• April 1      Surpass program for teens, 13 - 17 years, now open for public registration! To learn more about Surpass please visit here.    • February 23    Winter Update   We are approximately midway through this our sixth year, feeling: - very grateful for the families and learners participating with us this year; SelfDesign is obviously attracting families from many varying backgrounds and we thank you for your many remarkable efforts and contributions, - excited that in the past year we have successfully accomplished another growth phase, to accomodate many more people wishing to participate in SelfDesign, - relieved at the completion of this year's FSA testing period; participation in this year's testing produced many varied emotions for parents and learners ranging from satisfaction to ambivalence to irritation to deep frustration. We will be recommending significant changes to the Ministry in a follow-up letter based on this year's experience, - disappointed that yet another request we sent to Minister of Education Shirley Bond last fall for a meeting to brief her on SelfDesign methodology and identify ways in which we might contribute to the Ministry's 'School of the Future' project, has been turned down. We find  this very puzzling; we thought the Minister was sincere when she presented three of the SD Execuctive with 'Certificates of Recognition' at a ceremony last spring and told us she was "very interested in learning all about SelfDesign," however, we have rebuffed in all attempts since that time to travel and meet with her - at her convenience and on our resources. • December 1   Fall Update WOW, it has been a very busy fall in SelfDesign and it is hard to believe it is the cusp of winter already!  We had a very successful launch of SelfDesign in September-October, after having expanded to close to 700 learners (incuding Special Needs) for this year. Expanding on this scale was quite a test of our ability to scale up, and we are very pleased with our results to date. As in past years, our Learning Consultants and families are enjoying many rich exchanges and we feel our methodology is contributing to many important and varied learning experiences. Earlier in November, SelfDesign was inspected by the Ministry of Education, Department of Independent Schools, as per Ministry regulations. Following two days of reviewing our program, the inspectors offered many enthusiastic and suportive  comments. In a written, follow-up  report, our certification was renewed and we were commended for many positive elements of our program, especially "the vision and commitment directed to establishing a Distributed Learning program that offers flexibility and choice." • September 14th 'Beyond' program for GVRD-based teens  (starting Oct. 5th) BEYOND is a project to engage teens in exciting hands-on projects that revolve around the theme - "how do you want to influence your world?" Participants will meet at Wondertree Learning Centre at 4196 West 4th Ave in Vancouver, Fridays 10-4pm. The project will include workshops, field trips, guest speakers, mentors and more with the purpose of engaging teens in projects reflecting their enthusiasms and curiosities. Through this exploration participants will learn about communication, leadership, networking, critical thinking and much more. For a brochure please contact Verena Gibbs (verenagibbs@wondertree.org). • September 6th 'Learning Your Way' course for teens, 14 -18 years now open to public  (reg. closing September 21st) With the start of a new learning year, SelfDesign and the Wondertree Foundation have launched 'Learning Your Way', a unique, leading-edge course for teens, 14 - 18 yea  . This 10-month, online course is intended to provide participants with many important skills and experiences focusing on Learning Excellence, Modeling Genius, Financial Literacy, Creative Brainstorming and Independent Enterprise. Tuition is $250 per participant. The course is almost filled up but there is space for 5-7 more learners. Contact Michael Maser if you are interested in a detailed course outline (michaelmaser@selfdesign.org). • September 4th SelfDesign launches new learning year, grows to 650 learners Hello, well we've had a very busy summer but today's the day we launch our new learning year. Last spring we began experiencing significant growth in enrolment and that has continued unabated, presently tallying around 650 learners. To meet our new demands, we have hired and trained an additional 28 Learning Consultants, though we are presently very close to our capacity for matching learners with available LCs. Almost all of our staff are continuing in our program with a few shifts here and there. Throughout the summer we continued to implement improvements in our procedures and incorporate new technologies, leaving us very excited about the coming year.               New Learning Consultants in training at our recent        Collaboratory on the Sunshine Coast. • July 12th 'Surpass' program for teens a wonderful success From July 2 - 9th, we held our first 'Surpass' program for teens, 13 - 17 years, at the Xenia Centre on Bowen Island. By all accounts the program, which featured many varied activities focused on personal growth and leadership development (and having fun), was a wonderful experience for the 20 participants who came from throughout the province. Most of the kids who participated had never met face-to-face though they had crossed (virtual) paths as members of the SelfDesign Learning Community over several years. Here's a typical comment from a participant: "It was one of the most inspirational, fun weeks I've ever had. I enjoyed all the activities and meetings and made tons of new friends. I also tried and learned a lot of new things." We plan to offer another Surpass program next June or July.                       Surpass Participants enjoying a hike • June 10th SelfDesign book garners top award from Neurobiological Learning Society ' SelfDesign: Nurturing genius through natural learning', by Brent Cameron and Barbara Meyer (2006, Sentient Publications) has just been designated the 2007 'Top Choice' book award by the Neurobiological Learning Society (NLS).    The NLS, based in Hawaii, was founded by Dr. Dan Janik in 2005. Dr. Janik is a former pediatric neuro-surgeon, neurology researcher and author of 'Unlock the Genius Within; Neurobiological Trauma, Teaching and Transformational Learning (2005; Rowman & Littlefield Education; ISBN 1578862914). Brent and Barbara traveled to Hawaii this past May at the invitation of Dr. Janik to gave a presentation overviewing SelfDesign to the NLS. Comments from reviewers of the SelfDesign book included the following:  "A remarkable breakthrough in the area of neurobiologically-underpinned educational psychology, this work provides incisive insights into the definition, management and effective delivery of transformative, wholistic learning, specifically from K through 12.  Replete with examples of humanistic, student-centered, psychologically-grounded action research, this book is a must-read for educators, administrators, parents and students alike." The website for the NLS may be found at:  drjanik.tripod.com/nls.html • May 28th 'Teen Program' proposal update  - We have been informed by Susan Penner, Inspector of Independent Schools, that our proposal for a SelfDesign-style program for teens, 15 - 17 years, falls outside the bounds of the BC School Act, as amended by Bill 33 last year. We met with Susan on two occasions to discuss our proposal and we are grateful for her willingness and efforts to consider this, at the direction of the Minister of Education. Subsequent to this decision, we have pointed out to Susan and the Minister that it is the nature of the School Act, and not SelfDesign, that is discriminatory in nature, and we have encouraged the Ministry to amend the Act to accommodate our proposal, and to help better meet the legitimate learning needs of BC youth in the future. Thanks to members of our community who wrote letters of support for this proposal! • April 12th Re-enrolling and enrolling for next year - We have begun re-enrolling procedures with next year in mind and, due to heightened interest, we have begun a wait-list for people wishing to enroll in the program for next year. Enrollment information may be found by going to the 'SelfDesign Programs' link and clicking on SelfDesign Learning Community'. • April 10th April Newsletter - SelfDesign Learning Community March 27th, Victoria.   Minister of Education Shirley Bond presenting Brent Cameron, Kathleen Forsythe and Michael Maser with 'Certificates of Recognition' acknowledging our work in pioneering SelfDesign Learning Community and for having won a  2006 'Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence'. We feel this moment also represents a culmination of hopes, dreams, risks and accomplishments of so many parents working in loving support of their child's learning interests. As well, our award can be considered a significant  validation of home-based learning. Thank You! to the SelfDesign community, present and past, and to the pioneers who came before us for helping make this happen.    "It is only when children are accepted as they are, with their unique gifts and limits, when they are listened to and respected, that they will be able later on to accept others." - Jean Vanier, 'On Becoming Human'     Hello!   from the SelfDesign Executive. We hope you and your family are well, enjoying the first hints of spring and preparing for a satisfying Easter weekend. At this time, we have a few things we’d like to share with you. •  Re-enrolling and enrolling for next year - We have begun re-enrolling procedures with next year in mind and, due to heightened interest, we have begun a wait-list for people wishing to enroll in the program for next year. Enrollment information may be found by going to the 'SelfDesign Programs' link and clicking on SelfDesign Learning Community'. •  A Special Acknowledgement - We'd like to acknowledge learner Duncan Watts-Grant for the wonderful Village Voice newsletter he produces each month! Duncan, age 13, uses his online publication to feature artwork and stories, poetry and photos by learners of all ages. It's a terrific project, and we want to express our appreciation of a job well done.....  Thanks, Duncan!! •  FSA testing - We are fast approaching the FSA testing that we have been asked (and expected) to participate in, for the second year. The testing will be done May 7-18 and is for only those learners in a Grade 7 and grade 4-equivalent situation (born either in 1994 or 1997). Last year, at the request of home-learning families and Distributed Learning programs like SelfDesign, the Ministry introduced online testing, enabling families and learners to complete the testing in their own homes, something we consider quite progressive and sensitive. FSA testing is now part of our contract as a learning institution funded by government, that we facilitate testing at the grade 4 and 7 level. Expectation: Demand or Opportunity?!  - As was the case in SelfDesign last year, though the Ministry expects us to expect you to expect your child to complete the tests, we feel that the Ministry's "expectation" (AKA "demand") may be considered by participating families and learners as an "opportunity" and a potentially valuable learning experience. Accordingly, we will be making available a helpful module on test-taking skills and strategies to all participating families. This was very well-received last year and reflected an emphasis not on the particular FSA test, but on general strategies which may be applied in a various situations where tests are a reality, from creative arts performances to job interviews. •  'Teen Program' proposal update  - We have not yet received a response from the Minister of Education with respect to our request for a meeting to a discuss our proposal for a SelfDesign-style program for teens, 15 - 17 years. Thanks to all of you who have written letters of support for this proposal! • Upcoming Homeschool Conference - The annual BC Homeschooling Convention is being held June 1-2, again at the Sheraton Hotel in Surrey. this year's theme is 'Back to Basics'. Conference information may be found at:   www.bchomeschool.org/convention2007/    We are just deciding if we will present at this year's conference, as we have done in previous years. sincerely,  SelfDesign Executive                  March 27th, Victoria:  British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell co-presenting Brent Cameron, Michael Maser and Kathleen Forsythe with 'Certificates of Recognition for Outstanding Contribution to Public Education'. • February 24th, 2007 February Newsletter - SelfDesign Learning Community "Since we cannot know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned."   - John Holt, 'Learning All the Time' (1989)     Hello!   from the SelfDesign Executive. At this time, we have a few things we’d like to share with you. •  SURPASS update  - we have launched registration for this summer's upcoming SURPASS program for teens, 13 - 17 years, and applications are coming in! (again, an overview of SURPASS may be found on the selfdesign.org website, under the 'Wondertree Foundation' link). To recap, we are making registration first available to those learners presently enrolled in SelfDesign, until March 1st. At that time we will open registration to siblings and alumni; on April 1st, space allowing, we will open up to public registration. •  Pre-approval of Special Needs learners - NEW! There is a short window for early enrollment for parents of children with special needs in mid-March. If you are familiar with the regular SelfDesign program and its requirements, and you are committed to participating in the SelfDesign program next September, you can enroll your child during this period. This will allow SelfDesign to apply for "pre-approval" for the Special Education grant for next September. You will know in June that your child has a funded place in our Special Education program for September. In addition, the grant money comes into SelfDesign earlier in the fall so that more interventions can be in place for your child in September and October. Please contact Rebecca McClure rmcclure@selfdesign.org at your earliest convenience if you are committed to the SelfDesign program and interested in early enrollment. • SelfDesign Village Life - Update • Introducing Croft Warn, math mentor  - Beginning immediately, and through the next month, we are introducing a guest mentor - Croft Warn - whose specialty, and lifelong interests are in math and science. Accordingly, you'll likely find him hanging out in the Math and Science conferences to start with, and then he may spread his wings and get around elsewhere. By all means, ask him questions in the conference or personally! • New Village conferences very active - I don't know if you've had a chance to explore one or all of the three new conferences added to the Village in the last month or so - Zendo! YO4L or Good News!  but they're all alive and well, with some really interesting conversation threads (a tip: YO4L has a very helpful thread, 'Inspiration', on keeping this quality alive, if your enthusiasm for reporting is suffering from mid-winter blues.) •  Contacting Minister of Education wrt SelfDesign-style program for teens, 15 - 17 years   - In late January we sent Minister of Education Shirley Bond a proposal and request to support a SelfDesign-style program for teens, 15 - 17 years. We have not yet received a response, but considering the points advanced in the government Throne Speech of February 13th, it appears very timely to urge you to contact the Minister directly. Below are included some key points, verbatim, from the recent Throne speech, pertinent to about adding more choices and more flexibility for kids. That's what we're asking for, government support for a program grounded in more choice and flexibility. If you craft a letter, we would ask that you consider referring to our proposal, to the points below, to your own situation. We also suggest referring to how the Independent Schools department has extended itself to support and assist our program to date, for which we are grateful. It strikes us as highly unfair that the Ministry is denying young people the opportunity to continue in a program of their choice. If you write a letter would you kindly cc it to the SelfDesign Executive. the Minister's contact address is: Honourable Shirley Bond Minister of Education Government of British Columbia minister.educ@gov.bc.ca Excerpts from Government Throne Speech, February 13, pertinent to Education • We need to improve to meet the needs of students who are failing to complete. • This year, new steps will be taken to lift our students to higher levels of achievement. • These reforms will be focused on improving quality, choice, and accountability. • New legislation will be introduced to broaden the mandate of school boards, as reflected in a new title: Boards of Education. • Amendments to the School Act will also be introduced to enable boards to offer "special academies" upon the approval of school planning councils and consultation with parents. • More choice and flexibility will be encouraged to better meet student needs. • Amendments will be introduced to broaden the Education Minister's capacity to create provincial schools and offer more choice in learning. • Provincial schools will offer new choices in curricula, new course content, and new demonstration schools better tailored to unique student needs. • These new provincial schools will build on the virtual school that is now serving over 16,000 students provincewide. • January 15th, 2007 January Newsletter - SelfDesign Learning Community   "When learning is curiosity-based, discovery-driven, and mentor-supported, it is almost always effective, and the majority of what is actually learned is predictable and rarely ever includes unwanted triggers and behaviors."    - Daniel Janik, MD; 'Unlock the Genius Within’     Hello!    We hope the beginning of this new year finds you and your family well and refreshed, and that you have enjoyed a pleasant and satisfying holiday. At this time, we have a few things we’d like to share with you. •  SURPASS teen program - within a few days we will be circulating a flyer and additional information about SURPASS, this summer's upcoming program for teens, 13 - 17 years, now scheduled for July 2nd - 9th at the Xenia Centre on Bowen Island. We think we have developed a very valuable program and we are very excited about initiating this. We will be offering learners presently enrolled in SelfDesign the first opportunity to register for SURPASS, followed by siblings and previous SelfDesigners. Space permitting, we will advertise SURPASS to a wider audience though in this, our first program, we are planning for one relatively small group of 20-25 participants. Subsequent to this summer, we anticipate expanding registration to possibly a larger group and/or scheduling an more than one gathering. We are also planning on initiating a follow-up, online program to this summer's SURPASS program, beginning next fall. •  'Good news' conference coming - Enough already of the mayhem, chaos and gruel that is the stock in trade of mainstream media! Within a couple of weeks we will be launching 'Good News' as another SelfDesign Village conference, to profile positive news and people making a difference in the world. Interestingly, a relatively new stream of science - Positive Psychology - is validating what most of us know intuitively, namely, that 'positive' information contributes to our sense of well-being and empowerment, inspiring us to choose positive actions and healthier lifestyles, while a diet of dreary news contributes to depression, fear, inaction and generally poorer health. Bring on the 'Good News'! •  A new learning centre in the Kootenays?  - This is to let you know that a group of parents in Wynndel (10 miles north of Creston BC) are interested in starting a Wondertree program in their community. Over the past years there has been ongoing rumor, that due to declining enrolment in the area, that their local public school might be closed. They have approached me (Brent Cameron) to help them start a Wondertree Learning Centre in Wynndel. I happen to have a home about 10 miles north of Wynndel and hope to move back there from Colorado for next year. This is just to let everyone know, in case there are any Learning Consultants who are looking for a move to a beautiful farming valley, or any families that also might want to make a move and participate in a SelfDesign-based learning community. Creston is a yet to be discovered valley, land prices are still reasonable and it has great weather. sincerely, SelfDesign Executive •       •       •       •       •        • December 15th, 2006    SelfDesign named as Winner of 2006 Prime Minister's Award!   SelfDesign Learning Community was contacted this week as a winner of a 2006 'Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence - Certificate of Achievement'.   SelfDesign co-founders Brent Cameron, Kathleen Forsythe and Michael Maser, named as recipients of the award, acknowledge the efforts of many people who have contributed to the development of SelfDesign and its efforts to provide leading-edge learning services. Begun in 2002 SelfDesign is certified as a category 1, internet-based independent school in British Columbia.   "Receiving this award is a real honour and tribute to our colleagues, our very hard-working Learning Consultants, and the wonderful efforts of our learners and their families in our program," says Cameron, who founded the Wondertree Learning Centre and Wondertree Foundation for Natural Learning, the parent organization to SelfDesign, in 1983.   The Prime Minister’s Awards "are designed to honour the overall accomplishments of a single teacher or a team of up to three teachers. The awards recognize the efforts of outstanding educators in all disciplines at both the elementary and secondary levels who better equip their students with the skills needed to meet the challenges of a 21st century society and economy."   SelfDesign also congratulates these other British Columbia educators named as PM Award winners:  Andrew Lum, North Delta Secondary School; Maryam Moayeri, West Vancouver Secondary School; Lorraine M. Baron, Mount Boucherie Secondary School, Kelowna; Briar Ballou, Handsworth Secondary School,  North Vancouver; Linda Beaven, Summerland Secondary School; Sharon Conrad,  Brookswood Secondary School Langley; James Cram, Ladysmith Secondary School; Don Hutchinson, Montgomery Middle School Coquitlam; Christina MacDonald, San Josef Elementary, Holberg;  Janet Williams, MacKenzie Secondary School, MacKenzie   contact information:  Brent Cameron,  970-372-1111 (Ft. Collins, Co); Michael Maser, 604-886-8783 (Gibsons); and Kathleen Forsythe through the SelfDesign office at  604-224-3640 (Vancouver);     for more information on the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence, go to: www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1437  - end • November 30, 2006 December Newsletter  - some excerpts - SelfDesign Learning Community (photo by Tim Fitzgerald) "What people really want, if it doesn't sound too soppy, is to live their love. Every day! Eat things because they love them, share food because they love to be with people. Just live out of love, love for beauty, love for truth, love for children and animals. It is our nature to live expansively and generously, not cautiously and calculatingly." -  from an interview with Jean Liedloff, author of 'The Continuum Concept"   Hello!   We hope this newsletter finds you well and easing into winter. December is a time for seeking and finding balance between the natural call to solitude and rest amidst a whirling social and economic season. In any event, we hope that you and your family enjoy the best that early winter has to offer, including activities like skating and skiing, playing and listening to music, reading, gathering with friends and family, and celebrating good fortunes.     Here are a few things we'd like to bring to your attention at this time: • Thanks  to all of you who participated in the recent Chautauqua event; in all there were 10-11 very active conferences and much robust conversation from as far away as India! We are leaving the conferences 'live' for the time being so that people can continue to answer a few dangling questions and catch up on conferences they haven't yet perused.  You may have also noticed or met a few people from beyond British Columbia. Indeed, we invited people from the 'Clonlara' Homeschooling program, based in Michigan but with a worldwide reach, to participate in this Chautauqua. SelfDesign has recently consulted to Clonlara and they are now using a similar 'Village'-oriented program for their learners. • Recent Ministry inspection   SelfDesign received a 'monitoring' inspection by the Independent Schools department in early November. This involved one inspector coming to review our records and program protocols, especially in light of the legislative changes wrought by Bill 33. We passed this inspection and are now considered a legitimate Independent DEL (Distributed Electronic Learning) Group 1 Independent school, according to the (revised) School Act of British Columbia (before, DEL programs were not covered by the School Act). - sincerely,  SelfDesign Executive • October 23, 2006 October Newsletter   - some excerpts   SelfDesign Learning Community 2006 "Learning and teaching unfold through time, space and place forming a path through life. It is a simple fact, basic to human nature yet, elegantly complicated in its expression. ... We have to facilitate our children and ourselves in that ancient journey to find our face (to understand our true character), to find our heart (to understand appreciate the passions that move and energize our life), to find a foundation (work that allows us to fully express our potential and our greatest fulfillment), and to become a complete man or woman (to find our Life and appreciate the spirit that moves us)."       - Gregory Cajete, 'Look to the Mountain' Learning from the Master: Renowned native artist Bradley Hunt sharing tips and strategies with SelfDesigners         Hello!    Well, the frost has arrived on the pumpkin, hasn't it?  With the arrival of fall has come the time for tugging on sweaters and boots, hiking back roads and country trails, splashing in puddles, checking out countless natural changes and, of course, planning for winter ahead. September was, indeed, a very busy month in SelfDesign, as we hustled to complete many, many chores. Turning the calendar into October, our enrollment stabilized around 450 learners, representing a small increase over last year. We are still accepting a few new learners if you know of people who may be interested in joining the program. We hope you are off to a good start in your year and that you have established a positive working relationship with your Learning Consultant. Please remember that you can bring issues to the attention of the SelfDesign Executive at any time – we are here to help you. Below are a few additional items we wish to share with you: • Village Etiquette Please remember that the intention in our Village is to come together, young and old, to share what's in our hearts. It is a unique experience (experiment?) that is strengthened by diverse opinions and insights. At the same time this experience is also fragile, exposed for anyone to contribute anything, and limited by our use of language which can only ever approximate what we are truly thinking and feeling. Nonetheless, we have enjoyed four exceptional years of conversing in our virtual Village and we wish to continue providing a relatively safe environment for exchange. Indeed, younger learners new to the Village may post something that others consider inappropriate. We like to use such experiences as opportunities for learners to gain a broader understanding of other opinions and perspectives. Many of you have shared in this kind of stewardship and we thank you for it.   •  SelfDesign Chautauqua, Monday October 30th – Sunday November 5th        Get ready for our first Chautauqua of the year. As described in our Family Handbook, a ‘Chautauqua' conference is a week-long event, based in the SelfDesign Village, designed to share specialized knowledge and nurture discussion. When a Chatauqua is scheduled, anyone can offer to host a workshop or conference (for example, in ‘nurturing reading’ or ‘beginning guitar’ or ‘raising animals’) and people interested in that particular conference/workshop agree to participate. Our past Chatauquas have reflected the abundant knowledge and creativity among our learners and families. They’re fun!   • SelfDesigning in the Kootenays In the fall of 1982 a little girl was sitting on a swing on a sunny warm morning. When the recess bell rang she realized that she did not really want to go into the school, she realized that she could not do the things she wanted to do when she wanted to do them. The little girl was Ilana Cameron, and I (Brent) am her father. That was effectively the start of Wondertree. The next year when I asked her if she wanted to go to Grade 1, she asked me if school was like kindergarten. She then asked me if I would be her teacher and if we could keep doing the kinds of things we had been doing since she was born. Wondertree was founded on children's natural enthusiasm to learn and SelfDesign is the idea that we are each creating ourselves through our living experiences. Now almost 25 years later I met with about 40 parents in the town of Wynndel BC, near the town of Creston, parents at the same school that my daughter walked away from. Due to declining enrolment and budget considerations there is a possibility that the Wynndel community school could be closed and that the children in Wynndel would have to bus to the school in nearby Creston. The parents have been looking around for another solution and have, after many of them reading the SelfDesign book, a desire to start a Wondertree-SelfDesign Learning Community. They can become the twin for the Wondertree Centre in Vancouver and will probably start up as a Learning Circle within the SelfDesign Learning Community. With this in mind I have invited them to be part of our community this year to learn more about SelfDesigning and home learning as we practice it together. They would have their own conference in the Village, and access to the Wondertree Centre conference so that they can learn how that is done, and they would like to be part of our larger community. So with your support I would like to welcome the 10 or 15 founding families into our community.  - Brent Cameron   - thank you,   SelfDesign Executive Team • September 21, 2006 September Newsletter   - some excerpts   SelfDesign Learning Community 2006 love is a place                                 yes is a world & through this place of                                 & in this world of love move                                       yes live (with brightness of peace)              (skillfully curled) all places                                              all worlds.      - ee cummings, 'Love is a place'         Hello!    What an inspiring poem by ee cummings, reminding us that September in SelfDesign is a month of YES! shaped by our love for our children. In September we say YES! to supporting learning guided by enthusiasm, wonder and delight. Like any authentic adventure worth embracing, our SelfDesigning is also characterized by mystery and not-knowing what lies in the future. Of course it's also perfectly natural to feel some trepidation as you renew your family's commitment to SelfDesigning, or if you are beginning it anew. After all, if we already knew what our learning journeys had in store for us, then how would we grow and learn through our journeying?! Notwithstanding the 'potholes' that will surely come your way through your SelfDesigning we urge you to be optimistic at the outset of your journey. Optimism, says Dr. Martin Seligman in his remarkable book, Learned Optimism, How to change your mind and your life, is good for us, it's more fun, and it will empower you and your children with a greater sense of resiliency when being challenged. With the arrival of this newsletter (which we will provide to you monthly, throughout the year) we hope that you and your family are off to a successful and satisfying start on your year. At this time, we also have a few items to share with you: • Off and Running - September launch report         People, Program - Whew, from our side of the boat, we are glad to have launched this year and put the uncertainty of  Bill 33 changes aside!  We've got some great ideas for the coming year, we're delighted to have so many returning families and Learning Consultants, and we're really pleased to have so many talented new Learning Consultants joining our team, too. With respect to enrollment, we are presently very close to our desired enrollment of 450 learners. With only a few spaces remaining we are anticipating soon having a wait-list.         One thing that we are excited about for this coming year is integrating some of the most recently-evolved technological approaches in  support of our learning praxis; namely, video-streaming, video-conferencing and pod-casting, all of which hold great promise. We'll begin our experimenting in earnest after the dust settles from our start-up and when we are confident that you are comfortable using the technology at your personal computers. We are also preparing to procure a new server in the coming weeks that will enable us to optimally support such technological applications. • Village News - in case you haven't noticed, the SelfDesign Village is alive and buzzing with movie reviews, recipes, Big Fat Opinions, jokes, and tips and sage advice on all manner of things! To newcomers, we suggest that rather than trying to keep up (impossible!), that you explore the complete Village and then identify a couple of favourite conferences to watch and contribute to when you're feeling comfortable. With your children, if they are of an age, we suggest you tour the Village with them and reach agreement on how they should manage their own 'Village Life'. Do check in regularly with them to share your experiences and thoughts, and please review the Village Handbook together on protocols and policies. • SelfDesigning in India and Pennsylvania - Did you know ... there are a couple of remarkable learning programs in both India and Pennsylvania that greatly resemble SelfDesign? We didn't until recently, but we have made contact with, and learned about Shiksantar, an Indian institute advancing Swaraj or 'self-rule' in the style of Gandhi, to "to lead and create models of development that are holistic, pluralistic, sustainable, liberating, collaborative, socially just, and anticipatory," (see www.swaraj.org for more details)*. As well, we have learned about Open Connections based just outside Philadelphia,  whose mission since 1975 has been "to provide opportunities for young people to develop their foundation for a purposeful, fulfilling and self-directed life  (see www.openconnections.org/ for more details).  It's always gratifying to know that others are walking their path guided by similar principles! - thank you,   SelfDesign Executive Team • August 30th, 2006 SelfDesign completes August workshop-training for Learning Consultant team In anticipation of the start of its 5th year of operation in British Columbia, SelfDesign recently completed a workshop-training for its Learning Consultant team nearby to Gibsons on BC's Sunshine Coast. This year's 'Collaboratory' featured comprehensive training for 18 new Learning Consultants joining the SelfDesign team and a very enjoyable gathering with approximately 30 experienced Learning Consultants returning to work in the program. New procedures were reviewed, especially a new way of paying for family learning resources and services, and many exciting discussions and presentations on nurturing learning rounded out the 4-day event. Much thanks to Scouts Canada for use of Camp Byng for our retreat, as well as to many supporting family members who helped make this event the success it was. SelfDesign, an innovative, online Independent school certified in the province of British Columbia, values and validates holistic, emergent learning. For the coming year SelfDesign is anticipating enrolling approximately 450 learners in its BC-based program. Hope to see everybody again in 2007! - end