All Star II Family Conference 2012

Dates: July 7- 14, 2012 (Saturday to Saturday)

Chairs: Nate & Stephanie Hubbard, allstar2conference@gmail.com, 310-345-1301

Renewal on the rocks...

Discover the magic as we gather with family and friends on an Island ten miles out to relax, reflect and renew. During All Star II, young and old will awake to the sounds of ocean and gulls, marvel at the diversity of flora and fellow Shoalers, and close each day with an inspirational candlelight service in Star's historic stone chapel. Hours in between are filled with sports, art, music, rowing, theatre, dancing, reading, friendship, and a thought-provoking lecture series, or simply relaxing in a porch rocker at the Oceanic Hotel, communing with one's self, one's family, and old and new friends. Morning and afternoon children's programs led by our wonderful and expert staff offer creative fun for the kids. Gather with us in 2012 for laughter, friendship and spiritual renewal.

Enjoy talks on the rocks and walks on the rocks; painting and dancing; kids and games and classes and stories, choirs and colors of evening. Tennis and softball and Frisbees and kites; speakers and singers, pickers and players and sitting and knitting. Brains and brawn, exhilaration and meditation; swimming and volleyball, expectation, exhaustion, and showering. The sun, the gulls, the moon, the stars; candles and sandals, soothing and singing, and the grass and the flowers; the ocean, the sails, the masts and the waves, and the porch and the friends, oh the friends. Rocking and reading and listening. Join us!

New for 2012: Become a fan of All Star II on Facebook!

Read about Star Island in the Boston Globe

2012 conference theme and guest speaker: "Transitions: Building Resilience in Changing Times." with Philip Ackerman-Leist

If there is anything certain about our future it is this: we are entering a period of rapid change—so rapid, in fact, that it’s unprecedented. All around us, our environment, resources, financial systems, and political systems are in chaos. And unlike many generations before us, we don’t have a clear view of what’s in store for ourselves and our families, or how to prepare for it. But there’s a silver lining to the dark clouds: all the disruptions we’re experiencing give us a chance to make a transition—to build the kind of communities, and the kind of world, in which we want to live.

Many of us are facing change in our personal lives, too. Some of us may be seeing our nests grow empty as children grow older. Others may be just starting families, facing retirement, launching new careers, or—in these rough economic times—leaving old ones. There are so many ways our lives shift. Change does not have to be frightening. It can lead to renewal.

That’s why our 2012 All Star Family II theme is Transitions: Building Resilience in Changing Times. During the week guest speaker Philip Ackerman-Leist will show us how communities are banding together to build resilience--creating local food systems that can sustain them; developing plans for secure, safe and renewable energy supplies; strengthening their local economies; discovering simplicity; and reconnecting with neighbors in whole new ways.

Ackerman-Leist teaches environmental studies at Green Mountain College, where he directs the Farm and Food Project. He is also author of Up Tunket Road, the inspiring, honest and at times humorous account of his own efforts to build a sustainable life. For seven years he and his wife lived without electricity or running water in an old cabin in the beautiful but remote hills of western New England. Slowly forging their own farm and homestead, they took inspiration from their experiences among the mountain farmers of the Tirolean Alps and were guided by their Vermont neighbors, who taught them about what it truly means to live sustainably--not only to survive, but to thrive in a fragmented landscape and a fractured economy. Ackerman-Leist is also author of an upcoming book on how to build local food systems.

All Star II 2012 Minister of the Week: our very own Megan Kelly

We are delighted to announce our 2012 Minister of the Week: long-time All Star II shoaler Megan Kelly. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, Megan graduated with a degree in Religious Studies from Connecticut College followed by a Master's in Divinity from Harvard Divinity School. Her participation in All Star II since the age of six played an integral role in Megan's decision to pursue ministry. She furthered her training by completing a yearlong residency in clinical pastoral education at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. In 2006 Megan was ordained by her home congregation in Paramus, NJ. For several years Megan served as a chaplain specializing in pediatrics, oncology and end-of-life care. Currently Megan works in healthcare and has begun work in addictions ministry. Megan continues to be inspired by the spirit embodied in the beloved community of Star Island. She is honored to serve as Minister of the Week and looks forward to being with friends, old and new.

Throughout the week—in evening candle light chapels, or just rocking on the porch—shoalers as well as our minister of the week will also lead discussions on personal transitions and personal resilience. And, as always, our children will enjoy our fabulous children’s program, complete with art and music instruction, visits to the marine lab and nearby Smuttynose Island, and plenty of time for a variety of fun activities, such as the Children’s Stunt Show and the Great People Hunt. We hope you and your family will join us for an unforgettable week.

Registration, fees and information

A room & board deposit of $200 for each adult or child who will be 6 years of age or over as of July 7, 2012 is due with registration. Also, a conference fee of $100 per adult (age 18 as of July 7, 2012) and $85 per child (age 0 to 18), up to $370 per family, is due with registration. You cannot be registered for the conference until a completed registration form and a check for the correct amount is received. When registering, please combine the room & board deposit and the conference fee into one check. $10 of each individual's conference fee will be donated to the Ginny Levine Shoalership Fund (up to $40 per family). Additional donations to this financial aid fund are welcome.

Each 18+ child out of high school must register separately. Registrations postmarked on or before March 10, 2012 will be given priority. Registrations postmarked after March 10 will be accepted, space available. The room & board deposit and conference fee are refundable until May 15, 2012. All letters, (acceptance, waitlist, volunteer job, boat letter, etc), will be sent via email, so please remember to include your email address when registering.

New this year! Helpful fee calculator: For assistance tallying your check amount, try the new fee calculator.

How to make out the check: Please submit ONE CHECK payable to “All Star II Conference”.

Registrar contact information: Please mail the completed Star registration form and ONE CHECK payable to “All Star II Conference” to: Ron Cordes, 3 Jeffrey Circle, Bedford, MA 01730, 781-275-6181 registrar@allstar2.org.

Notifications: All letters, (acceptance, waitlist, volunteer job, boat letter, etc), will be sent via email, so don't forget to include your email address on your blue registration form. If you do not have an email address, please include a self addressed stamped envelope with your registration and we will snail mail the letters to you.

Financial aid: Financial aid assistance is available to individuals with need through the The Ginny Levine Shoalership Fund. For information and an application, click on The Ginny Levine Shoalership Fund or contact Mary Ellen Mellen, 81 Grouse Lane, Perkinsville, VT 05151. Phone: 802-795-0033 financial.aid@allstar2.org. All inquiries and awards are kept confidential.

Boat schedule: Depart Portsmouth, N.H. aboard the Thomas Laighton on Saturday, July 7 at 2:25 p.m. Depart Star on Saturday, July 14, at 8:45 am. (Times subject to change.)