CQ Director's blog

Camp Spotlight: Camp Quest Oklahoma - New this year!

Submitted by CQ Director on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 14:26

Camp Quest OklahomaGet to Know Camp Quest Oklahoma

by Mary Eversole, Camp Director CQ Oklahoma

Camp Quest Oklahoma is proud to be among the newest of Camp Quest locations. We will be holding a week long residential camp from June 24th-30th  in Chouteau, Oklahoma.

We are very excited to bring Camp Quest Oklahoma to the central part of the United States. Registration is still available with limited space.  We hope you can be a part of Camp Quest Oklahoma 2012.  Help us spread the word about a great summer camp dedicated to fun, friends, and freethought!

Our host camp, Camp Waluhili, is an ACA accredited Campfire USA camp with certified and licensed instructors and educators. Nestled on the shores of scenic Fort Gibson Lake, just 45 minutes from Tulsa, Camp Waluhili has been providing the ultimate camping experience for over 60 years.  » Read more

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Camp Spotlight: Camp Quest New England Weekend

Submitted by CQ Director on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 07:16

Camp Quest New England LogoGet to know Camp Quest New England

by Azure Hansen, Assistant Camp Director CQ New England

Camp Quest New England is happy to be among the newest of Camp Quest locations. We will be holding a weekend camp this July in Connecticut on the lovely Long Island Sound. We’ll be staying on the campus of Connecticut College, which allows us access to some great facilities, including a 750 acre arboretum, pool, sporting equipment, and (hopefully!) advanced science equipment.

Our camp director is a middle school teacher and published children’s book author, poet and cartoonist. He visited Camp Quest Chesapeake for a few days last year and the campers (and staff) there simply adored him. Most of our staff is involved with humanist groups in Connecticut, which is how this alliance to start a Camp Quest in New England was formed. Many of our staff have many years of summer camp experience, and our two staff members from New York state were part of Camp Quest Chesapeake’s inaugural session. » Read more

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Camp Spotlight: Camp Quest Montana Family Camp

Submitted by CQ Director on Mon, 04/30/2012 - 12:50

Camp Quest MontanaGet to Know Camp Quest Montana

by Chantal Yacavone, Camp Director CQ Montana

Camp Quest Montana (MT) proudly joined the Camp Quest network in the summer of 2011. We share Camp Quest’s mission of community building and providing a setting in which those of freethinking, atheist, agnostic, humanist, and non-theistic families can share and explore their developing worldviews in an environment supportive of critical thinking. Camp Quest MT is unique, however, as the only week long family summer camp in the Camp Quest network. » Read more

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$50,000 match means your support goes twice as far!

Submitted by CQ Director on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 12:16

Fun at Camp QuestAll donations to Camp Quest up to $50,000 will be matched dollar for dollar by the Stiefel Freethought Foundation from February 7th until the end of 2012! 

Why donate?  Camp Quest provides an amazing week of fun, friends, and freethought for hundreds of children.  We are growing by leaps and bounds with new camps launching in Arizona, New England, Oklahoma, and Washington State, but we are still barely keeping up with demand.  Each year we have kids on waiting lists to get into camp. We need your support in order to bring Camp Quest to more campers through launching new locations and helping our current camps grow.  This year that support counts double thanks to the generosity of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation!  You can donate to Camp Quest online!  

Here's what some of our campers had to say when we asked them, "What have you learned at Camp Quest?"

"Camp Quest helps me remember that there are other people my age who think like I do."

"To be kind to others of different beliefs."

"...to be a leader, about photography, different plants, about the oil spill, and many other things."

"That it's okay to be myself."

 » Read more

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Bring the kids to the Reason Rally!

Submitted by CQ Director on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 09:52

This March, join us in DC for a long weekend of secular fun for the whole family!Reason Rally! » Read more

  • On Saturday, March 24th join us at the Reason Rally, on the National Mall in Washington, DC.  This free celebration is going to be the largest gathering the secular community has ever seen.  Tim Minchin, Bad Religion, Adam Savage, and a host of other great speakers and bands will be there, and so will Camp Quest!  Come find us at the Camp Quest tent where we'll have craft projects, and games for all ages.  We'll also have plenty of information on how you can sign up for a Camp Quest session this summer.
  • If you can get there a day early, join us on Friday, March 23rd for the Lobby Day for Reason.
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Still finishing that Holiday Shopping?

Submitted by CQ Director on Thu, 12/22/2011 - 09:45

Looking for gifts for skeptically-inclined kids and adults this holiday season?  Here are a few of our favorite things:

Books

  • Charlie's Playhouse has an excellent guide to help you find great evolution-related books for kids of all ages!
  • The Magic of Reality written by Richard Dawkins and illustrated by Dave McKean is a can't miss book for bringing science to readers of all ages.  Younger kids will enjoy the illustrations, and experiencing the book with their parents. Older children, teens, and adults alike will find much to learn, and will enjoy the illustrations too!  There is also an iPad app for the book.
  • Christopher Phillips over at the Society for Philosophical Inquiry has great books for kids and adults interested in philosophy.  Socrates Café is our favorite for adults, and The Philosophers' Club is our favorite for kids.
  • We loved Logicomix, a graphic novel about Bertrand Russell and the quest for the foundations of mathmatics.  This one is best for adults or high school students and older.

Stuff Other Than Books

Stuff Other Than Stuff

 » Read more

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Christopher Hitchens' Reading List for Camp Questers

Submitted by CQ Director on Fri, 12/16/2011 - 15:08

Back in October, Christopher Hitchens met Mason, a camper at the Camp Quest Texas mini-camp at the Texas Freethought Convention, and he recommended some books for her to read.  Here are Hitch's recommendations:

  • Richard Dawkins, The Magic of Reality
  • Roman myths, particularly those compiled by Robert Graves
  • (anything satirical)
  • William Shakespeare (everything)
  • Geoffrey Chaucer
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Infidel, and Nomad
  • PG Wodehouse (for fun)
  • David Hume
  • Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

 » Read more

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Thank You Freethought Bloggers w/Bonus Crochet FSM!

Submitted by CQ Director on Wed, 09/14/2011 - 10:53

Crocheted Flying Spaghetti MonstersBack in May eleven intrepid bloggers joined forces to compete against PZ Myers and his horde of followers through a contest to raise money for Camp Quest.  The intrepid forces of Team Awesome defeated the Squidlord, but the real winner of the contest was Camp Quest! Between the work of the bloggers, donors, and the last minute matching offer from the Stiefel Freethought Foundation over $33,000 was raised for Camp Quest during the month-long contest!

We wanted to do something special to thank the bloggers, but what do you give to the paragons of the freethought blogosphere?  With the help of Sue Henry and Kelley Freeman, we found the perfect gift - hand crocheted Flying Spaghetti Monsters. » Read more

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Freethinking Internships for the Fall!

Submitted by CQ Director on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:18

Secular Coalition for America LogoTwo national partners of Camp Quest, the Secular Coalition for America and Foundation Beyond Belief are offering fall internships.  Camp Quest is proud to be one of the 10 member organziations of the Secular Coalition for America, and we're honored to have been selected as a beneficiary of Foundation Beyond Belief for the second year in a row.  If you're interested in getting more involved in the freethought community, these internships may be just the opporuntities you're looking for.

Foundation Beyond Belief LogoThe Foundation Beyond Belief Internship is a 28 week virtual internship requiring about 8 hours per week.

The Secular Coalition for America Internship is a 12 week part-time position in Washington, DC.

Deadlines are fast approching -- Foundation Beyond Belief's deadline is July 18th, and the Secular Coalition's deadline is July 22nd, so get more information and get your application in post haste! » Read more

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Love Freethought? Looking for Job?

Submitted by CQ Director on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 07:45

Secular Student Alliance LogoWe may have just the position for you! The Secular Student Alliance is hiring an event specialist.  The event specialist will work on projects for both Camp Quest and Secular Student Alliance. 

This full-time position will spend the summer split between projects for Camp Quest and the Secular Student Alliance, focusing largely on preparing for the Richard Dawkins October 2011 Speaking Tour and subsequent tour-related events.  This tour will involve university events hosted by SSA affiliates, independent university events, and family events organized by Camp Quest.  Following the October tour and subsequent tour-related events, the position will transition to focus on coordinating events for Secular Student Alliance affiliate groups, including headliner speaking tours, individual events and local events.

Learn more about the position, and submit your application materials to the Secular Student Alliance by July 10, 2011.

 » Read more

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