| Trip duration: | 2 weeks (Autodidact Adventure) or 4 weeks (Autodidact Adventure + College Without College) |
|---|---|
| When: | Oct 9-23, 2011 (Autodidact Adventure) or Oct 6 - Nov 3, 2011 (Autodidact Adventure + College Without College) |
| Where: | Ashland, Oregon |
| Departure/Arrival Aiport: | Medford, Oregon |
| Who: | Roughly 10 Autodidact Adventure students, 4 College Without College students, and your friendly trip leaders and mentors. |
| How Much: | $1700 (Autodidact Adventure) or $2900 (Autodidact Adventure + College Without College). Program fee includes room, board, and all activities. Fee does not include personal spending money or transport to and from Ashland. |
| Application Status: | Open! Apply now. |
| Priority Application Deadline: | January 15, 2011. On this date we will make our first round of enrollment offers. Apply beforehand for your best chance of enrolling! |
Brainstorming in Ashland's Lithia Park
hacker [noun] - a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data
edu-hacker [noun] - a person who uses high-quality mentors, guides, and online resources to gain unauthorized (but legal) access to fascinating skills and knowledge
There are worlds of cutting-edge knowledge out there, waiting to be discovered. Artists are playing with new techniques, programmers are writing new languages, psychologists are building new theories, and chefs are testing new recipes. Many people plod through years of school hoping to arrive at this cutting edge. But why wait? As an unschooled teen, how can you quickly, effectively, and confidently dive into the worlds that fascinate you--and have fun doing it?
The Autodidact Adventure is an exciting, hands-on, and high-energy introduction to "hacking" your education. We'll show you how to access the cutting edge of the worlds that fascinate you now. This program is designed for young adults who are ready to stop waiting for life to happen and start diving deeply into their dreams and interests.
For older students (ages 16-20) who are considering college-level studies, an additional program is available: "College Without College" (CWC). As a CWC student you'll participate in the full Autodidact Adventure and spend an additional two weeks learning how to give yourself a full-scale college experience without enrolling as an official student. Learn more about CWC below (following the Autodidact Adventure program description).
*** This is an Unschool Adventures leadership program. ***
Learn more about our leadership programs here.
The main challenge of the Autodidact Adventure is for each student to go out into Ashland and create one or more meaningful internships, mentorships, or interviews with local professionals, business owners, college professors, or community members. The students do this mostly on their own. The staff provides tools and light guidance to students in facing program challenges, but they do not micromanage. Our goal is for students to learn how to create their own opportunities (instead of waiting for them to fall into their laps) and constructively deal with failure.
Program activities for all students include:
Some of the accomplishments of previous leadership program students include: landing an internship at a nursery that turned into a paid job; interviewing and sitting in on the classes of a psychology professor; obtaining a food handler's card to get involved in kitchen work; a 2-day job shadow with a florist; interviewing a former business executive; interviewing a raw food artist; touring a glassblowing shop. Of course, previous students also attempted and failed many times (in getting a graphic arts or theater internship, for example). But they learned to bounce back from these failures and tried again. That's the real lesson of the Autodidact Adventure. (Read previous leadership student feedback).
A mini-quest in action!
After the Autodidact Adventure, you'll be prepared to go home (or onto your next adventure) and tackle all sorts of new challenges. Some of the skills, knowledge, and other takeaways that students will gain include:
The Autodidact Adventure offers a life-changing opportunity created specifically for self-directed teens. It's especially appropriate for teens in transition periods: from homeschool to unschool, high school to unschool, dependence to independence, or home to the world.
On the high ropes challenge course
For independent young adults who are considering college (now or in the future), College Without College (CWC) is the perfect addition to the Autodidact Adventure.
College can be a life-changing experience, but it can also leave you with life-sapping debt. What if you could get a college education without ever enrolling? This program will teach you how to take advantage of college resources, students, professors, and social circles as a non-enrolled "independent scholar." Whether you choose to become an official college student or not, you'll gain invaluable tools for giving yourself a top academic education.
CWC students:
During the Portland field trip, students and staff will stay at the Portland Hawthorne Hostel. Otherwise, CWC students will continue to stay at the Ashland Hostel. When the Autodidact Adventure is not in session, CWC students will enjoy more one-on-one time with staff.
In addition to the Autodidact Adventure skills and knowledge, CWC students will:
After CWC, students will have the tools to pursue college-level studies (either officially or unofficially) in the destination of their choice. If pursued with confidence and persistence, the CWC approach can replace college and save you tens of thousands of dollars in tuition money.
Are you a high school student considering unschooling? Are you a recent graduate who noticed a few (big) gaps in your education? The Autodidact Adventure is a great introduction to self-directed learning and unschooling. You're welcome to apply!
The Autodidact Adventure is held in beautiful Ashland, Oregon. Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a thriving small business and art scene, and a 4-year public university (Southern Oregon University). As a small, safe, and compact town, Ashland has served our leadership programs well since the inaugural program in May 2010.
The Ashland Hostel provides our accommodations. The hostel is superbly located and only a short walk from downtown, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Southern Oregon University. Students stay in gender-separated dorm rooms and have access to the hostel common areas, full kitchen, and wireless internet. Our group has exclusive access to the hostel's downstairs common area. (Click here to view photos of the accommodations.)
Our program chef will provide three meals per day: a do-it-yourself breakfast, sack lunch, and hot dinner. Dinners are multi-course, hearty, and always vegetarian. All students will have occasional dish chores and/or dinner prep duties. (It's fun! See image below.)
Dish angels: making the world safe for eating
What's a normal day like during the Autodidact Adventure? Here's a rough breakdown so that you know what to expect:
The day starts at 9am with an hour of prep time. You can wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, and pack a sack lunch--in any order you'd like :)
At 10am, the group splits up for the day. This large block of unstructured time is your opportunity to make contacts, do research, pursue interviews, be an intern, face mini-quest challenges, and eat lunch. You can also read in the library, nap in the park, or tag along with friends. You're not allowed to be back at the hostel until 5pm--sorry! Staff are in meeting or doing their own research during many parts of the day, but they're always available via cell phone.
Between 2-3pm staff are available for optional "office hours". Our office may be a coffee shop or grassy field, but that doesn't matter. If you need focused one-on-one time with a staff person--to help you overcome program challenges, deal with a sticky situation, or just talk--find them during office hours.
At 6pm, everyone rejoins for group mentor meetings. This is when you share your successes and failures of the day, get feedback, and make plans for the next day. Mentor groups typically have five students and one staff member.
7pm is dinner. Yum. And then dish crews fly into action.
At 8pm is evening workshop, which typically lasts 2-3 hours (with a short break in the middle). Afterward is free time.
Quiet time starts at midnight.
High ropes course: An all-day adventure held in the mountains near Ashland. We do the ropes course very early in the program for group bonding and challenge experience.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: We'll enjoy a play at the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, dressed in our finest semi-formal attire.
Special dinner: An end-of-program feast prepared by students and staff. Students may invite Ashland community members with whom they worked during the program.
Talent show: A chance to display your incredible talent.
Scavenger hunt: An unconventional introduction to Ashland!
Wheat grass: One of the many scavenger hunt challenges
Here are several questions to consider when asking if this program is right for you:
If you answer "yes" to most of these questions, then you're probably ready for the Autodidact Adventure.
E-mail and phone. Ashland has widespread cellular coverage, our hostel has free wireless internet, and the Ashland Public Library and Southern Oregon University offer free computers with internet.
You'll get your own twin bed in a dorm with 3-6 total beds. Dorms are gender-separated. Staff sleep in separate rooms from the students. There are full bathrooms (also gender-separated) with hot showers.
Breakfast is a do-it-yourself affair where students choose from fresh fruit, cereal, milk & soy milk, eggs, toast, yogurt, juice, granola, etc. For lunch, we provide a build-it-yourself sandwich sack lunch option. (Students may also purchase lunch out with personal spending money.) Dinner is a large, hot, nutritious meal prepared by staff and work-traders. We cook vegetarian for safety in food preparation.
We can easily accommodate meat-eaters and vegetarians. Vegans, dairy-free and wheat-free students will be able to eat many, but not all, of our offerings. Please feel free to consult us if your needs are more specific.
Our retreats are about developing personal leadership: the ability to figure out your dreams and turn them into reality. Before you can lead other people--in a business, non-profit, community group, or backpacking trip--you first must learn to lead yourself.
Yes! During the day and in the evenings you'll have large chunks of time to self-structure. You can use part of this time compute, nap, read, play music, write, explore, do laundry, or just relax.
Our evening obligations end between 10-11pm, and we don't leave the hostel until 10am most mornings. If you need lots of sleep, you'll have the chance to get it.
Yes, please! Cell phones are required and laptops are very handy for this program.
The staff can only be described as "dashing"
Apply by filling out our online application. We'll then get in touch and do a phone interview. Enrollment will be offered beginning on the date of the Priority Application Deadline (see above). After being offered enrollment, a $500 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your spot.
Contact us via e-mail or phone and we'll be happy to answer your questions.
Spring 2010 Leadership Program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival