Q: Where am I?

A: This is the National Support Network for Self-Directed Teenagers.

Q: What the heck is that?

A: It's a site that connects self-directed teens to young adult mentors all over the U.S.

Q: I'm still confused. What's a self-directed teen? Am I one of those?

A: A self-directed teen is someone who has decided that learning is important in their life. It's so important, in fact, that they've decided it can't be left up to school - often a place of questionable motives and ineffective learning. A self-directed teen takes charge of getting an education for his or herself, instead of merely being taught or just going through the motions of learning. If you hold this attitude toward education, you are a self-directed teen (or quickly becoming one). Many such teens don't attend full-time school and are called homeschoolers or unschoolers; many other teens adopt a self-directed attitude within school (they may be conscious of this, or not) and try to make school work for them.

Q: Oh, okay. Why would a self-directed teen need a mentor?

A: Thinking for yourself is hard. As an independent teenager, society stacks the cards against you. Most people don’t expect a teen to take charge of their life and learning, and even if they do, few know from experience how to help you along that path. A mentor can make a world of difference to a budding self-directed teenager.

Q: So what would a mentor do? What can I actually get out of this site?

A: This site is built to facilitate dialogue: a deep conversation between two individuals. Your mentor will help you identify what you want out of life and how to get it. The details of that conversation are up to you. If you’re lucky, you'll live close enough to a mentor to be able to meet him or her in person (that's what the map is for). If you're not close to one, you can have the conversation over phone or e-mail.

Q: Who are these mentors? Are they just creepy internet people?

A: No, they're not creepy internet trolls; they're real-life, flesh-and-blood people just like you. You can find profiles of all our mentors on this website that will tell you all about each one of them. Our mentors are adults and young adults who understand the process of self-education and have experience working with teenagers like you. All of them are genuine self-teachers, and their accomplishments span every field imaginable. There is a good chance they were a lot like you, at your age. They're here because they love helping young self-directed learners become stronger, more independent, and more self-confident. Many are connected to Not Back to School Camp, a summer camp for self-directed teens.

Q: So these mentors will just help me, out of the good of their hearts? What's the catch?

A: Our mentors love working with self-directed teens and derive an intrinsic satisfaction from the dialogue process. Helping a teen to reach an "a-ha!" moment in his or her life is reward in itself. They are, however, adults whose time is precious and limited. Currently, our network connects teens and mentors totally free of charge and leaves the rest of the relationship up to them. Some mentors may ask that you pay them to work with you, others will work with you for free. If you want to work regularly with the same mentor or get extra support from them we recommend that you consider paying your mentor as a consultant. If your mentor creates value in your life, you should pay him for it. The details of that payment (if any), are always left between you and your mentor.

Q: Okay, this sounds interesting. How can I find out more about the mentors?

A: Click on the map above to see mentors near a specific location, or visit the Directory to see all of them.

Q: Who are you?

A: The Education Empowerment Project.

Q: Where is my left sock?

A: Sorry, we don't have all the answers.