The Ripple Effect

by Joshua Zader  

It's been two weeks since the closing ceremonies for our camp in Slovakia, providing time and perspective to reflect on the unusual opportunities we found there. This was my second camp so far, after my first earlier this year in Armenia. Both were exciting, and this one had taken place each year for the past five years. With such well-established logistics, there was even more time to relax and mingle with students.

My strongest impression is just how unique it feels to connect with young people from this part of the world. I taught off and on for six years as a grad student at a large Southwestern university in the United States, and have always enjoyed the enthusiasm students feel about ideas and the many possibilities of life.

In Eastern Europe, however, students are uniquely cognizant of how much collectivism and centralized planning have affected not just society or public life, but their own lives and that of their families. They're hungrier to explore the real nature of social and economic freedom, which eliminates an entire layer of postmodern intellectual malaise in which American students have been steeped since grade school. We can really feel how much the ideas matter, here.

The camps also provide phenomenal opportunities for networking. The fact that free market ideas are so rare in this part of the world makes the chance to meet like-minded individuals that much more enjoyable. While most students at this camp were from Slovakia, some were from surrounding countries, including Serbia, Croatia, and Belarus. I overheard a few students speaking with Glenn and Astrid about organizing similar camps in their hometowns and, in fact, this seems to be the primary way that the camps have consistently multiplied: Students experience first-hand that this is something their friends would enjoy as well.

Of course, not all countries in the region provide such hospitable environments for a liberty camp. Belarus, for example, has the distinction of being Europe's last true dictatorship. At this camp we had three students from Belarus and, as they explained one afternoon over lunch, their conference facilities have a mysterious way of being booked solid for weeks at a time, any time someone tries to organize an event with even a vaguely pro-liberty theme. Instead, as an interim solution, one of the students has invited me to give a more informal talk there to audiences who she believes will be particularly receptive to our ideas.

And in this way, the ripple effects of these camps have been quite pronounced: through the enthusiasm of students, camps beget more camps. The students are excited not only about the ideas, but the opportunity to hone their grasp of English. That excitement then reinforces the experience that we're doing some of the most meaningful work imaginable, for those of us who understand the importance of freedom and what a powerful effect it can have on our lives.     

A World Citizen -- The PT Lifestyle

by Andy Eyschen, LLI co-founder and Director

During introduction time at our camps, it often emerges that I have been leading a "PT" lifestyle for some 18 years. "PT" stands for Permanent Tourist, or Perpetual Traveler, or a World Citizen, and implies that I am constantly on the go, traveling from one country to another, not staying long in any country, and not having a fixed address. This is all true, but the PT lifestyle encompasses much more than mere travel, and many students ask me privately what it is all about.

What is a PT?

As mentioned above, a PT or Permanent Tourist is an individual who does not have official residency in any country and is therefore a "tourist" by definition. Most countries define residency as having a fixed address and spending more than 182 days in any calendar year in the same country. Of course, residency is not the same as citizenship and, in theory at least, you can be a tourist in your own country provided you don't stay longer than 182 days. Most PTs, myself included, do not spend much time in the country of their citizenship (passport). Having at least 2 passports means that you can be a tourist anywhere.

Who can be a PT?

If you are independently wealthy and do not need to work at all, it is easy to be a PT, a year-round tourist. You just need to love traveling and not hang around too long in any one place.

If you do need to earn a living it is much harder to be a PT and you would probably belong to or have one of the following professions: consultant, writer, speaker, actor, project manager, deal maker, international salesman, journalist, or other independent professional that is not bound to a physical place to perform his or her duties. The internet has been a great boon for PTs and enables a virtual presence through the power of technology.

(Stay tuned for part 2 of this article in our September issue)

LLI is an exciting organization to work for. Every day, we work with partners, sponsors, teachers and students worldwide to create experiences that shape views and change lives. What we impart, through our Liberty English Camps, are the skills, courage and determination to live a freer life.

 Currently, we need some extra hands to help us with marketing and communications. If you are studying communications, marketing, creative writing, graphic/web design, or just have some experience and talent in these areas, please consider our

internship postings.  

(These are volunteer, unpaid positions.) 

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