FrEquently Asked Questions
What is New Culture?
What is Unique About New Culture Camps?
No Gurus and No Dogma. We've found that no single human technology or practice can encompass the human experience; our goal is to build a *culture* in which insights drawn from many sources are common knowledge, *available* but not imposed. We bring in many new presenters every year, and the result is that our participants have a huge pool of technologies and practices to draw from. Each person is fully "at choice" in any of our events, and each person is free to use the insights and practices that work best for them.
Gather for an Extended Period of Time.
Many of us have been consciously involved with the personal growth process for years; but we have seen that most people struggle to be able to incorporate those processes into their daily lives. Our camp is long so that there is time for real issues to come up -- i.e., relationships form and shift, people push their edges, folks get upset at each other. Campers support each other to work through these issues in new ways. As a result, in the words of one of our participants from last year, "Ideas become practiced ways of being."
Group Practices
Supporting Transparency and Understanding.
Most of these are created and facilitated by campers. We have morning whole group check-ins, evening "family group" time, an all-volunteer "compassion cadre," and self-organized work teams.
Results.
Powerful and long-lasting. People change their lives as a result of camp - new jobs, new communities, new projects. Most participants wind up connected with other participants on an ongoing basis.
Caveat.
Besides being a wonderful escape from some of society's repressive social constraints, New Culture Camps can be an intense personal and interpersonal experience. As such, it offers opportunities and challenges to face our own innermost inconsistencies, insecurities, and instabilities, and to encounter and respond to those of others. Be aware that not every situation may be to your liking, and that you are always at choice to participate or not. Traditionally, many campers practice multiple loving relationships. However, New Culture Camp is a place where all relationship choices and orientations are honored equally.
Transparency and Honesty
I see that you value transparency and radical honesty. Do I have to tell everyone everything?
Transparency and radically honest communication means being open to verbalize anything that is in your heart, including the parts that you are most reluctant to verbalize. And radical honesty comes under a higher rule, namely, being at choice. So we support you being at choice as to whether you want to be a little honest, radically honest, or not honest at all. At the same time, we suggest that you be aware that radical honesty is one of our core values.
We are also unique in the emphasis we place on safety, mutual respect, kindness, nurturing, compassion, intimacy, transparency, radical honesty, choice, non-violence, equality, acceptance, active listening, and community building. We do ask that campers confine their personal sexual activity to the privacy of their own tents.
Intimacy
I heard from a friend, who hasn't actually ever been to camp, that the camp is called a "sex camp". Is this just a rumor? Is everyone being intimate with everyone else all the time? What can I expect?
Most workshops and exercises offered at camp are entirely non-sexual. And you will find that the degree of sexual interest at camp runs a full spectrum. For many of us, sex isn't that big of an attraction. And for some of us, sexual exploration is a natural consequence of an environment where intimate heart-centered connections are encouraged and supported.
If any attendee chooses to think sexy thoughts or engage in sexy activities (alone or with others), we have no rule against this, but this is limited to certain times and places, so everyone is at choice. Neither are many attendees likely to have much cultural programming against this. In this way we are somewhat unique.
Occasionally there are also guided safer-sex oriented activities like sensual and erotic touch, Tantric exercises, etc. These events, like all camp events, are entirely optional.
Weather and land
What's the weather like? There is no usual weather here, and temperatures are typically in the 80's (27 C.) Nighttime temps can range from 70's to 60's.
Will I have time to explore Hawai'i? Not really, during the camp. Unless you bring your own car and skip some of the programs. The events happen in rural areas that require a bit of time driving to get to most sites of interest. If you are new to Hawai'i, plan to arrive early or stay later on the island to explore.
Is it likely to rain? Yes. Sometimes very intensely. This is a tropical rainforest, and the nearby city, HIlo, has the highest rainfall of any city in the US. It is warm rain, and not constant, with frequent sunny periods. And sometimes it only rains at night! Come prepared to get wet.
What clothes should I bring? Bring your cool clothes for those hot days (80s), something a bit warmer for the cooler (typically mid 70s to high 60s) evenings, and something even warmer for the occasional chilly night. By all means, bring fun clothes to dress up in, dance in, party in, be COMFORTABLE in, spend some time in, or not!