Worldschooling: Homeschooling Away from Home

Abstract

Worldschooling is a form of home education, where travel takes the place of school. Worldschooling can be done alone, with family and friends, or more formally through a program called Project World School. The mission of Project World School is to provide learning retreats for adolescents and young adults with a strong emphasis on cooperative learning, co-creation, community, and social learning. This article is a review and analysis of the five retreats Project World School took in 2016, based on pre and post experience questionnaires filled out by the participants. A discussion of the challenges and benefits of worldschooling is also included within the article.

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International Journal of Education
ISSN 1948-5476
2017, Vol. 9, No. 1
http://ije.macrothink.org
186
Worldschooling: Homeschooling Away from Home
Gina Riley1,*
1Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, USA
*Corresponding author: Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, USA.
E-mail: griley@hunter.cuny.edu
Received: February 22, 2017 Accepted: March 11, 2017 Published: March 29, 2017
doi:10.5296/ije.v9i1.10798 URL: https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v9i1.10798
Abstract
Worldschooling is a form of home education, where travel takes the place of school.
Worldschooling can be done alone, with family and friends, or more formally through a
program called Project World School. The mission of Project World School is to provide
learning retreats for adolescents and young adults with a strong emphasis on cooperative
learning, co-creation, community, and social learning. This article is a review and analysis of
the five retreats Project World School took in 2016, based on pre and post experience
questionnaires filled out by the participants. A discussion of the challenges and benefits of
worldschooling is also included within the article.
Keywords: Alternative education, home education, worldschooling, travel, adolescents

International Journal of Education
ISSN 1948-5476
2017, Vol. 9, No. 1
http://ije.macrothink.org
187
1. Introduction
When those within the homeschooling and unschooling communities think of the term
Worldschooling, all roads lead to its’ unofficial founder, Lainie Liberti. Lainie is a former
corporate branding expert, who, in 2008, left her career to spend more time with her then 9
years old son, Miro. She closed her business, sold or gave away most of their possessions,
and started an adventure that became a lifestyle as well as an educational movement.
Worldschooling can be defined as experiencing the world as one’s classroom. It is a form of
home education, where travel takes the place of school. Worldschooling can be done alone,
with family and friends, or more formally through Liberti’s program called Project World
School. Project World School is a 2 – 4 week retreat program open to adolescents and young
adults ages 13 – 25. These 2 – 4 week retreats cost approximately 2,500 – 4, 000 USD,
depending on the location, and include the participant’s lodging, food, workshops, attractions,
lectures, and classes. The cost of international flights to get to and from the retreat location is
not covered.
The mission of Project World School is to provide learning retreats for adolescents and young
adults with a strong emphasis on cooperative learning, co-creation, community, and social
learning. The retreats themselves focus on offering a deeper cultural immersion that differs
from a regular tourist experience. Each retreat offers the opportunity for a past participant to
participate as a volunteer in a future retreat, providing teen and young adult participants with
intense group facilitation and leadership experience (Lainie Liberti, personal communication,
January 24, 2017).
In 2016, Project World School organized five retreats, serving 40 worldschooling teens and
young adults. Before and after each retreat, each participant filled out a pre and post
experience survey. The pre experience survey was a short questionnaire which asked
questions about expectations regarding their chosen trip, as well as how participants planned
to document their learning during the trip. The post experience survey was more in depth, and
asked about most memorable and least memorable experiences, what participants learned
during their adventure, and level of motivation during different aspects of the trip.
Participants were also asked for suggestions in order to improve the Project World School
experience, as well as the types of retreats they would like to see Project World School host
in the future. It is the goal of this paper to summarize those pre and post retreat surveys, as
well as to share participant experiences regarding the retreats. Locations of the 2016 retreats
included: Mexico, the Amazon Jungle, Peru, Wales, and Thailand.
2. Mexico
Before the retreat in Mexico, held in February 2016, participants (N = 10) were given a
pre-retreat questionnaire, which asked about their perception of world schooling, expectations
for the trip, and how they would document the trip itself. Participants were clearly excited
about the opportunity they signed up for, and were ready to learn and grow during the
adventure ahead of them. As one participant stated:

International Journal of Education
ISSN 1948-5476
2017, Vol. 9, No. 1
http://ije.macrothink.org
188
“I’ve never really traveled anywhere, so frankly anything that I see, learn, or do will
probably feel like the most miraculous and interesting thing I’ve ever done in my entire life”.
Most participants indicated that they were most looking forward to deepening their
understanding of another culture, seeing things from different perspectives, and finding their
place in the world.
In the last days of the retreat, a post retreat survey was given to summarize and give closure
to participant experiences, and to assess what students will “bring back with them” from the
retreat. In Mexico, favorite activities included swimming with turtles in Akumal,
climbing/biking around Coba, visiting ruins, and learning about Mayan and Mexican culture.
Participants left motivated to know more about the writing process, philosophy, and
mythology. Challenges for one included not being able to be alone, and always needing to be
with another person. This particular participant expressed:
“I don’t really rest in bed, I do it out there in nature, being alone, so I can be more present
with myself. So I felt sorry for myself that the ocean was so close, and I couldn’t just go there
and look at the ocean. But I also understand that there was a reason for it, so I don’t know if
I would change anything. I just share what I struggled with”.
Although participants, because of safety reasons, don’t get much alone time, there is time for
group reflection during circle time. Circle time is an integral part of all Project World School
retreats. It is a chance for Project World School participants to reflect deeply on their day,
and gain information regarding the agenda for the next day. Lainie Liberti generally leads
circle time for the first week, and after the first week, any participant who would like to lead
circle time can, providing integral facilitation and group leadership experience. Circle time in
Mexico was especially noted as an important time of reflection for all participants.
3. Amazon Jungle
The Amazon Jungle retreat occurred in March of 2016, and included 8 worldschoolers.
Within the pre-experience survey, participants indicated an interest in being able to study
botany, mycology, the rainforest, and the Spanish language during the trip. Many planned to
keep a journal during the trip, and use photography as a way of documenting their
experiences.
In the post experience survey, participants reported most enjoying the night hikes, nature
walks, and experiencing the biodiversity of the Amazon Jungle. Participants also enjoyed
visiting Lima, Peru. Participants were less enthusiastic about the clay licks, and would have
wanted to experience a trip to Machu Pichu.
Learning was deep, long lasting, and relevant within the Amazon Jungle retreat. Participants
learned about mycology, botany, conservation, and bird behavior; and the history of the
Amazon. Participants also reported learning more about self care and wellness, and the
importance of hydrating, regular meals, and napping to catch up on sleep. Packing and
washing one’s own clothes was a life skill learned, as well as the importance of daily

International Journal of Education
ISSN 1948-5476
2017, Vol. 9, No. 1
http://ije.macrothink.org
189
meditation and connection with nature. In every post experience survey for every retreat
made, a feeling of acceptance and community was always listed as one of the most favorite
aspects of the retreat.
4. Cusco and Sacred Valley
Project World School’s third retreat of 2016 was held in Cusco and Sacred Valley, Peru. Nine
worldschoolers participated. It was a more expensive retreat, with the cost of the retreat
approximately 3,900 USD. Pre-experience, participants wanted to learn about the medicinal
uses of plants in Peru, and the history and culture of Peru. The post experience survey
indicated that students also learned skills such as money conversion, budgeting, and weaving.
5. Wales
Project World School’s fourth retreat was held between August and September of 2016 in
Wales. The Wales retreat had 6 participants, with an average age of 18. Most of the
participants in the Wales retreat were unschooled their whole life, and found out about
Project World School through Lainie’s son, Miro; or through searching “alternatives to
school” on the internet. Pre-experience, participants on this retreat looked forward to tapping
into their intrinsic motivation to learn and grow through the travel experience; and stated they
were looking forward to learning about farming, beekeeping, and facilitation skills. During
the retreat, participants engaged in the building of a roundhouse, hiking, foraging and
farming.
Post retreat, participants wished they could have experienced bread and cheese making, but
also reported many new areas of interest including sustainable living, fire starting, foraging,
farming, and cooking. In terms of learning, one participant stated:
“I now know that I can travel by myself. I’m more aware about differences in native English
speakers throughout the world. In many ways (this retreat) has shown me how much
healthier life can be”.
6. Thailand
Project World School’s last retreat for 2016 was held in November in Thailand. The average
age of participants on this retreat was 16.33. Two out of seven participants were unschooled
their whole lives, others had some years of formal schooling. Participants on this retreat
found out about Project World School from Facebook, word of mouth, and unschooling
groups. Information from the pre-retreat survey indicated that most participants joined the
retreat to travel, and engage in fun and interesting experiences.
Post experience, activities that participants found most interesting included rock climbing,
Muay Thai, Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Learning progress was monitored by journaling, self

International Journal of Education
ISSN 1948-5476
2017, Vol. 9, No. 1
http://ije.macrothink.org
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reflection, and enjoying the moment. Participants reported gaining knowledge about the
power of prayer and meditation, Buddhist and Muslim peoples and practices, batik painting,
and Thai household and cultural norms. Participants also strongly felt that their perspective of
the world, and themselves, had changed as a result of their Project World School experience.
As one participant expressed:
“My experience with Project Word School has given me a much needed spring in my step! I
have a significantly higher level of confidence coming off the retreat. It is easier for me to
confidently say YES now after watching myself excel as a volunteer, especially on the days
when I was feeling down, and on the days when self doubt crept up the most. I still did what I
needed to do, and I did it well”.
7. Community and Project World School
It is important to note that within every post experience survey, participants mentioned how
powerful being part of the Project World School community was for them. Participants felt
nurtured, mentored, supported, and embraced in each and every retreat. That power of
community was something they wanted to bring back to their everyday lives as well.
8. Conclusion
After completion of the data analysis aspect of this project, I asked Lainie what she saw as
the benefits of being part of Project World School. She responded:
“Besides the feeling of being connected to one’s own internal ability to learn in real
time….the love of learning is absolutely experienced through world schooling. As an
unschooler who worldschools, I can see in real time, learning that covers every single
academic subject (language, arts, history, science, etc.)….I also see so many experiential
“soft skills” being honed in through travel. Examples run far and wide….learning patience,
teamwork, leadership, service, compassion, critical thinking, problem solving, self reliance,
vast social interaction with people of all ages and walks of life, and being able to have a
voice to advocate for oneself” (Lainie Liberti, personal communication, January 24, 2017).
The challenges of worldschooling were also discussed. Major challenges of worldschooling
include time, cost, and fear of travel or exploration. Another challenge is being tempted to
“force” learning during travel, and not realizing that learning happens naturally and
organically. The biggest challenge, however, lies in having the outside world see world
schooling as a legitimate form of education.
Despite this challenge, Project World School and the Worldschooling movement is gaining
considerable traction as a viable alternative to traditional education. Each and every year,
more teens, young adults, and their families register for Project World School retreats or
engage in a worldschooling adventure of their own, knowing that “a mind that is stretched by
a new experience can never go back to it’s own dimensions” (Holmes, 1858).

International Journal of Education
ISSN 1948-5476
2017, Vol. 9, No. 1
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References
Holmes, O.W. (1858). Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. Boston: Phillips, Samson & Co.
Liberti, L., & Siegel, M. (2016, April 21). Unschooling: Making the world our classroom.
(Video File). Retrieved on November 20, 2016 from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH-kQJ10WWo
Smart, L. (2016). Report on the benefits of worldschooling. Retrieved on December 1, 2016
from https://wanderingwithmywillowtree.wordpress.com/
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