Homegrown Children, Homeschooling Network and Summerfest on Bornholm, Denmark

Last year I wrote a post about a Homeschool Gathering in Sicily and now I want to share my experience meeting the network of families on the Danish island Bornholm, who raise their children at home.

There's around ten families connected to the network, which has no direct set rules or values other than for non-institutionalised children to meet up twice a week to play and their families to come together, but all the members share some values of freedom and putting the well being of the children before career or any personal gains.

There are also inspirations from the Continuum Concept and a wish to be responsible for the raising and growing up of the children. That the raising and most of the waking hours of the child is not being given over to "strangers" and institutions, but kept with the parents who love the child and can give the full support, attention and care the individual child needs.

Most of the children in the group at this moment are under school age, but some are home schooled or unschooled and almost all of the other families wishes to home school their children. The idea is to create a network for support and community between the families, because the choice to keep the children home from school is a big responsibility that almost all the families wouldn't wish to stand alone with. The network can create strong bonds and a sense of community between the children to grow and learn in, on their own terms and times.

The wish to keep the children from school has many roots, but furthermost it's a wish for the children to have the opportunity to learn in their own times in their own ways, surrounded by people who truly cares for them. A chance for them to dig down into the very unique things that interests them and create strong, individual skills.

There is a deep trust that the children have the ability and drive to learn, especially when it is not forced. That they don't have to sit down and be quiet in order to learn what this world has to offer and that they will and want to be a part of the world and understand it. And we want to encourage them, not push or force. To cultivate happiness and encourage their natural curiosity.

The group has an open meetup every Monday and Thursday morning, where usually 3 to 5 mothers meet up with their children and either go to the forest, the beach, a museum, some event or just in one of the member's garden. But last week we all met up for a Summer Party / Sommerfest, where more families came, also with the fathers who usually don't attend the weekly meetups. We were around 40 people (all the pictures (apart from one) are from the party), who had an early children friendly and vegan meal together - everybody brought something to the table - and just enjoyed a good time together.

There were also 2 families coming from Sweden, to attend the party and meet the people. Currently 3 Swedish families are now considering moving to Bornholm and join the community, since home schooling is illegal in Sweden.
Denmark is actually quite good for home schooling. The law is quite loose. There is compulsory education in Denmark and it has to be supervised or followed somehow, but then it is actually up to the different communes how and how much they want to do that.
The law about home schooling is merely two paragraphs under the "Friskolelov" ; "The Free School Law" that says that parents can educate their children at home, they just have to announce it to the commune before school start and then the council can make yearly tests and/or supervision. And "When the local council estimates that the teaching is sound, it may exempt supervision."
If the teaching is not considered satisfying after several test though, the children will have to attend a public or private school.
Friskoleloven is written into the Danish Constitution.

It has been really inspiring to meet this group of people who wants something different for their children. Something better. We are in a time where more and more people open their eyes to the possibility that maybe the 'system' and the way we have been doing things so far is not necessarily the best way. We see it in nature and climate, we see it in public health. Children with diagnoses on medicine and their parents going down with stress.
These families are a part of a wider movement that searches for values and meaning that cannot be counted in money and so called "success", but felt in happiness, love and true well being.
We want a happier, healthier and more beautiful world for our children to be in, with richer nature and richer personalities. We want our children to be able to choose when, how and who they want to be. To listen to their own minds and hearts instead of being fed the same thing at the same time and in the same way as every other child now and every one before them.

They will probably need just a couple of very different, new ways to approach the mess their ancestors has left for them! Let's trust them!

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