PNW Chautauqua 2009: September 14-18

Chautauqua [shu - taw - kwa] Noun. Seneca name meaning child. An educational and recreational gathering lasting five days. Oregon Chautauqua, named after the original event in NY State, is held at an
ocean retreat center near Lincoln City, Oregon. Founder, Kim and Mike Gordon, started another Chautaugua after moving to Oregon over 16 years ago. Today, the annual retreat is run by a group of volunteers and headed by Kim/Mike's daughter Haley who has been in every Chautaugua.

Joy is manifest, everywhere. Imagine a place (with rustic log cabins, lodge, hiking trails, firepits, and a sandy beach) where children are treated with respect by adults, where needs are met without disapproving stares, where delightful people of all ages laugh, cry, dance, play, create, reunite with old friends and make new ones, confront their fears, act silly, talk politics, celebrate for who they are, line up orderly, volunteerily, felicitously for breakfast and dinner, eager to share their chore duties almost daily, visit one another at all hours, greet each other in their paths with smiles, help with each others' kids, learn new ideas and put them to use right then, and feel completely at ease that this is a safe haven for kids with friends even if you have just met these strangers not too long ago.

Finally, parents are all in one place who understand that learning takes place in every situation, in different ways and resources. These are parents who actively practice to expand their horizons, to understand and discover on new levels, to watch and attest children as capable beings in making "good", "right" choices for themselves.

We would love to have you and your family join us. It is not restricted to PNWers. There are families from Connecticut and Canada who have been attending for years.

Blessings,
Sarah