Fab Fridays 12: Write of Passage Summer Camp

A virtual space for children to explore ideas, create meaningful projects, and make friends from all over the world.

Hey, let’s talk about childhood education.

Kids can’t be kids anymore. Strict, generalized curriculums mean they don’t have space to follow their passions or learn on their own.

School is no longer about learning. It feels like a chore. That’s because hour-long lectures may work on adults, but they don’t work for kids. Too many kids (and let’s face it — teachers and parents) obsess over grades instead of knowledge because that’s what the system incentivizes. Worse, teachers are stuck following curriculums that value competition over curiosity. Stuck in a system with little room for personal choice, kids forget the joy of learning. 

Due to the Coronavirus epidemic, more than 1.5 billion children are out of school globally. Teachers are trying to recreate schools online, leading to frustrated kids and parents. Kids don’t want to sit still and be quiet at school, much less at home.

Homeschooling sounds fun, but you need to work. Your family depends on you to cook dinner, sweep the floors, do the laundry, clean the house, and pay the rent. So now, you’re stuck. 

When your kids get bored, they bother you. Toys are missing, the iPad is broken, and the last cookie in the kitchen mysteriously disappeared. Help!

Your kids want attention. Can you blame them? They want to create, but they crave guidance. They want to talk, but they need somebody to listen. Most of all, they want to be with friends but can’t leave the house. 

That’s where we come in. Write of Passage Summer Camp is designed to help kids explore their curiosity. It’s a place for kids to create their own projects, collaborate with others, and express their ideas. We want to help kids become prolific creators. 

Summer Camp is nothing like a typical YouTube tutorial or online “class.” There are no grades. No homework. No yelling teachers. It’s a place for creation and collaboration. Talking, laughing, smiling, dreaming, thinking — Summer Camp is FUN.

It’s a fresh approach to education. Kids will be in charge of their own learning (radical, we know!). As teachers, we will operate with a light touch instead of a heavy hand. In school, kids start with the basics and expand toward curiosity. But in Summer Camp, we start with curiosity and expand toward the basics. After all, kids with a computer and an internet connection who love to create are unstoppable. 

Summer Camp is a global experience. Kids from all over the world will work on self-directed projects together over video chat. By meeting kids from different cultures, they’ll pick up fresh ways of thinking. 

We’ll let kids play — productively.

We’re creating an environment of jokes and joy, laughs and learning. It’s just what the world needs right now: a fresh start and a new beginning. 

Write of Passage Summer Camp is coming to your computer in June 2020.

— David Perell + Ana Lorena Fabrega

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WHAT IS SUMMER CAMP

Write of Passage Summer Camp is a virtual space for children to explore ideas, create meaningful projects, and make friends from all over the world.

In just one week, children will identify a problem that they feel passionate about, come up with an idea to solve it, and turn that idea into a prototype that they will present. Campers will learn how to be creative together and experience the radiant energy of live online learning.

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WHY SUMMER CAMP IS DIFFERENT

Summer Camp is so NOT school. You are here to have fun, make friends, and create something awesome.

We don’t care about grades. No tests. No memorizing. And definitely no homework. We care about your wild ideas. Your crazy imagination. Your creative superpowers.

We won’t tell you what to do. You are free to explore and learn about the things that matter to you. Let curiosity be your guide. What’s a problem you feel passionate about? We will come up with an idea to solve it, and turn that idea into a project. Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.

We won’t make you be quiet. We won’t make you sit still. We will make you talk. We will make you laugh. We will challenge your curiosities and stimulate your inner desire to learn. We will make you embrace your playful spirit and share your expertise.

This is not a solo experience. In Write of Passage Summer Camp, you are part of an online community of young creators and future entrepreneurs. Be ready to collaborate, share, and build on other camper’s work. Most importantly, be ready to make friends from all over the world.

We need you to bring your biggest ideas and be ready to problem-solve. We will take risks and try new things. We will think outside the box and share what’s on our mind. I promise no thought or idea is too crazy or wild.

We will face challenges and find ways to overcome them. We will make mistakes and learn from them. We will build, re-build, and start over until we are happy with what we’ve created.

You are in charge of your learning now. We’re here to support you, encourage you, and make sure you enjoy the journey.

We can’t wait to see where your imagination will take you!

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BACKGROUND OF SUMMER CAMP

In Write of Passage Summer Camp, we follow the pedagogy of joy: we pay strong attention to relationships and give children freedom, within limits, to follow their interests and passions. We support children working on hands-on projects they care about, in collaboration with peers, and in a playful spirit. We believe in social interactions and playful experimentation as a pathway to creativity. 

Internet-Inspired Learning

Learning on the Internet is the opposite of learning in the classroom. In school, kids start with the basics and expand towards their curiosities. In Write of Passage Summer Camp, they will start with their curiosities and expand towards the basics.

No Adult-Imposed Curriculum

We will operate with a light touch instead of a heavy hand. In just a week, kids will take a project of their own choosing from start to finish, and present their creation at the end of the week. Campers will work together to help each other and dream up new ideas in collaboration.

A Space for Group Learning

Every session will be live and online. All you need is a computer with a video camera and fast Internet. We’ll provide a space for kids from around the world to meet each other, create together, and experience the radiant energy of live online learning. 

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WHO CAN JOIN

Any child between the ages of 8-10 can join, no matter where they live. All they need is a computer, a video camera, and a fast Internet connection.

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PILOT PROGRAM

Summer Camp begins in June, but we will be doing a pilot program with 15 kids ages 8-10 (if your kids are between ages 10-12 and you would like for them to participate in the pilot program, let me know) the week of April 20 – 24, 2020. Sign up here if you would like for your child to participate in the pilot program and we will email you in a few days when sign ups are open.

The pilot will be a 1-week program with five 90 minute live sessions

Live sessions will be Monday-Friday from 5:00pm–6:30pm Eastern Time

• Session 1: Monday, April 20 (Kickoff) | 5–6:30pm EST

• Session 2: Tuesday, April 21 | 5–6:30pm EST

• Session 3: Wednesday, April 22 | 5–6:30pm EST

• Session 4: Thursday, April 23 | 5–6:30pm EST

• Session 5: Friday, April 24 | 5–6:30pm EST

Pilot program price: $150

Until next week,

Ms. Fab