Day 1 :
Embark on your Outdoor Education Program
- Arrival in Maine:
Today we will travel to Rockland, Maine via private coach or scheduled flight. Once in Rockland, we’ll meet the education team, who will be working with us for the entire program. Board a traditional lobster boat outfitted for group transport and enjoy a 1-hour ride across scenic Penobscot Bay to the Island where we will stay for the duration of the trip. Our island in Maine was once home to a granite quarry. After the quarry ceased operations, the island became a ghost town. Now, it serves as an experiential off-the-grid classroom.
- Communal living:
On the Island, all meals and lodging will be provided so everyone will be able to settle in and get cozy. Students will sleep in a bunkhouse with bedframes and mattresses provided. Bring your own sleeping bag and pillow! Toilet facilities are provided on this off-the-grid island and students will learn about water conservation as the island treats all its own water and waste on-site. Throughout the program, we will be responsible for a variety of chores (e.g., dishes, compost, sweeping, etc.) to help keep the island community up and running.
- Daily reflection and group discussion:
"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience" - John Dewey On every evening of the program, we will set time aside to update our Reflection Journal and share thoughts and impressions that have come to the fore in the course of the day.
Day 2 :
Centering Ourselves
- Today’s focus:
Take time to notice things about yourself as well as the environment.
- Getting acclimated:
On the first full day on the island, we will hike to explore the human history of the place as a historic granite quarry and discover what we can learn from the past to lead into the future.
- Afternoon activity:
Students will get out on the water and learn what it takes to make a sustainable fishery and have an opportunity to participate in a town hall debate about policies that impact fishing communities and the environment. Students will practice arguing from evidence and deep listening to their peers as they work to find consensus to meet the needs of all parties.
Day 3 :
Challenging Ourselves
- Today’s focus:
There will be opportunities for reflection and processing of the day’s activities as we each define for ourselves the type of leader we are becoming and how we can use our strengths to lead others.
- Rock climbing:
The day will start with a full morning of learning how to rock climb and get a chance to scale the granite quarry face, belayed and supported by your fellow participants.
- Team and raft building:
We will put our reflections on leadership into action by working in teams to build rafts that will hold all of us up as we go across a freshwater pond. We will be able to refine our communication strategies and use 'failure' as an opportunity to learn how to improve our process and design.
- Evening:
After dinner together, we’ll have some time to reflect on the day's activities and discuss what we have learned today.
Day 4 :
Defining Ourselves in a Community
- Today’s focus:
Today we will spend time determining what leadership looks like within a community setting where we help empower others to act. We will use examples from the island to learn about what an intentional community looks like and how we can deepen our own intentional community.
- Aquaculture activity:
Students will spend part of the day helping our research team collect and process data on our scallop aquaculture site and learn how we are using aquaculture to lead in our communities on the coast of Maine.
- Recycling and waste management:
Students will also learn about the challenges of marine debris and human impacts on the environment, participate in a debris clean up on the island, and address the problem through developing their own theory of change and using design thinking to iterate a solution.
- Evening:
After dinner together, we’ll have some time to reflect on the day's activities and discuss what our roles and responsibilities are in our various communities.
Day 5 :
Preparing for Impact
- Today’s focus:
Dig into the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to identify a challenge in our home communities and begin thinking about how they will address it.
- Get dirty in the gardens:
Help harvest and process food as you think through your own communities' needs and opportunities.
- Culminating work:
Prepare a presentation for your peers and the Hurricane Island community on how you are taking what you have learned from your experience home to have a positive impact.
- Farewell campfire:
End our island time with a celebratory campfire and s'mores.
- Final reflection and discussion session:
Reflect on how citizens and organizations can work together to improve communities for everyone. What is your role?
Day 6 :
Departure from Maine
- Farewell!:
Today we head home as our rewarding and enjoyable Leadership Development in Maine outdoor education program comes to an end.
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