking
During the camp you will be able to cook in a fully equipped kitchen. In addition, there will be a joint dinner every day. You will be able to choose between a vegetarian or meat alternative.The menu plan will be shared a few weeks before.
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| Picture from www.svobodauceni.cz |
How do I register?
You sign up HERE on this Google form.How do I pay?
The preferred payment method is Bitcoin. You can pay directly with Bitcoin. If you are new to Bitcoin you can learn how it works, how to use it and why we prefer it at www.startusingbitcoin.comThere will be options to pay with fiat currency also, though it hasnt been announced yet. I would think that the organisation has a paypal / bank account also.
When?
The retreat is held in July 12th-21st 2019Where and how do I get there?
SvobodUm - the unschooling farm in the Czech Republic can be found in the north of Czech republic close to the borders of Poland and Germany. It is located in the village of Jindrichovice pod Smrkem. It takes about 2-2.5 hours to drive there from Prague. If you fly to Czech Republic it is best to rent a car in Prague. It is cheap and easy to drive here. It is possible to get there by public transport as well, but it takes quite a while as there are several changes. The best thing to do is to use Google maps or Mapy.cz for navigation.What's in the direct neighborhood?
This is a small alternative village where one can find a democratic school, many home-schooling families, mud houses and permaculture among other things. The village is next to a beautiful mountain area. There you can ski and hike in the mountains. There is a cable car that goes up to the top. (in Świeradów-Zdrój in Poland). There are only small food stores in the village itself so you shop best in Poland or on the way there. There is an opportunity to buy raw milk and eggs as well as maybe some fruit and vegetables in the village.This is an interesting area where 3 countries meet. There is a large swimming lake with a beach in Germany within a short drive and beautiful scenery around. The stay at SvobodUm will involve some excursions and adventures in the area. We recommend that you reserve a few days to see more so you can for example explore the fantastic nature in Bohemian paradise, or a fairytale castle like Karlstejn. You are also welcome to Prague to meet us worldschoolers here after the retreat.
Hope you decide to come to the retreat. We have personally visited Svobodum and met some of the people behind Svoboda Uceni and can recommend activitities like this with them.
