What was planned: Interested in your young people taking charge and individualizing their own education with the support of caring community? Do you want to create and maintain a healthy community where learning can flourish naturally; built on trust, consent-based decision making and Self-Directed Education? Do you wish to explore how adaptable agile tools and practices may help you support your homeschooler, unschooler, family or community?
ALF Summer at Free to Learn Community includes 3-day, and 8-day ALC experiences for adults as well as a 4 day camp for children.
We will begin with the 3-day Basics & Beyond: An Introduction to ALC Tools and Practices (July 28-30, Thursday – Saturday). Sunday will be an optional trip day or day to relax.
The Full Experience adds a practicum and reflection. We will have four days to practice the ALC tools by co-creating and facilitating a Mini-ALC Day Camp together with young people in the space (Aug 1-4 Monday – Thursday).
And finally, our last Reflection days (Friday and Saturday, Aug 5 -6) will be days to reflect on our experiences and complete any last discussions.
ALF Summer is emergent and always evolving. As such, while we expect to cover many of the basic philosophy of Self-Directed Education (SDE) organically, we’ll make time to get everyone’s ALC tools & practices questions answered. We also intend to continue embodying personal growth and co-learning.
There is also much to explore beyond the basic questions of what it looks like and how it works! Those who have been active in SDE spaces for a while are aware of the ways in which SDE work can be a portal and a conduit to so many other levels of personal growth, community building, and social justice work. We intend to go deep in those conversations together this summer, and we’d love for you to join us.
This training is an introduction to the Agile Learning Centers (ALC) framework and approach, from theory to practice. This experience is for anyone looking to deepen their understanding and engagement in Self-Directed Education and learn more about what it means to facilitate in an agile community. It is for parents, educators, school founders, aspiring facilitators, and other curious minds. Whether you’re connected to a specific young learner, a specific learning community, or you’re just curious about Self-Directed Education, unschooling, & ALCs. This training is for you!
Come learn, practice, and play with us at Free to Learn Community in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Foothills… Colfax, CA.
Recommendations:
Your success at the training can be facilitated greatly by exposing yourself to the following materials. Please download and read our Member Handbook, the ALC Starter Kit, Facilitation Guide as well as Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn.
Self-directed learning spaces encounter many diverse situations. In order to reduce harm to facilitators and attendees during the training, please familiarize yourself with the 28 days of Me and White Supremacy. If you would like to join the group going through the material in July, please call Emily Quandt (916) 996-8263.
We may also send you some additional blog posts to read and/or videos to watch before arriving.
BASICS AND BEYOND
July 28-30: Thursday – Saturday from 9 am – 4 pmJoin us for a three-day Basics & Beyond collaborative workshop with experienced ALC facilitators and other ALC startup groups. We will put forth a range of possible topics to explore and share, while also inviting participants to request specific offerings or make their own.
THE FULL EXPERIENCE
July 28-30 & Aug 1-6Both weeks will be 9 am – 4 pm.
This option includes the first three Basics and Beyond days, four Co-creating an ALC together days and two final days for reflection.
We are inviting Free to Learn students to come for four days, Aug 1-4 for “ALC in the summer” (something they are excited to do!). This is an immersive experience into what a week in an ALC feels like with people of all ages.
Participants can make offerings and request offerings from other facilitators and students. Workshops, discussions, both building on themes from the first three days and exploring related topics will be offered. We will share skills, resources, take trips, play together, and get our hands dirty or work on our own ALC start-up projects. Our days will begin and end with intention-setting and reflection. Most importantly, we will foster connection and have a lot of fun together.
The day for adults will run from 9 am – 4 pm, while the students will be at ALC from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Adults will have the opportunity at the end of the day to reflect on the days’ experiences.
BASICS & BEYOND
$444 per person
THE FULL EXPERIENCE
$1,111 per person
We are reserving a limited number of sliding scale spots for those who are a great fit for ALF Summer but for whom the cost is prohibitive.
Email us at Emily@FreetoLearnCommunity.com for more info.
Participation in the program
Lots of Sharpie markers and sticky notes
Some additional curated resources
New friends
New Life Skills & Tools
Hot Tub (if we decide to clean it out and get it going)
Suana
A safe and inspiring space for your de-schooling and self-learning
NOT INCLUDED:
Meals
Housing
Childcare
Toothpaste (bring your own toothpaste)
July 28-30 and Aug 1-6 2022.
Doors open by 8:30 am.
We begin on time at 9:00 am.
Afternoons vary, but we aim to close by 4:00 pm.
We will be meeting at the Free to Learn Community campus:
222 North Main St.
Colfax, CA 95703
At this location the space is wheel chair accessible in 2 of the 5 rooms, with a full staircase into those rooms. We will make every attempt to hold sessions for interested parties in accessible rooms. There is one wheel chair accessible single stall all gender bathroom and two restrooms that are single stall, all gender restrooms.
I’m coming from out of town — where should I stay?
To keep the baseline costs of the program lower and ask participants to find their own housing arrangements. That said, we will gladly connect you with other participants once we’ve confirmed you are coming and send you all AirBnB and camping options that are near our campus. We definitely recommend staying with other folks, as it will keep your costs down and provides a much more enriching experience since you can connect after-hours, too.
Can I bring my children to the 3-day and 8-day experiences?
Yes! We will organize childcare for those needing this support. We will ask you to contribute an additional $20/day/child. Children can eat with us for an additional cost, or you can pack food for them. If you sign up for “The Full Experience” childcare for the 4-day ALC Mini-Day Camp will be “free” in the form of full participation in the ALC Mini-Day Camp we’ll be co-creating with Free to Learn students. Please make sure your child wants to be there.
I’ve already attended an ALF Summer program in the past — can I still come to all or part of this one?
Yes! If you have attended any training program hosted by ALC Network or an individual ALC, please fill out the application and let us know about your previous ALF Summer experience.
Will I be able to work in an ALC after attending this program?
We can’t guarantee that. The ALC Network doesn’t manage the hiring practices of the various ALCs, nor is there a standardized prerequisite for being hired as an ALF. There aren’t prescribed jobs awaiting those who attend an ALF Summer. That said, the ALF Summer programs we are offering in various regions are designed to serve as a catalyst into this work, primarily through our support of self-organized ALC Startups that have already become ALC Network members. What we are offering is both a foundations workshop where you will be informed about ALC as well as immersive experiences. You will be a big part of determining what comes next!
I want to open an ALC — will attending Free to Learn ALC’s ALF Summer allow me to do this?
Let us know on your application if you would like to attend as a start-up ALC and we’ll go from there! You will need to get our basic ALC Network membership at the very least, and then your participation in this program will only help you on your way to becoming a full-fledged ALC.
I have more questions — who can I contact?
Email us at Emily@FreetoLearnCommunity.com
Ready?
1) We’re sorry but this training has been canceled. To become a donor to the Post-Covid Reopening Fund Click the button.
2) Fill out the below application to be considered for the community Wait-List.
As leaders facilitating Self-Directed Education we are all looking to build community, expand our knowledge, practice our skills, be reminded of old skills, and grow the reach we have into our local areas. These are the same things we facilitate for our learners each day in our communities! Going through the steps to coordinate, schedule, fund, and attend an ALC Summer Training is an amazing practice in the same thing we facilitate for our learners every day: what it takes to achieve what we want for our learners! Attending an ALF Training has proven to be invaluable in doing this for leadership, facilitators, and families of existing and budding unschooling communities.
Feel free to add your own brand as marketing for your own program. We have found printed materials to be very helpful. Here are all of the marketing materials for you and your families to share with their friends and family and to use as they fundraise to attend. We always have many requests for financial aid so we encourage leaders to create fundraisers to raise awareness for your local programs, help with the cost of your families and facilitators to attend, and to contribute to the financial aid fund.