CRAFT immersive semester at the King Farm

The CRAFT Immersive Semester at the King Farm is off to a brilliant start. With bright blue skies and fields of green as our “classroom walls”, we are able to really vision a future where we can learn from the land while being with the land. 

Students have been engaging in some blue sky thinking while reflecting on the nature of being human. Questions like, “What brings us joy?”, “What are we good at?” and, “ What does the world need?” are being contemplated. 

We have been reading aloud, journaling, sit spotting and sharing our own thoughts and ideas. Using the text, “What if We Get it Right?” by Elizabeth Ayana Johnson, we will be exploring the possibilities of a future where we build on the multitude of climate solutions we can engage with for a more just and regenerative future. 

Our work is just beginning and as the semester unfolds, we will be meeting with community members, land trust staff and experts who we can learn from and work with to design this place for future educational opportunities as a model of stewardship, systems thinking, sustainability and service learning, the four pillars of CRAFT. We will be getting to know this land, ourselves and each other from a diverse range of perspectives including ones that are not human in nature.

These students have already made it very clear they are ready for this type of work and learning. I have been in awe of their thoughtfulness and wisdom in just a few class meetings. These beautiful minds are our future and they are the ones who can truly see what is possible and do the work to get there. I am grateful to have the support of so many in this truly place-based, hands-on immersive experience for our future leaders.