Every Eco Practicum Unit begins and ends on a Sunday. Participants are asked to arrive and depart between 12pm and 2pm. If you have special arrival or departure needs, please let us know in advance of the program so we can do our best accommodate you.

Unit 1
Good Food For All: The Role of Organic, Local Produce in the Global Food System
Arrive May 26th between 12pm and 2pm
Depart June 2nd between 12pm and 2pm

Unit 2
Pets, Pests, Livestock: The Value, Role & Treatment of Animals
Arrive June 2nd between 12pm and 2pm
Depart June 9th between 12pm and 2pm

Unit 3
Digging and Drilling: Using Fossil Fuels & the Hope/Hype of Renewable Energy
Arrive June 9th between 12pm and 2pm
Depart June 16th between 12pm and 2pm

Unit 4
This Land is Your Land: Natural Resource Management In An Age of Over-Consumption
Arrive June 16th between 12pm and 2pm
Depart June 23th between 12pm and 2pm

Our home base for the duration of the program will be Camp Shomria, located on over 100 acres of pristine forest in the Sullivan County Catskills.
The address is:
52 Lake Marie Road
Liberty, NY 12754

You are responsible for transportation to and from the site. To help out, we will do our best to help arrange ride-shares. If you will be coming by car, please be in contact as soon as possible with details so we can arrange participant ride-shares.

By Car
You may bring your car to the program. Google Maps or a GPS will get you to the site.

By Bus from NYC
Take the Shortline bus to arrive at the Monticello Shortline Bus Terminal at noon on Sunday. The bus should depart from Port Authority at 10-10:15am. Please be in contact with us at least two days before your arrival so we can coordinate a pick up for you.

Summer in the Catskill Mountains is beautiful, and includes potentially drastic weather fluctuations. In the daytime, it can get up to 90 degrees, and at night it can drop down to 40 degrees or lower. You must bring clothes and shoes that will help you feel comfortable in all sorts of weather. 

Accommodations in Camp Shomria are rustic. You will be sleeping in wooden with basic amenities. Bathrooms and showers are located outside of the cabins. Meals will usually be eaten at the dining hall, which is a large building at the center of the camp. 

The educational farm is located on the facility. It will be home to many plants and animals. You will be working on the farm every morning, so please be sure to bring clothing that you don’t mind dirtying. 

Laundry will be done once per week. There will be laundry facilities on site
Please do not bring anything too delicate and / or valuable 
Please be sure to include:

• Farming clothes - a few items of clothing that you don’t mind getting muddy
  
• Shorts and/or Pants (min. 3)
  
• T-shirts (min. 5)
  
• Brimmed hat
  
• Footwear: Rain boots (essential), Crocs / Tevas (sandals that are strapped onto your feet), Hiking shoes
• Sweater / sweatshirt
  
• Rain jacket / wind breaker
  
• Socks (lots)
  
• Warm pajamas
  
• Sun screen
  
• Water bottle
  
• Back pack
  
• Sleeping bag and Pillow
  
• Bed sheets
  
• You may bring your lap top, there will be WiFi
  
• Toiletries  (soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo)
  
• Toothbrush
• Towel
• Flashlight (suggested)
• Phone and Phone Charger
• Camera (suggested)
  

Each day of the program will be unique with different topics, different speakers, and trips. Nevertheless, we will stick to the following agenda on most days, Monday - Friday.

7:00am    Wake up 
7:15        Morning meeting
7:30        Collecting Eggs, Feeding Goats
8:15        Breakfast
9:15        Morning Work - Garden: Planting and Weeding
11:30      Break
12:00pm  Lunch
12:30      Meet and work with partner organization
6:00        Recap Discussion 
7:00        Dinner
9:00        Group Time
10:15      Closing Circle
10:30      Free Time/Good Night

Eugenia Manwelyan, Program Director
Eugenia Manwelyan has been an activist and educator for over a decade. She received her Masters from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University. A recipient of the Kinney Grant, she focused her academic studies on urban food systems and nutritional insecurity. This is her second year directing the Eco Practicum.

Tal Beery, Outreach Coordinator
Tal Beery is an artist, environmental advocate, and educator. He received his BA from Wesleyan University and has worked abroad in Holland, Israel, and Palestine. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Without Walls
Without Walls is an association of educators who are committed to social and environmental justice. It runs a variety of democratic and learner-centered programming throughout North America. Based on the values of equity and social responsibility, the programs offer a framework for participants to engage with their peers, communities, and the challenge of a just society.

Camp Shomria
Camp Shomria has been affiliated with Without Walls since its inception. The 80 year old facility is a hub for groundbreaking programs for youth. Inner city high school students attend scouting seminars, Jews and Arab teens from Israel and Palestine come to participate in an annual arts program, and Canadian, Mexican, and American youth come together for an annual leadership summit. The core program run at the facility is a six-week summer camp for secular Jewish youth which will take place a few weeks following the Eco Practicum

Eugenia Manwelyan, Eco Practicum Director: (917) 710 8246

Camp Shomria: (845) 292 6241

Sharan Elran, Site Manager: (917) 885 7434