Lynda

This is forwarded at the senders request. All you folks out there who can
are requested to help by e-mailing the folks at the end of this message.

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marieken Volz" <liberty@...>
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2000 2:46 PM
Subject: [schools_out] Help homeschoolers in Sweden


> E-MAIL WRITING CAMPAIGN FOR HOMESCHOOLER'S RIGHTS IN SWEDEN
>
> Dear Homeschoolers around the world,<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O NS =
> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
>
> We are a homeschooling family in Sweden with three children 6, 10, and
> 12 who are having big problems with the local school
> authorities. We are now facing a fine of 40 000 skr ($4500/£ 2700) if we
>
> don't send our children to school right away. We are not
> asking for your money, but rather for your help in emailing the
> authorities in Sweden and asking them to withdraw the fines and let
> people homeschool.
>
> In the meantime we have been forced to flee our home to another school
> district within Sweden where they hopefully are more
> tolerant of homeschooling. But we miss our home and our life, and we
> want to move back to our farm. And we are not alone.
>
> Friends of ours have already had to move within Sweden. Homeschooling is
>
> legal in Sweden and we have the same laws for the
> whole country but they are just not interpreted in the same way in every
>
> legal district. So people have to move to different parts of
> Sweden because of their beliefs. Other homeschooling friends of ours
> have just fled to the UK since they didn't feel safe in their own
> home. We miss them a lot already.
>
> The Swedish Minister of Education has just, in a TV program, expressed
> that she wants to make it even more difficult to
> homeschool in Sweden in the future by changing the laws. This will mean
> that we will see more refugees from Sweden because of
> their beliefs as the interest for homeschooling increases.
>
> So what we are asking you about is your support in helping us to protect
>
> our right to homeschool in Sweden, and to guarantee every
> Swedish child the right to homeschool if they desire, now and forever.
> Please help the Sweden authorities understand that
> homeschooling is an excellent way of educating children and that you are
>
> aware of the persecution of homeschoolers in Sweden.
>
> Below is a list of people or places you could email on our behalf with
> some suggestions what to write about. A short but personal
> note to one or all of them below is perhaps best. Please express your
> feelings in a friendly and non-aggressive fashion. In all
> messages please include something like:
>
> "In Vingaker in Sweden, the Berkestam-Drysen family is being persecuted
> for homeschooling. The school authorities are Barn- och
> utbildningsnamnden, Box 133, 643 22 VINGAKER, SWEDEN. Please contact
> them and ask them to withdraw their fines and let the
> family live in peace in their home and according to their beliefs about
> schooling."
>
> You could write to the Swedish Minister of Education - Ingegerd
> Wärnersson : registrator@... and ask her to
> please respect Fundamental Human Rights when they pass a new law on
> homeschooling so that Swedish citizens don't have to be
> persecuted and forced to flee due to their beliefs. Why not tell her
> that homeschooling is rapidly growing worldwide, and that passing
> laws that forbid homeschooling will just make more conflicts in the
> future?
>
> You could write to the Swedish Embassy in your country saying something
> like “why isn’t Sweden respecting the
> parents right to educate their children the way they see fit?
> Homeschoolers are forced to be fugitives, fleeing their homes to avoid
> further harassment by the authorities in Sweden.” If you
> don’t get a reply, email them again and ask why they are not
> replying.
>
> The Swedish Embassy in the US: ambassaden.washington@...
>
> , in UK is embassy@... , Australia
> and New Zealand is ambassaden.canberra@...
>
> You could write to one of the major Swedish News papers telling them
> what you think when a democratic country like Sweden is
> violating individual’s Human Rights in this way. Tell them that
> homeschooling is growing around the world, and it’s
> part of the solution to problems in society, not one of the problems.
> joachim.berner@...
>
> Contact our local politicians and ask them to respect Human Rights and
> to act in a more human and understanding way. Ask them
> to withdraw their fines and work for a solution in respect of our
> beliefs. kommunstyrelsen@... (Kommun in Swedish means
> municipality).
>
> You could also send the above message to our local newspaper. It's a
> small paper and they would probably appreciate getting this
> kind of attention from the big world. redaktion@...
>
> If there are any questions or if we can be of any assistance for other
> homeschoolers in any way please contact us at
> magnus.drysen@...
>
> Thanks for your time and support.
>
> We love homeschooling!
>
> Magnus Drysén & Maria Berkestam
>
> P.S. Please pass this message on to as many other homeschoolers and
> other people who you think could be of assistance to us in
> anyway in this matter. We are sending this message to homeschoolers in
> Sweden, USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Norway,
> Australia and New Zealand
>
>
>
>
>