Rethinking Education - Rethinking Everything
If there was ever a perfect union it is between Touch the Future and the annual Rethinking Education (RE) Conference, held every September in Dallas, Texas, USA. As of January 2008, Touch the Future is serving as the nonprofit sponsor for this unique and powerful event.
2009 marks RE's 13th year of producing an international conference for families and others who unschool their children and teens, those wishing to do so, and those simply in search of fresh ideas on education and parenting.
MM - Who should come to this event? Why - What will they experience?
BL (Barb Lundgren - conference creator and organizer) This conference is designed for whole families with non-stop programming for toddlers - college age and a myriad of provoking, intelligent sessions for adults and parents on a full range of topics in which we rethink education, parenting, sustainability, retirement, work and entrepreneuring, sexuality, health and wellness, spirituality.
Our conference supports the freedom and empowerment that comes from "life ownership" on ones own terms. We are not here in this time and space to create children in our image or coerce/convince others to think like we do. Rather, we are here to inquire deeply of ourselves: who am I? what drives me? what do I lie awake dreaming about? what are my unique abilities, resources and talents? how can I fulfill my heart's desire?
Our conference supports your unique journey, assisting you with tools to create the best, most satisfying and joyful life imaginable, all on your terms. We support your child/teen's desire to likewise create the same for themselves.
The conference is a full 5 day event, taking place in a beautiful hotel setting where we have 100% of the meeting room space, full use of 3 swimming pools, tennis, nature, multiple restaurants to choose from.
Our days begin at 10am and end at about midnight each day although many folks, kids and adults, stay up all night talking, playing and getting to know each other. Hundreds of attendees tell us that their lives have never been the same since attending the Rethinking Education - Rethinking Everything conference.
Kids tell us that attending the conference every year is more fun and more important to them than Christmas or Disneyland!
MM - Who have been some of your past presenters and who will be featured at this event?
BL - Past conference events have hosted Joseph Chilton Pearce, John Taylor Gatto, Jeannine Parvati Baker, Pat Farenga, Wendy Priesnitz, Gus and Lynn Piluso, Leonard Schlain, Michael Mendizza and so many others, all of whom have inspired and supported our desire to rethink the nature of life, learning, play, motivation.
Our presenters this year include Daniel Quinn (author of Ishmael and others), Brent Cameron (SelfDesign), Dayna Martin (Law of Attraction self-education), Scott Noelle (Law of Attraction parenting), Maria Whitworth (unjobbing and entrepreneuring on one's own terms), Linda Ball (rethinking health and wellness), Howard Straus (Gerson Therapy for cancer cure), Laurence Becker (rethinking empowered and joyful retirement), Johnny and Patricia Stout (tantric sexuality), Krenie Stowe (holistic pediatrics), Quinn Eaker (full spectrum health, green building), James Bach (son of Richard Bach, on creating blissful work without formal education), Daniel Armstrong (making your dreams come true), Barbara Bullard (of the Monroe Institute on Meta Music), Angel Carlton (Conversations with God for kids)... and lots more.
MM - Why are you personally so excited about this event?
BL - I so love the energy of this powerful event, and the people who are drawn to attend. Never in my life have I met so many intelligent, resourceful, loving people. Watching hundreds of kids and teens of all ages with free reign over the hotel for 5 full days in playful harmony is, by itself, a wonder to witness.
I get goosebumps envisioning all the folks who will become empowered during the conference to rethink everything, create self-ownership and support their kids and teens in their own process. What has been the driving vision behind Rethinking Education? This is so clear to me: the creation of lives for children that are based solely on freedom-to-be, respect and integrity.
MM - What Barb has created is fabulous. There is nothing like it. For more information see Rethinking Education at Touch the Future or click on the Banner above to connect directly with the event.