Vision Statement for Vermont Wilderness School: A Vision of Community
We live in changing times. In essence this statement has always been true, but perhaps even more so at this point in the earth’s history. As citizens of the US and the earth itself, we are faced with multiple areas of global unsustainablility. Fortunately these diverse challenges each require a similar solution: we must reconnect with and rebuild our local systems and communities. These outside forces of change remind us that we must not face the world alone.
In our recent past, community has been treated as a nonessential element; we thought we could live without it in our isolated nuclear families and get by just fine. Vermont Wilderness School believes that the idea of community as a “luxury item” must change and that external and internal conditions will create a context in which we realize we not only want, but need community. Because our community “muscles” have grown weak over decades of disuse, we must begin now to build this strength again.
Living in community is a learned skill we must all practice and at the heart of this skill are relationships. We intend that the Vermont Wilderness School act as one of the many sources of community cohesion for the greater Brattleboro area, a place where we can practice community with others who share our curiosity and passion for nature. As we learn the land around us intimately, we deepen our understanding that we are a part of nature. This core knowledge positively affects our behaviors in relation to the earth that sustains us.
We set our intention to create a vibrant, healthy community center for the region that will interweave 3 central strands: The School will run programs and host community events built upon a foundation of nature awareness and mentoring and will operate its programs within the physical space and cultural context of the Village and Center. The VWS village will be a multigenerational community of people living in a sustainable manner, using Peace Principles and mentoring as a foundation for interaction. The VWS Center will provide a physical space for the activities and interactions the Village, the School, and the larger Brattleboro community. These strands woven together will help support the physical, emotional and spiritual health of children, families, communities and consequentially, the larger region as a whole.
The School:
The School will be the primary vehicle through which VWS brings practice of nature awareness and mentoring to the greater Brattleboro community using a suite of programs and community activities that deepen the long-term mentoring relationships already established, as well as reaching a much wider audience of children and adults in the region. The programs, activities and community events will be designed with the intention to build community relationships within the area and reach, as well as creating connections throughout the region. A residential apprenticeship program will offer adults practice in the art of mentoring, leadership training, various practices in sustainability, and community building. We intend to broaden the scope of our programs so that the majority of children in the region, whether traditionally or home schooled will feel the positive effects of time spent in nature. The homeschool programs will eventually be broadened to incorporate an academic component as well, providing a wider range of educational experiences for the children in our region. Our programs will be designed with the flexibility to reach individuals at all levels of experience and ability and take them as far on their journey as they want to go.
Vermont Wilderness School programs and events will operate within the context and vicinity of the village community that will be committed to living the teaching principles in its day-to-day life and will provide a deeper vision of the possibilities of mentoring. In addition, community gatherings, celebrations and festivals will be organized and/or supported by VWS providing further opportunity to practice community building in many forms. A network of elders throughout the region will be cultivated and integrated into programs, activities, celebrations and festivals.
VWS will strive to create a cultural environment in which community members feel honored and acknowledged for the unique gifts they offer the school. This environment will also foster respect and compassion for the inner wilderness of each individual, and endeavor to support each person as s/he negotiates his or her personal terrain. Working through interpersonal issues as they arise is one of the most important and challenging aspects of building community. We will utilize ongoing systems of grief processing that support a healthy interpersonal environment.
As the Central Fire of the school, the Board of Directors will operate by consensus and adhere to the use of the Peace Principles in relationships within the school, the VWS community and larger community as well. It will provide clear and consistent leadership for the organization, assure sufficient resources exist to achieve the vision and mission, help root VWS within the community at large, and promote the school whenever and wherever possible. The Board will be comprised both of individuals from within the VWS community (parents, staff, and elders) and strong community leaders from the greater Brattleboro area.
In addition to running VWS programs, the non-profit organization of VWS will endeavor to provide a structural umbrella into which complementary programs can “plug in”, helping the web of connections throughout the region to grow. VWS will also maintain and deepen existing relationships with other mentoring institutions in the region, and the VWS facilities can be used as a gathering place for these organizations.
The VWS Village
The primary goal of the village is to reweave a healthy web of relationships among people in all phases of life and in it the many aunties, uncles, and grandparents will mentor the children around them. Village adults will seek to take responsibility for perceiving and drawing forth the gifts of each child as well as each other and elders will tell their stories and share the hard earned wisdom of their years. VWS apprentices will have the opportunity to live and practice their craft in this authentic mentoring environment where villagers will practice the art of living together and working through the sticky issues of relationship as they emerge. The transitional stages of life will be honored and celebrated with rites of passage and initiation as the community supports people to become native to their place as they build healthy relationships with themselves, nature, their community, and their ancestors.
In addition to practicing the art of relationship with other people, the Villagers will also strive to live in a balanced and sustainable way in relation to the earth. A variety of sustainability practices and principles will be integrated into the community and community garden space as well as larger scale food production will be open and available to area residents as well as villagers. The Village will be attempt to avoid the feeling of a “closed circle” by attracting people from many walks of life, and will try to help people to balance their village lives with their external daily activities.
The VWS Public Center:
The VWS Center will include a large community building with a lecture hall, nature museum, offices, library and classroom space built using “green” technology. The 70-80 acre property will support varied habitats as well as good soil for growing food and a trail system on which people can choose to explore the land. The VWS facilities will be available for use by the larger community for celebrations, festivals and important rituals marking the stages of our lives.
We envision the VWS Center as a place that draws people from the larger community to gather in informal ways allowing many aspects of community to grow in organic and unstructured ways. Elements such as a low-cost coffee room and nature library would act as a gathering place where villagers and area residents can share stories and information. The VWS Village Center will be easily accessible from Brattleboro, making it convenient for the wider community to enjoy.
Within the greater Brattleboro area, the Vermont Wilderness School will be perceived as solid, well-run organization that strengthens and supports the local community. VWS will become integral to the town of Brattleboro and will be seen as a good neighbor. The VWS nature museum, library, classrooms, lecture hall and trail system will be available for use by the larger community and will be seen as an asset and major landmark of the Brattleboro area.
Timeline:
This is certainly an ambitious vision for an organization that has stripped down to a Board of Directors, but we have built much over these past 7 years that we can rely on as we move forward: a web of relationships in the home schooling and naturalist community, a gang of beloved Oyase children, former apprentices and staff, a 1500+ database, significant office/technological infrastructure, 501c3 status, a dedicated Council of Community Members meeting once a month, and a significant list of donors. In order that we use our resources wisely and grow deep roots that will support us in the future, we must proceed with caution and care. The following is a possible timeline for the development of the 3 strands of the vision over the next 7 years:
Year 1 (2007-8)
Run 1 weekly youth program plus AoM; host quarterly community celebrations and festivals organized by VWS and community members; use a simplified organizational and leadership structure; begin land search and fundraising for land; begin conversations about the possibility of a village mentoring community
Year 2 (2008-9)
Add one more program and begin development work for apprentice program; continue with community celebrations; continue fundraising and land search; decide on organizational/leadership model we’ll use; begin search for and hire an Apprentice Director and Executive Director
Year 3 (2009-10)
Begin adult apprentice program; hire Executive Director; buy land; begin land development and building small cabin structures for apprentice housing; Staff can begin living in housing on land (hopefully in a pre-existing structure); continue same youth programs and community celebrations; begin academic component to homeschool program; more focused discussion about creation of village community; outreach into community to promote and educate about community
Year 4 (2010-2011)
Land development continues; programming stabilizes to core suite of programs; outreach for community continues; community celebrations and festivals continue; 1 family/individual added to village; capital campaign for main building begins
Year 5 (2011-12)
Add 2 more families/individuals to village; begin construction on main building; apprentice program, celebrations/festivals/programs continue
Year 6 (2012-2013)
Maintain all programs and community events, continues work on main building and governance structure for community
Year 7 (2013-2014)
Maintain all programs and community events; add 2 new families to the village