Gap at Glen Brook
Vitals
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GYA Accredited Since:
2018
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Enrolling:
Yes - Mission Statement:
Gap at Glen Brook is a place-based semester program on a working farm in Southern New Hampshire that explore sustainability through practical skills.
Our mission is to empower young adults to create sustainable lives and resilient communities. We work toward this mission through place-based, experiential learning rooted in sustainable farming, homesteading skills, nature connection, intentional community, and self-inquiry. -
Level of Independence/Supervision (mouse-over for definition):
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Attachments
Program Locations
Typical Itinerary
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
|
W e e k 1 |
Food Inventory and Grocery Shopping Deep Clean Mentor Meetings | Monday Meeting Introduction to the farm Mindfulness | Farm Foundations: soil science Fire skills Evening discussion of our weekly reading: "Braiding Sweetgrass" | Self and Community Session: Non-violent communication Sustainable forestry workshop Community dinner | Farm Foundations: Harvesting and preserving fall crops Ecology of the north woods Craft night: wool felting and spinning | Work Party (farm or building projects) Food Studies: Sourdough baking | Day off Saturday Fire |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
|
W e e k 2 |
Food Inventory and Grocery Shopping Deep Clean Mentor Meetings | Monday Meeting Trip Pack-out and preparation | Leave for backpacking trip on the Long Trail in Vermont | Outdoor leadership skills on the trail | Summit Stratton Mountain Last night out! | Return to Glen Brook Trip debrief Celebration dinner | Day off Town trip into Keene |
Typical weeks generally follow the schedule of Week 1, with recurring modules like Monday Meetings, Farm Foundations, Self and Community, readings discussions, and Work Party. Every three weeks, we're out on the trail or the river, and our schedule looks more like Week 2!
Program Outcomes
- Sustainable Farming: Gappers learn to provide for the needs of themselves and their community by engaging with the daily and yearly rhythms of our working farm, and care of the gardens and animals.
- Homesteading Skills: We practice the crafts of food preservation, in-season cooking, forestry, carpentry, fiber arts, and beyond, helping us learn to harness and preserve the seasonal harvest.
- Nature Connection: Through wilderness trips and hands-on earth skills - canoeing, backpacking, foraging, natural history, and more - Gappers experience reciprocity and connection with the natural world.
- Intentional Community: Sharing space as a close-knit cohort of peers allows Gappers to practice the life skills that are crucial to being in community with each other: self-governance, communication practices, and group processes.
- Self-Inquiry: Gappers engage in reflection and critical questioning of our stories, identities, and privileges within ourselves, our lives, our community, and our society; not in a vacuum, but alongside our daily work and learning.
We offer two courses for college credit, thanks to our accreditation by the Gap Year Association and their partnership with Portland State University. Earn credit by working and learning outdoors!
Program Details
- Program Starts: Fall
- Program Duration: Semester
- Typical Program Cost: $12,500
- Program Financial Aid: No
- Other Financial Aid Details:
We are dedicated to providing access to all despite no formal scholarships. Please reach out if you would like to discuss a payment plan or financial aid.
Staff Training and Certification
Gap at Glen Brook is nested within Camp Glen Brook, a year-round outdoor education center in southern New Hampshire, right in the heart of New England. Camp Glen Brook has offered Waldorf education-inspired programs– including summer camp, school, family programs, and Gap – on its 250-acre forest and farm facility since 1946.
Our team includes 2-3 Gap at Glen Brook core staff, and 6+ year-round specialists: our farm manager, culinary director, woodworking instructor, and more.
All wilderness trip leaders hold a Wilderness First Responder certification.