Redefining Wealth
Eco Practicum Catskills | June 10-16, 2018
Eco Practicum Catskills is an eye-opening educational experience for current college students and recent graduates passionate about ecology, economy, and justice. Redefining Wealth takes place on a rustic 125 acre campus two hours from New York City in a region that is home to the world’s largest unfiltered drinking water system, an abundance of land suited for agriculture, one of the newest casinos in New York State, as well as some of its most impoverished towns.
Our 2018 practicum will focus on some of the most pressing issues facing rural areas today: How do we create wealth without engaging in violence or extraction? What role does local agriculture play in a regional economy when it is overshadowed by the global food system? What are the systems that keep people poor? Part think-tank, part action-workshop, participants live on an environmental education facility in the heart of the Catskills and get the opportunity to farm, learn from peers, and meet with the foremost experts in the field. |
PROGRAM DATES
June 10-16, 2018 LOCATION Liberty, New York Two hours north of New York City APPLICATION DEADLINE Extended to May 11, 2018! TUITION $895 if applied by May 11* *Tuition covers all food, lodging, and program SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE Need-based scholarship applications due May 11 Need based scholarships are offered in addition to (on top of) the $605 scholarship available to all participants. |
Meeting Experts
Every day, participants take a field trip to meet with an expert in the field, representing one of the partner organizations. Participants tour facilities, meet with staff members, and learn about how these organizations function on the ground. These encounters often include a hands-on component and always include a candid conversation with the speaker about the work that they do, relating to both their achievements and challenges. |
Farming & Land Stewardship
Participants work on an on-site organic farm, an urban-style farm, and a forest garden. They learn techniques in permaculture, composting, and animal husbandry. In addition to farming, participants manage the water flows, rain catchment systems, and waste outputs, gaining holistic ecosystem and natural resource management experience. |
Democratic Education
Through text studies, videos, discussions, and peer-led activities, participants share their knowledge, learn from one another, and analyze the dynamics of the Catskills bioregion. The place-based learner centered educational approach honors the different ways that people learn. Democratic pedagogy ensures a horizontal structure in which students and educators alike express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. |
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"Invigorated, awake, and unafraid" |
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"Exploded" |
why apply?
"Laden with responsibility and powerful connections" |
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"Inspired by my partners" |