Climate Farm School for Farm-Based Educators - September 2024

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Hosted by: Climate Farm School, Shelburne Farms, Farm-Based Education Network.

Program Schedule

- Week 1 [Sept 2-6]: online learning with one-hour live zoom session; 1-3 hours/week

- Week 2 [Sept 9-13: online learning with one-hour live zoom session; 1-3 hours/week 

- Week 3 [Sept 15-20]: Week in Residence at Shelburne Farms: Bringing Climate Education to Students through On-Farm Programming

- Week 4 [Sept 23-27]: online action planning and one-hour live zoom presentations; 1-3 hours/week 

Program Summary

Are you a farm-based educator looking to make climate change education come alive in your programming? Shelburne Farms, the Farm-Based Education Network and Climate Farm School are partnering to offer a professional learning experience on climate change for farm-based educators! This is a unique, hybrid learning experience with an online component and a residential learning stay at Shelburne Farms. You will gain access to climate change and food systems curriculum that you can adapt and use for your target audiences, and will spend a week engaging in farm-based activities that teach climate and agriculture topics and can be translated into your work. Participants will also build their network by living together and spending time with other educators in a restorative farm-based setting. Residential program dates are September 15-19, with three-weeks of online programming starting the week of September 3rd and concluding September 27.

Program Outcomes

- Build your knowledge base about food systems and climate change;

- Reflect on your teaching practices in a supportive peer-focused environment;

- Connect with peers through shared farm to table meals, land-based work experiences, and thoughtfully facilitated programming; 

- Receive access to 8 online classes outlining the impacts of climate change on food systems and solutions already happening in practice; 

- Develop an action plan for bringing climate education to the students you work with;

- Reinvigorate your commitment as an actor for change in food and ag systems

This course is for... 

- Farm-based educators, farm to school professionals, farmers, and non-formal educators who work with agriculture on any scale 

- Participants with any level of teaching experience who are building or looking to re-inspire farm-based programming

- Educators working with students in farm or garden settings 

- Farm to school team members who are linking schools, cafeterias, gardens, and farms

- Those responsible for visitor engagement (events, tours, etc) on farms that offer education 

Online Modules

You will receive lifetime access to 8 online classes outlining the impacts of climate change on food systems and solutions already happening in practice. Online sessions are designed with the intention of preparing you for the time on the farm, building communication pathways to enable continued connections post-course, and helping you implement a farm-based education and climate action plan with the support of the Shelburne Farms and Climate Farm School networks.

Online modules will focus on...

- The food-climate nexus

- History of industrial agriculture and opportunities for more climate friendly food policy

- Soil health principles and application to climate policy

- The role of animals in sustainable agriculture 

- Sustainable water management 

- Models of transformation: examples of food systems change at various scales 

Residential Week at Shelburne Farms (September 15 - 19, 2024)

- Visit key projects exemplifying regenerative agriculture in practice 

- Spend time with Shelburne Farms professional learning facilitators exploring frameworks for teaching about climate change with your students 

- Participate in a soil health workshop led by a local soil science expert and practice hands-on activities to  use with your students 

- Visit the Market Garden and work with the farm team on seasonally-appropriate farming tasks 

- Visit a nearby site demonstrating innovative regenerative farming techniques and educational offerings for youth

- Engage in lively discussions with peer farm-based educators, farmers, and course facilitators around deconstructing dominant narratives in food systems and supporting climate resilient food system solutions 

-Adapt existing and create new lesson plans and activities that will support your climate change education offerings

- Enjoy farm to table group meals, and work alongside chef-educators to prepare sustainable meals as a group in your housing on the farm 

Pricing

This program has no registration fee. The cost of meals and lodging is offered on a sliding scale starting at $275. (The full cost of rooms and meals for the four day program is approximately $780 per person). Participants are asked to pay for their meals and lodging on the Farm during the four day program, or pay the lower price meals only if you have another place to stay in the area.  More information about financial accessibility is in the application form. 

After applicants are selected, you will have a chance to register for one of the following ticket tiers:

• $275 - food only or food and lodging lowest tier 

• $375

• $475

• $575

• $675

• $775

• $875

Application Process

Step 1: We encourage all to apply if this program description resonates with you! We are including questions in the application form to help us identify and prioritize participants who are particularly passionate and committed to bringing more climate change learning and action to those they teach. Program facilitators are looking to create a group that is balanced between types of farms represented, people with a variety of experiences in farm-based education, audiences served, and urban/rural locations. We encourage you to come with others from your farm/site, and ask that you bring no more than three team members. The application deadline is July 5, 2024, and we will be making final decisions on application acceptance shortly thereafter. We are happy to answer questions from applicants or those considering applying, and will be hosting a virtual open house the week before the application deadline to connect the program team directly with applicants.

Step 2: Accepted applicants will be notified by July 15, 2024, and will receive a registration form from Shelburne Farms to collect information about lodging preferences, dietary requirements, and preferred contact information. Payment for food and lodging will also be collected with the registration form.  

About the Facilitators 

Laney completed her Ph.D. at the U.C. Berkeley Energy and Resources Group in 2019. She researches sustainable, agroecological food systems and climate change education, and completed several summers of sustainable agriculture work while researching for her dissertation. She has published book chapters on teaching climate change in U.S. K-12 classrooms and on conducting participatory agroecology research. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as a middle school teaching fellow for 2 years in Boston, MA as part of an AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellowship. 

When she’s not teaching or learning, she enjoys being outside for a variety of physical activities – farming, worm composting, trail running, bird watching, or swimming in the ocean. Originally from the East Coast, she now lives in Sonoma County, California. She has been delivering farm-based education to diverse audiences for the past 3 years. 

Questions 

Reach out to Laney Siegner (laney@terra.do) with any questions.