NBTSC Scholarships 2008
~Sorry, all 2008 scholarships have been awarded and we are no longer accepting applications.
Our application deadline is usually the end of March, so check back in early 2009 for updated information.~
For campers with special skills and for families who couldn't otherwise afford NBTSC, we offer a variety of scholarships and trades. Here's what you need to know before applying. Please read carefully to avoid misunderstandings!
To simplify our language and the application process, we refer to all forms of financial assistance or trades, including worktrades, as subsets of the larger category of scholarships. Because it makes sense for most people to apply for more than one type of scholarship, we have just one combined application form. (Except that we do have a separate Vermont lifeguard application.) The deadline to apply for a lifeguard position is June 30, later than the regular scholarship application deadline.)
If it is important to you to get into NBTSC with a reduced fee, we encourage you to apply for as many types of scholarships as you would be willing to accept. (When an older, returning camper is interested only in a grant, and not willing to do at least a partial worktrade, we usually imagine he/she is not all that committed to finding a way to get to NBTSC, and it's harder for us to take her/his application seriously.) The most difficult positions to get are often (but not always) full worktrades -- we strongly encourage you to apply for one if you like to work hard, but you stand a better chance of getting some kind of assistance if you're also willing to take a partial trade. (We give full worktrades to just a few reliable, hardworking people we know from previous camps; financial need is a factor, but less important than the applicant's ability to convince us that we'll be happy we chose her/him.)
In order to apply for any kind of scholarship, you must also register for camp and send in a deposit. We should have not only your scholarship application, but also your registration, by the scholarship application deadline (March 31). If you do not receive a scholarship you are not obligated to attend NBTSC. There is a question on the registration form that says “I will attend NBTSC whether or not I receive a scholarship or worktrade: ______yes ______no.” Be sure to check no if you want your deposit back.
We rarely give scholarships to one individual for more than one session per year. Also, people who are planning to attend more than one session of camp do get lower priority for most scholarships, since our purpose is mainly to make it possible for people who can't afford camp to be able to come to one session. There are exceptions to these policies, though. In fact, it often happens that we’ll give a full worktrade to someone rock-solid for one or even two sessions, and they attend as a regular camper another session also.
We take all applications seriously, and try to give scholarships to as many people as we possibly can, sometimes even when we can't logically afford to do so. For this reason, we ask you also to take this process seriously, and to apply only if you really need a scholarship and/or sincerely want to take on the responsibility of a worktrade.
Notes on filling out the application
In most cases, the camper and her/his parents should collaborate. If an application describes the parents' financial situation (most do), then parents must at the very least read it over and sign it.
Depending on what type(s) of scholarship(s) you are interested in receiving, you will fill out part or all of the application. We hope it's self-explanatory. You can skip the second page altogether if you’re not applying for a full worktrade. If you get confused, contact us.
Make sure you include legible, accurate email addresses for the camper and at least one of her/his parents. Unless you tell us you don't have email, this is the only way we will notify you whether you received a scholarship. Make sure you check your email, and let us know if your email address changes.
The postmark deadline is March 31, and we'll let you know, via email, by April 30 whether we have a scholarship for you.
You'll find our 2008 application here (in printable pdf form). But make sure you read all about the different categories, below.
(You can also print out a pdf version of the information on this page, here.)
NBTSC scholarship categories
Grants
These are straightforward reductions of your camp fee, usually by half. They do not involve any kind of work or other contribution on your part. The people most likely to receive grants will both have demonstrated financial need and either be 1) brand new to camp, 2) people whose families have sent 3 or more siblings to NBTSC, or 3) people who have themselves attended camp twice or more already and not received scholarships. We strongly encourage you to also apply for a half or partial worktrade.
Lifeguard positions
We offer a few partial worktrades in Vermont for American Red Cross certified lifeguards. These positions are not tied to your family's financial situation--if you're currently certified, we want to hear from you! You can apply for a lifeguard position in addition to or instead of other scholarships. There is a separate application for lifeguards, here. The deadline to apply is June 30.
Half (and other partial) worktrades/barters
These require a real contribution of some kind from you or your family, but will not impact your camp experience as much as a full worktrade. Most partial worktraders make their contribution during the camp week (dishes, food prep, etc.). Occasionally we can offer other options (help out in one of our offices during the summer? Drive a U-Haul on the first day of Oregon Session 1?), or barter items or services (fruit? handwoven rugs? massage?). For campers new to NBTSC, we try to arrange a trade that is at least partly taken care of before camp, so the camper is free to experience his/her first week at NBTSC with few extra responsibilities.
To give you a rough idea of what to expect: If we gave you a half trade for work during the camp week, you would work about 24 hours (about 4 hours most days). If you worked for us outside of the camp week we'd expect you to do a little more, probably at least 30 hours. (This is because we know that having to work during camp dictates part of your camp experience, and thus in a strictly monetary sense could be said to lessen the value of your camp week.) If it is convenient for you to come early (perhaps a whole day-and-a-half early) or stay late, we may be able to get some of your hours out of the way without cutting into your camp week as much. (This will depend on our needs, though, so don't count on it.)
Full camp-week worktrade
An intense position, almost like being on junior staff. Open to people who have attended camp at least once previously. In choosing worktraders we do consider financial need, but the most important factor is our trust in the applicant's ability and willingness to handle the job. Full worktraders attend camp without paying any money; instead, they work about 50 hours. If you are a full worktrader, you can expect your camp experience to be largely about the rewards of working hard to support something you believe in, and of helping to create a great experience for other campers and staff. For the right person, this is not only a way to attend NBTSC money-free, but also a deeply enriching experience in its own right. Because these positions are scarce, we strongly encourage you also to apply for a half or partial worktrade. But we don't want to discourage you from applying for a full worktrade--we need reliable people, and in fact if there came a time when we didn't get enough solid camper applicants, we'd need to hire more staff instead.
Full worktraders must come prepared to think of themselves as workers first and campers second. Although you will be assigned to an advisee group, you may sometimes be needed to work during advisee time--or during talent shows, Session 2 projects, evening events, early in the morning, etc. A cooperative, willing spirit is essential--we don't want to nag. (And, of course, we want you to have a great time and will never assign you work at inconvenient times without a reason.)
Schedule and responsibilities
Full work traders are needed for 4-7 hours each full day of camp, plus possibly 6-8 hours on each of the 2 days before camp starts, the first day of camp, and/or the day camp ends. (About 50 hours total.) Work consists of anything we need done that you can do--from scrubbing pots and pans to babysitting to chopping vegetables to running errands to cooking oatmeal.
We may need full worktraders to come to camp early and stay late
We may need your help starting one or two days before the day that camp starts. If so, then for Session 1 you can meet us in Eugene. For Oregon Session 2 or Vermont we may be able to help arrange a ride from Eugene or Rutland, but otherwise you'd need to take care of your own transportation to Roseburg or Camp Myrtlewood (for Oregon) or to Farm & Wilderness Camp (for Vermont). If we do need you the day before camp, we'll call or email you at least two months prior. If you need to make travel plans earlier, contact us to see if we already know when we need you, but we may not be able to tell you until two months before camp.
We may also need some help from you on the afternoon of the last day of camp (up until around 5 p.m.). We can't provide overnight lodging so you'd either need to leave town late in the day or make your own overnight arrangements.
If coming to camp early or staying late would make it impossible (or extremely difficult) for you to do a full worktrade, let us know on your application. We don't always need worktraders to be available early/late, so we will probably still consider you, but we do need to know from the start what we can count on.
Important deposit and refund information for full worktraders
Once we grant you a full worktrade and you confirm that you accept it, we will count on you. If you cancel after our regular cancellation deadline, you won't receive any of your $100 deposit back. (It’s difficult for us to reconfigure the worktrader lineup this late in the season.) Assuming you show up at camp and fulfill your worktrade agreement, we will happily refund your deposit at the end of the camp week. If you don't complete your worktrade hours, you won't get your deposit back. (Also see our refund policy.)
Photo by Alex Davis--2002, West Virginia
Here is a printable PDF copy of the information on this page.
Here is the 2008 scholarship/worktrade application in printable PDF format.
Here is the 2008 Vermont lifeguard application in printable PDF format.
(Or, give us a call and we'll mail you an application.)
