Mission

In partnership with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, our mission is to deliver experiential learning for youth, educators, and adults through programs that promote self-discovery, critical thinking, and effective teaching and leadership.

From our home in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, our research and residential programs investigate the diversity that sustains all life, develop a sense of place, and cultivate a stewardship ethic that will influence lifelong decision-making.

Personal, Local, and Relevant

Personal - Student-centered learning is personal. You create and are included in the experience. You are needed. Education that is personal helps people see how they fit in. It goes beyond taking in facts.

Local - Learning is most powerful when grounded in a place. By learning outdoors and within our communities and our  every day spaces, we see the impact of our actions and the reality of the connections throughout the land.

Relevant - Why does this matter? What can I do with this information? What are my next steps? What do I want to know more about? Seeing the relevance in a lesson empowers people to think and brings about action.