I was wondering what the concensus was on runaways who find themselves amongst the rainbow. I had written to you all some time ago concerning a land-use charity project and am currently in the certification phase. I ask this new question because there is an oppurtunity for grant money regarding social work involving runaways. I was wondering what your experiences have been with runaways (hypothetically, ofcourse) and how you suggest helping them. I know that most of them come from vile homes but I also wonder how safe the can possibly be in certain environments. I am not implying that rainbows are bad people, I just know that your cause tends to attract some "unkynd" people. Any thoughts? Ryan
i left home at 15,, didnt runaway was basically thrown out an rainbow saved me from a life that although i dabbled in was in no shape or form who i was.. That was nearly 26 years ago tho... im sure theres younger folks to comment on here somewhere..
mmmmm not really what yer lookin for in an answer but umm i am havin a slight itty bitty issue with your phrase ,,, " wondering how safe they can be in certain kinds of environments?" The environments are what kids run from! You said it yourself and yet you ask whether rainbow is a safe environment for them..Cant be anyworse than what they run from and definitely aint livin on a city street. Rainbow is what it is a culture made outta every counter culture out there,,, so as in reality or babble on there is the not so good with the very good. Ya just hope that they gravitate toward the better rather than the ugly part of it all. As to what is needed,,, stability, acceptance no matter what(who) they are,,, and teaching basic everyday living skills that most kids from "normal" homes don't even know anymore. And sad to say it but , REAL people to be there beside them, not some stick in the mud jerk who think the book learnin is all there is, not the plastic ppl that think the world owes them something, not the pin head shrinks that need 6 pills to keep them goin everyday ... REAL folks that know what it is like been there done it and made it through . Real folks that have gotten through it with out resorting to becoming a crack whore or a dealer. To me aint nothin worse than bullshit filled ppl tryin to tell me to keep it tween the ditch, it dont work that way ... luv n lite
I was a runaway from a good home for rainbow. I read about it on the internet and my older siblings went awol before me for the same cause, but even then I was a dumb kid in general and rainbow had some tough lessons (still does). If you don't know what you're getting into, in anything, you could choose the wrong path. But the phenomenon of rainbow has within it true and good paths-- so a kid can feel the exhileration of not running from a family, but running to one. Lovnunalludo
i had a slightly different experience being tossed out on the streets real young, living in squats & 1step from homeless for years..i was drinkin & takin risky drugs & genraly acting like a fool.. then after about 5 years of a totaly crazy life i am lucky i survived..i stumbled on rainbow & it wa the best thing thats ever happened to me & i also take offenvce to your remark about rainbow attracting some unlynd folks rainbow attracts everyone, but the % of super kynd to unkynd folks in rainbow is vastly better then anywhere else.. go to your local supermrket or mall that has a few hundred peouple & i guarantee in a crowd of say 250 people there would be more unkynd folks then in a crowd of 20,000 at any gatheting
I was a runaway too as a kid but I didn't runaway to Rainbow because I didn't know about it then, I just lived on the streets of the city. Runaways are pretty much out of the frying pan and into the fire, because they might have been in pain or in danger at home, but there are always risks involved whether a kid is on the street, in the woods, in a shelter, in a foster home, or wherever. Hopefully in Rainbow there are more kind people than people who would take advantage of these kids, so I'd say if you know in your heart that you're a kind person then step up and help homeless kids because that reduces the risk that someone else is going to be there taking advantage of them. - Angel
but it was the other way around...he ran away from a gathering as a young teen and ended up in juvi-jail, cause some coppers picked him up in sacremento and didn't know what to do with him. I remember my first encounter with the Rainbow Family back in 1986, it was a picnic in Central Park NYC, and one of my friends decided to go with the Rainbows "anything is better than livein' off the streets"...he was looking for something better than what we were doing.
Rule # 3 of field anthropology is to try to learn native terms and use them. Like concensus. There is no concensus on run-aways. Concensus meens that everyone agrees, or at least stands aside. And there are dozens of different opinions on runaways. And "unkynd". Did you put it is quotes because you can't stand actually using it in your own voice? Just say bad. It makes me feel a little weird. Like you're trying to make me feel more comfortable talking to you by sneeking familiar words into the conversation. But it doesn't. It makes me feel less comfortable. Just be you. Rule #2 is not to use the internet to gather your field information. Are you really doing research here? You're not gonna know a thing until you actually go to a gathering and interview some people there that you can look in the eye. There are lots of runaways at rainbow gatherings. That's because they like it there. People don't look down on them or try to tell them how to be. People just suport them and provide them with unconditional love. Unfortunately, it's hard to get grant money to treat children like that. Good luck.
i've never been to a rainbow gathering but i have had a lot of runaways in my home who just needed a shower or a meal or a place to sleep. i've also worked at a teen shelter. the hippies i know are trying to be righteous like me and would also extend a hand to try to help someone in need. i think most people here would. i know there are manipulative and cruel people in every environment, but rainbow doesn't seem like the setup that is most attractive to them.
Hey EveryBody!!! All of you beautiful people! I want to make a stand right here! Awareness of this~ runaway situation~ did you know that the #1 population of homeless are our children!?!?! No Wonder the Rainbow Family have encountered them, helped, fed, clothed, warmed by the fire...and some of us as children, have been homeless &/or runaways ~no wonder WELCOME HOME resonates so well~ This dominant society~this united (yeah right) states of america, likes to ignore all of it's wounds...but not this beautiful family! So I have to thank you! I appreciate you and I want blessings to rain down upon you, so that you may always have to tools and the means, and the dreams, to help you carry on with following that pure heart of yours!
You're right -- almost all environments include some portion of unsavory characters. And any group that offers love, acceptance, and free food is going to attract some bad eggs. BUT, rainbow also brings out the best in many more people, which greatly outweighs the bad influences. Unfortunately, you seem to be asking this with the assumption that the average runaway will go from gathering to gathering to gathering. From the experiences I've had, this is not always feasible. Hell, what do you do from Oct. to Feb., when there aren't really any gatherings going on? You go to Florida to wait for the Ocala gathering to start or go hang out in some southern city. That time in between gathering situations is when you're likely to find yourself among predators, violence, drugs, and alcohol. The runaways I've known went to rainbow for healing, after having gone on a drunken or drug binge in some city. And they may leave rainbow again for another binge in a few months, but they always know they can go back to the woods for more healing (the zen of chopping veggies, digging shitters, and gathering firewood ). Furthermore, how the hell do these kids get from gathering to gathering? Most will try to catch a ride with some rainbow who has a vehicle. But how many find themselves out on the side of some highway with their thumb out? Again, that is when they are far more likely to encounter predators than at rainbow. As for how you can help, I suggest contacting other organizations designed to help runaways. Talk to the medium level employee, not the chair of the committee -- the head person may give you the official line, but the person who interacts with kids all day every day will be able to tell you was has and has not worked for him/her. As far as I can tell, treating them like worthwhile adults will be the most important part. Unfortunately, you will have to enforce certain regulations, which will drive away some kids, in order to not lose your land or your grant. Don't set these rules arbitrarily. Explain why you do what you do. Be ready and willing at every moment to explain why you have the rules you do. Most kids will respect that.
I tried to run away after the Wakarusa music fest this year. I tried to make a stake for my own freedom but that completely backfired. I did disappear for a while although my friends and family thought I had drowned in a lake at Wakarusa. Then I left my parents a message on their anwsering machine the day I was due back saying "hi Mom, hi dad, my name is pluto and I've been abducted by aliens and am in Boulder, CO" I am 20 years old so I though I could do whatever I wanted this summer, but instead I got tossed in the loony bin and just got out last friday from a half way house. They thought I had been kidnapped from Kansas to Colorado and that is how I got the FBI on my trail. This summer has pretty much sucked for me. I wish I could go out to gatherings and festivals but instead now I must live with my parents and take a semester off from school cuz my Docs think I am either Bi-polar or skitzo.
Hey, if you want to find runaways, then hit the streets; those are the kids who need the most help. You'll find them in the heart of almost every city & the southern cities are flooded with runaways in the winter. Runaway kids at Rainbow are likely to find the path that they are supposed to be on; there's aready plenty of support networks within the Rainbow Family
um pluto ya dun sorta went about things in a strange sort of way ,,,, sorry but um no wonder they tossed ya in the loonery if ya truly went about things n left the message like you said you did,,,, n ummmm iffin yer gonna runaway again i would recommend goin bout it like a 20 yr old, not a two yr old...
David 54 – relax brother. I put unkynd in quotes because it is a new word (the spelling of it anyhow) and I didn’t feel that I could use it in it’s authentic form, seeing how I am not as familiar with the anthropology as I should be (thanks for pointing that out). By the way, quotation marks are not an effective way to sneak words into a conversation. Just curious, are you an anthropologist? P.S. I know several rainbows and have interviewed them. I’m just wanting to help, brother. Limited resources and access push me to this impersonal medium. Dawn sky – interesting point. Is the rainbow so anti-organizational that their could never been some sort of collective wintering grounds? What do you think? Pluto – hang in there. Time flies when your not institutionalized. In general, all of your responses were very helpful. I’m telling you, you people have bigger hearts and stronger minds (most of you) than I deal with at school or in the church. Your day is coming. I am telling you now that there IS money and help available, just not enough bodies. I’m trying to work on that. I believe that there will be away to shaft some of Babylon’s loot out of the vault and get it to those who need it the most. It’s a matter of logistics and straight world credibility. Sad, but true. I’ll take that bullet. I just need you to help with the “anthropology” (just kidding, dave) of it all. You all are inspiring. Talk to you soon. The Social Worker
Can you get us a grant to buy a couple more busses so we can comfortably house some of the Austin street kids? ps, you might not want to go into that realm of Rainbow wintering grounds; many are the tales of different Rainbow Coop Living situations............................
