Do you dream of starting your own outdoor, nature-based, sustainability-centered educational program? Do you have significant experience in outdoor or classroom education but want to learn to teach new content in new contexts? Do you enjoy community living, physical work, and locally produced everything? If so, the Maine Local Living School Journeyperson program may be the next step on your path.

The Journeyperson Year is:

An 11-month immersion in ecological living, community living, and environmental education
An in-depth training in the skills of maintaining a working ecological/ permaculture homestead and educational program with the goal that journey people could create something similar elsewhere
A hands-on practicum for outdoor and place-based educators who wish to use place-based and subsistence activities as an integrating context for any subject

MLLS Provides:

Room and board (organic food from the homestead)
$12,000 stipend with options for additional income through teaching and farm work
Mentorship in environmental education including program planning, design, and delivery
Mentorship in knowledge and skills of bioregional living and permaculture design

Apprenticeship Program Oversight:

Daily Work: Work with and direct apprentices in daily work on the homestead. This work includes: mushroom cultivation, agriculture, forestry and agroforestry, and facilities maintenance.
Social and Emotional: facilitate spaces for feedback, appreciations, issues and concerns within the apprentice community.
Simple Living Life Skills: Work with apprentices to maintain simple, hygienic, hand-powered and wood-fired systems for cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene.
Handwork: provide apprentices a weekly lesson on a specific handwork skill or handcraft (as appropriate; we are not asking for people to teach high-end skills that they just learned).

Educational Programming:

Facilities: The MLLS homestead is hand built, low tech, and locally sourced. It is always a work in progress.

Be diligent about keeping order and cleanliness throughout the campus
Where skills allow, build or repair MLLS infrastructure (it is likely that you will have a mentor and be a learner)

Qualifications

Required:

Great verbal communication and ability to give and receive feedback skillfully
Passion for at least two of the following: place based education, community living, climate resilient living
Strong people skills: ability to make connections with youth, other apprentices, and program participants; ability to address challenges and interpersonal conflict in a healthy way
Enjoy living and teaching with few modern conveniences
Physically active and able to work with your body
At least 2 years of experience as an outdoor or place-based educator
Independent and organized, with the ability to prioritize tasks and complete on a timeline when needed
Bachelor's degree or higher in relevant field preferred: environmental education, outdoor education, environmental sciences, etc. (or relevant life and teaching experience)

Desired: