Maine Local Living School
Vitals
- GYA Accredited Since: Unaccredited by the GYA. Please see the Standards for more information.
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Enrolling:
Yes - Mission Statement:
The Understory is a 9 week ecological living immersion for thinkers, doers and changemakers ages 18 to 28. We are now enrolling for the Spring 2023 Understory, May 1 - June 30. We offer sliding scale tuition ($3,150 - $6,300) and scholarships for BIPOC.
What makes me feel whole and vital? What is honorable work? How do I belong to a place? How do I practice reciprocity? How can I live in alignment with my values? Come be part of a hard-working, curious, and joyful community of young adults and mentors who are asking big questions—and living some answers.
The Understory emphasizes skills and understanding for long-term social and ecological regeneration: homesteading and handcraft skills to address how we live well in a place, academic inquiry to understand why we are here and how to move forward centering justice, and earth connection/mindfulness to stay grounded and resilient in the face of the work we are called to do.
The Understory refers to younger generations of trees that live beneath the canopy. These trees, sometimes waiting patiently and developing roots, sometimes shooting for the light, are the future. The Understory is also the subtext, the story underneath the dominant narratives, the tale that might just tell us how we got here and clues about what to do next. We listen carefully for the stories of earth and human communities that may be hard to hear, and make space to envision and enact new stories.
Your classroom will be the goat barn, spring, woodshop, greenhouse, gardens, local schools where we share skills, neighbors' homesteads where we lend a hand, and the mountains of Western Maine in which we wander, work, and play.
Check out our website (www.mainelocalliving.org/understory-overview) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/mainelocalliving/) for more information, and feel free to reach out to us with questions at info(at)mainelocalliving.org. -
Level of Independence/Supervision (mouse-over for definition):
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Attachments
Program Locations
Typical Itinerary
We follow earth rhythms. We rise early, circle as a community to greet the day and share a morning practice: some yoga, a look at the sky, a poem. Then we all depart to make life happen―we carry water, chop wood, milk goats, start the cook fire, make breakfast. Morning chores conclude with a well-earned meal. After breakfast is a morning meeting with reflections, check in and logistics. Morning block is experiential―for example, a lesson on sharpening knives or axes followed by practice time. After lunch we take an hour of free time. Afternoon block typically includes physical work on the homestead, such as preparing garden beds and planting, sometimes coupled with a reading/discussion. Evenings are usually free time. We enjoy hanging out, drinking wild tea and eating popcorn, working on a carving project, and making music (we have a piano and assorted instruments in the classroom).
Program Outcomes
- Provide a vibrant, skill-building experience of living well in place.
- Develop leaders who understand the stories of this land and who can envision and enact creative futures that cultivate health, justice, and sustainability.
- Engage students as active members of their human and ecological communities.
- Build practices of wonder, silence, keen observation, and gratitude.
The Understory experience stands on three legs: skill building, community building, and academic inquiry.
Homesteading & handcraft skills
- Learn real skills for living with less
- Sharpen and use amazing hand tools
- Craft baskets, bowls, and spoons
- Plant, harvest and wild-gather the bulk of your food
- Get tired and dirty!
- Milk goats, make yogurt and cheese
- Cook on fire
- Ferment, dehydrate, and preserve food
- Compost everything!
Building Community
- Practice deep listening, compassion, and holding space for each other
- Explore self-governance: how will we live well together and get it all done?
- Center justice and equity in our words and actions
- Discover your vital self and the gifts you want to bring to the world
- Cultivate relationships with our other community members: the trees, plants, fungi, animals
- Expand community through helping neighbors, hosting events, and teaching kids at local schools
Academic Inquiry
- Practice relentless curiosity (why is the world as it is?)
- Read great essays and a book or two
- Think outside of common time scales
- Observe, observe, observe! Listen, listen, listen!
- Pay attention to the stories that made our world
- Practice patience; true learning is not often instant
The three Understory courses are:
- Applied Forest Ecology in a Changing Climate
- Re-storying Place: Historical and Contemporary Connection to and Separation from Place
- Homestead Ecology: Cultivating Abundance
Program Details
- Program Starts: Fall, Spring
- Program Duration: Less than 2 months, Semester
- Typical Program Cost: $6,300
- Program Financial Aid: Yes
- Other Financial Aid Details:
The full cost of the program is $700/week, $6,300 for 9 weeks. To increase financial accessibility we offer a sliding scale from $350 to $700 per week. We also offer scholarships for Black, Indigenous and people of color if the low end of the sliding scale is not accessible. Payment plans are available.
Tuition includes ecological housing, nourishing and delicious food, a full curriculum led by accomplished teachers and mentors, your own local resilience toolkit (knife, pack-basket materials, sharpening stone, and sewing kit), in-course travel, and all materials and supplies for handwork projects. Not included are personal items such as toiletries, bedding, weather-appropriate clothing, travel to and from MLLS, and other items on the packing list.
Staff Training and Certification
Our teachers come from both traditional and outdoor educational backgrounds. Chris Knapp, founder and lead teacher, holds a Master's of Environmental Education and has 25 years of experience in full time homesteading, ecological living, and experiential education. All lead teachers hold a Master's degree and are Wilderness First Responder certified. See bios of teachers at https://www.mainelocalliving.org/teachers