Forever Wild hub review - an open letter to the worldschooling community

Review: Forever Wild SEA travel hub

Dear Worldschooling Community,

We are writing this as a collective voice of ten families who have left the Forever Wild South East Asia Passport Program. This traveling hub (or “enrichment program”), run by Amanda and Solomon Dixon, was intended for children aged 5 to 18. The Dixons formerly ran the Forever Wild Children’s Garden in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. The SEA program started in Danang (Vietnam) and continued in Krabi (Thailand) and Penang (Malaysia).

Out of the original 17 families signed up to participate in the most recent session in Penang, 11 families did not participate (a total of 19 children). One additional family who joined the program for the first time in Penang also withdrew their children from the program as the session progressed.

At the time of writing, further families have made the decision to pull their children out of program sessions being held from June to December 2024 due to significant concerns.

We are writing this open letter as an informative and cautionary tale for others who may be considering enrolling their children in a program and environment we deem to be unsatisfactory and unsafe. We want to acknowledge that it was hard to speak up, to invest the energy into writing this letter, spend hours discussing what happened and analyze the situation. Although we are truthfully sharing our experience and would have nothing to gain from being dishonest, we know we face the possibility of distrust, attacks or shaming.

While worldschooling Facebook groups are open to promoting hubs and services, they are often not willing to open space for negative stories. Unfortunately, this was a traumatic experience for all of us.

Furthermore, we really truly wanted Amanda and Solomon to succeed – their success would have meant our success. We understand FW is their family business and we have a lot of empathy for their five children. Even so, we feel a moral obligation to warn other families about our shared experience. For too long, we wanted to stay positive and continue the program with Amanda and Solomon. We acknowledge our own missteps in our lack of due diligence, blind trust, and continued efforts to try and make the best of the situation despite numerous red flags.

This is not meant to be a vindictive tool and only stems from a desire to inform and protect others from repeating our mistakes. We hope that the issues spelled out in this letter help other families make more informed decisions when considering a program with Forever Wild or any other worldschooling program.

We recognize that the few remaining families/staunch supporters say that their needs are being met in the now much-smaller group who have remained and that are choosing not to engage in dialogue about the issues we’ve experienced and instead are focusing on only the positive.

Every family began as a hopeful community member of the Forever Wild program that promised we could “have it all” while traveling the world. Our goal with signing up for the Forever Wild Southeast Asia Passport Program was to find a nurturing educational and social environment where our children’s physical and social/emotional safety would be the top priority. Marketing of the program represented individualized instruction tailored to each child’s needs and family goals, as well as a comprehensive leadership program for teens. We were charged a premium price for a program that did not deliver on the vast majority of its promises, as spelled out in their marketing material.

More concerning, however, is the mounting list of basic and significant safety concerns with the program, teaching methods, and treatment of our children both in the Forever Wild program and within the community spaces, as well as the dismissive, dangerous, and sometimes volatile treatment of adults bringing concerns to hub leaders. This has caused a complete erosion of trust in Solomon and Amanda Dixon’s abilities to effectively or safely conduct a program for children moving forward.

Despite the uncertainty and pain already present at the start of the Penang hub, almost all families still decided to come to the communal lodging in an attempt at resolution, and in hopes of salvaging the community. Unfortunately, we have been left in a state of disbelief and heartbreak at how the situation continues to devolve. We hoped that FW leaders would have taken the necessary steps to restore the community bonds that have been forged and are now shattered. It is clear now that this matter is unsalvageable for us.

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The following is a summary of issues that our families experienced during the Forever Wild Southeast Asia Passport Programme between March and July 2024.

PROGRAM ISSUES

- Lack of transparency and contingency planning

Many families joined Forever Wild due to Amanda Dixon’s US teaching credentials. It was not disclosed to participants before arrival in South East Asia in March that Amanda Dixon was pregnant and due to give birth in June.

The contingency plan for a suitable and qualified replacement during her absence was not discussed with families until demanded, just weeks before her due date. Amanda Dixon’s replacement was not a qualified or suitable exchange in her postpartum absence.

Furthermore, it was later disclosed to families by hub leaders that Amanda Dixon was NOT the leader of the program, despite her advertised credentials as a NY state certified teacher being the primary marketed selling point in their promotional materials. It was made clear to families that Solomon Dixon is the lead and Amanda Dixon is his secretarial and supportive staff.

- Failure to provide curriculum and enrichment programs as advertised

Programming was not designed based on the collective interests of students, readiness levels, and academic standards, as promised. Parents do not believe that there was value for the price paid.

Many parents in the teen mentorship program specifically do not feel their children were provided with the oversight and guidance promised in marketing materials. Teens reported being bored, often sitting around “on call” and felt as if they were simply there to “babysit,” despite FW increasing the price of the teen mentorship program after they “reflected on how good the program would be and how much the teens would be participating.” The scope of activities offered, particularly to the teen attendees, was limited to Solomon’s interests. Neither the younger children's program nor the teen mentorship program was able to serve the needs of all participants or make adjustments to meet the needs of the majority of participants.

Despite numerous requests, Forever Wild has not produced a copy of their curriculum as of the time of writing this letter and they continue to edit and change the wording on their website and promotional materials to suit their shifting narrative.

- Lack of age-appropriate support for children in the program

Basic needs such as hand washing and water intake reminders have not been consistently met, leading to dehydrated and sick children in the program. Dehydration has been an ongoing issue, with children left completely without water to refill their bottles at times during an extreme heatwave in Da Nang, and no water provided in Krabi. When issues like these were raised, Forever Wild leaders blamed children for a lack of independence and families for not being “travel savvy” or “fit for worldschooling.” 

Based on the ages of the youngest participants in the program, families feel there was a lack of a welcoming atmosphere as well as appropriate oversight and support.

- Overselling of programs

High-pressure sales tactics implied a non-existent scarcity to fill program slots. Prospective families were told that the program would consist of roughly 10-12 families. The session in Krabi, Thailand, had a total of 20 families and 34 kids (age 4-18), affecting staff:child ratios and ability to deliver a consistent program.

- Failure to secure valid work visas

Hub leaders and staff lacked the necessary work visas to run a paid program in Vietnam, Thailand, or Malaysia. This resulted in immigration police shutting down the speciality camp in Krabi, Thailand, detaining and questioning Solomon Dixon in front of the children.

Parents were told to lie to the police, saying that they were traveling independently and had paid the program location directly for the session, rather than Forever Wild, as was actually the case.

- Misleading marketing and financial manipulation

The bar for refunds or reselling has been a continuously moving target. Families promised full refunds had previously undisclosed “community fees” totaling $200 per child withheld, despite not being allowed at, or informed of, community events.

Sessions already paid for were stated to be transferable via gifting or sale. However, families were unable to sell their spots independently at the price they paid. Instead, they had to allow Forever Wild to handle the transaction. Forever Wild attempted to resell the spots at a significantly higher price without informing the involved parties. This fostered distrust in the program's intentions and created unhealthy dynamics.

Families who have left FW’s program no longer feel that it is ethical to resell their spots to incoming families based on serious safety concerns spelled out in this letter.

SAFETY AND BEHAVIORAL ISSUES

- Lack of safety plan for emergency situations

Program leaders informed parents that in case of an emergency, the leaders would not provide any medical care beyond extremely basic first aid. It was stated that parents would need to arrive and call ambulance services themselves, if needed.

In Penang, Malaysia, the program location was a 20 minute taxi ride from families’ accommodation, which meant there was a real risk of harm in the event of an emergency.

- Inappropriate and coercive teaching methods

Solomon Dixon repeatedly shouted at children, refused to allow them space when upset, coerced them to write about emotionally uncomfortable topics, took away playtime as punishment, and offered financial rewards for completion of tasks. 

Tasks were often set with no regard for the safety of the child. Children were engaged in potentially unsafe activities such as direct sun gazing and were lectured that “pain is an illusion”.

- Negative role modeling

The public disciplining of Amanda and Solomon Dixon’s own four children, aged 2–8, who are not permitted to cry when upset and were frequently yelled at, made children attending the program feel unsafe to express their emotions.

- Inappropriate disclosure of childhood abuse

Solomon Dixon spoke to children on multiple occasions during the program and organized Forever Wild activities about his abuse as a child, without the knowledge or consent of parents or checking if this could be triggering to children with trauma, which he was not educated to deal with.

- Inappropriate personal conduct

Solomon Dixon has displayed threatening behavior to parents, including shouting at them in public spaces on multiple occasions. One incident involved him screaming obscenities at a solo female member. In another, he threatened two parents that he would “snap” their necks and that they would have to get their refunds “in blood”.

Solomon Dixon has made a number of girls and women within the community feel uncomfortable due to inappropriate physical closeness, inappropriate comments about physical appearance, unsolicited comments regarding food choices, demanding that eye contact be held, and finger snapping in people’s faces to command attention.

When the initial decision was made to remove a family, no consideration was given to how this would affect either the family’s own children or their friends in the program.

After multiple families left the program, their children were pointedly ignored by Solomon Dixon when encountered in public spaces.

- Unilateral decisions that affected community health

The community suffered a massive influenza outbreak in Krabi, Thailand, after leaders brought their visibly ill children to the program, causing many families to miss the program and activities in the following weeks.

- Failure to disclose criminal record

Public records show that Solomon was imprisoned for robbery and grand larceny in 2010.

Further details of his various arrests in the State of New York can be found online by searching for his full name (in quotes) “Solomon Q Dixon”.

While we believe that people can change and deserve another chance, this record was not disclosed to parents and only came to light because a pattern of deception and threatening behavior has continued to the present day and has directly affected our families.

COMMUNICATION ISSUES

- Deliberately dishonest, divisive, and unkind communication tactics

When parents approached program leaders Amanda and Solomon Dixon with issues, they were often dismissed. Families who repeatedly approached the program leaders with valid questions and concerns about the program were dismissed or subjected to lengthy defensive monologues, as well as labeled as “problematic”.

The Dixons’ communication with the group was opaque. Written communication from the program leaders was confined to individual messages or WhatsApp groups that did not permit replies to be posted. Concerns that had been raised were never acknowledged on the WhatsApp group chats used by the community, so Forever Wild’s responses could never be publicly questioned.

This created an environment where families felt alone in their concerns and unsure of their place within the community. Multiple families were told how they were the only ones complaining and how no other families had issues. This was completely untrue.

Feedback was neither sought nor welcomed.

In the break before the Penang, Malaysia, session, a family was removed from the program without valid reason, prior warning, or any attempt to resolve the issue. Amanda and Solomon Dixon repeatedly lied to the community about this family’s words and actions in an attempt to manipulate people’s reaction to the situation.

- Secrecy and lack of accountability

Amanda and Solomon Dixon demanded secrecy from departing families. Refunds were only granted in cases of families accepting punitive terms that included not staying in pre-booked private accommodation or participating in any events organized by anyone in the Forever Wild community.

Attempts to discuss concerns resulted in defensiveness and a lack of willingness to improve the program. Solomon’s belligerent outbursts created fear among families, stifling open communication. This lack of transparency and the demand for secrecy are unacceptable and undermine the trust and integrity of the program

- Lack of resolution and restorative justice

Despite marketing their experience with “restorative justice circles,” program leaders failed to work towards a solution for families who had serious concerns with the program. A single group meeting took place before the start of the Penang session, in which hub leaders failed to acknowledge responsibility or accountability, or in any way bring the community back together.

Throughout the time in Penang they created even more rupture between families who left the hub and the minority that stayed. Lack of communication, misinformation and manipulative tactics were used to turn families against each other, consequently affecting the children.

- Hindering communication for current and incoming participants

Hub leaders systematically avoided responding to the growing concerns of families in the same building in Penang, Malaysia, ignoring phone calls, refusing to respond to text messages and taking back entrances and exits from the building to avoid interactions.

Families outside of a select group have not been kept informed about Forever Wild activities and hub-related gatherings. This has left children feeling left out and confused.

Hub leaders paused the Forever Wild South East Asia Passport community Facebook group so past, current, and future families cannot communicate. They also shut down Whatsapp chats so families cannot communicate.

Hub leaders have misrepresented the reasons for families departing the program, particularly to incoming attendees, in order to maintain the illusion that the hub is operating without issues or discord. 

They lied about “three problematic families” they claim were removed from the program, when in fact they were part of twelve families (11 who were to participate in the Penang Hub and one who was to return in later hubs) who had already left of their own accord due to a fundamental lack of trust in the program leaders and their ability to work with children in a safe and positive way.

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In conclusion, we hope that this list of evolving issues works to fully inform families of our experience with Forever Wild’s South East Asia Passport Program.

We do not intend to let this horrific experience erode our love or trust in the worldschooling community at large, but know that we will move forward in a more careful and curious manner when enrolling our children in programming.

There is such potential and need for high-quality, age-appropriate, and loving hub programming for all ages in this community and we hope that the missteps of Forever Wild will also work as guidance for future hub leaders who are looking to offer services.

Our children deserve better.

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Signed: 10 former Forever Wild Southeast Asia Passport Program families