Experience the successes and challenges of living and working sustainably in one of the first designated ecovillages in the world, which has been awarded a Best Practices designation by the UN Centre for Human Settlements. Learn about the integration of human ecology and natural systems as you gain valuable field experience in areas including organic farming, creative expression for sustainable living, and consensus facilitation.
Participate with community members in ‘living education’ projects which may include cultivating organic gardens, preparing shared meals, and many other practical and artistic activities to support community initiatives.
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• Discover ancient Scottish/Celtic traditions and history through excursions with a traditional Scottish bard and member of Findhorn Community.
• Enjoy world-class performances in one of three venues including Universal Hall (a full theater and performance space), a singing chamber, and the community center.
• Take part in daily yoga, meditation, 5 rhythms dance and much more.
Cost
Fall 2013: $16,900
Includes tuition, program costs, room and board, in-country travel.
Learn about Financial Aid options here
Credits
16 Transferable Credits from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
upon successful completion of the program
Dates
Fall Semester: August 30 – December 6, 2013
Requirements
Minimum GPA: 2.5
Minimum Age: 18 and above
Language: none required
Apply Online
Visa
Yes: Contact the Living Routes office for details
Housing
Guest Housing
Application Deadlines
Fall Semester: March 15
*Deadline extended
Rolling admissions on a first come first serve basis, so apply early! Contact us for availability.
FAQs
The Findhorn Foundation is a demonstration site for sustainable living. Members maintain organic gardens and a community supported agriculture system, two wind-powered turbines and a generator, a “Living Machine” ecological sewage treatment facility, and a “green building” program with over 30 ecological buildings completed (including a green-renovated castle) and an additional 30-40 in planning stages.
The Findhorn Foundation College was formed in 2001 to provide academic and training programs by integrating personal development theory and techniques with established educational methods. The College has a holistic learning philosophy that balances development of mind, body, emotions, spirit and relationships within an academic and community context. Learn more about the community here!
Program at a Glance
Week 1
- Introduction to living in the Findhorn Ecovillage and Community
- Academic and cultural orientation
- Becoming a learning community
Week 2-3
- Introduction to holistic learning & assessment
- Identify learning goals and learning contract
- Classes, tutorials and community-based research
Week 4-5
- Scottish Tour – meeting the Scottish heritage on the Isle of Lewis
- Classes, tutorials and self-directed research
- Community gatherings, events, and group check-ins
Week 6-7
- Deepening the experience of living in an intentional community
- Course progress check point
- Community rhythms, events and activities
Week 8
- Field Study on Erraid Island
- Experiential learning in a small-scale community
- Practicum and seminars on social, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainability
Week 9-12
- Classes, tutorials and community-based research
- Community gatherings, events, and group check-ins
Week 13-14
- Synthesis of learning, final assessments, presentations and performances
- Educating the community about the students’ learning journey
- Preparing for the Findhorn/US transition
Health and Safety
The health and safety of students and faculty on Living Routes programs is always our highest priority. Living Routes has clearly articulated health and safety protocols and procedures compiled in our Health and Safety Manual. This manual is reviewed and updated on a yearly basis to ensure the highest standard of care is in place on all Living Routes programs. The Health and Safety Manual is available for download here, or contact our office for a copy to be sent to you. All students also receive a comprehensive handbook including detailed chapters on health, safety and guidelines for preventing illness during the program.
Living Routes faculty and staff have extensive international experience and numerous affiliations throughout our various host communities and countries. These individuals and networks ensure that we stay informed about changing conditions and help us prevent health and safety risks while also responding to emergencies quickly and effectively if they should arise. Our program managers and directors have regular communication with field staff and faculty, who all carry emergency cell phones and are trained to carry out Living Routes Emergency and Evacuation Protocols, in the event that we must respond to an emergency, or remove a student or program from the field.
The following are measures that we take on all of our programs:
- Regular updates from the U.S. Department of State and always abide by their safety precautions, travel warnings, and recommendations for U.S. citizens abroad
- Registration through the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
- Abidance by the safety guidelines set out by the National Association for Foreign Study Abroad (NAFSA)
- In-country orientation on country, culture, host site, health and safety procedures, illness and injury prevention and emergency protocol
- Emergency Cards with program itinerary, local emergency contacts, emergency protocol
- International health insurance under iNext Basic Plan, which includes major medical, evacuation, repatriation, and 24-hour emergency assistance
For questions or more information about Living Routes Health and Safety policies, please contact our office at (888) 515-7333 or email us at info[at]livingroutes.org.
Required Courses
Applied Sustainable Ecovillage Living
(Environmental Design 529B) (4 credits)
This course explores the core nature of our species and focuses specifically on our relationship with the land, food and farming, in the context of the Findhorn Ecovillage. The various ways in which we provide for our other needs – shelter, energy, clothing, transport, waste management – is also covered. Students explore the theory and practice of living more lightly and joyfully through ecological footprint analysis – a tool which helps us to gauge the impact of our current activities on the environment.
Group Dynamics
(Communications 354) (4 credits)
This course looks at the psychology of groups – both small and large. Students will learn observation, communication and facilitation skills as practical, effective tools and to reinforce the theoretical learning.
Exploring Self and Community through the Arts
(Honors 397L) (4 credits)
This course will explore artistic creativity as a means of self-awareness and self-expression, particularly in relation to the individual and her/his interaction within community. Through employing a variety of media – including drawing and painting, sculpture, drama, and dance – students will learn ways to transcend blocks to creative expression and performance, and explore their own individual voice and style.
Worldviews and Consciousness
(International Education 292E) (4 credits)
This course aims to empower students to learn how individuals and groups perceive and shape their mindsets. Particular attention is placed on the study of world cultural traditions and the search for meaning and fulfillment. Through the creation of theoretical and experiential understandings of worldviews and consciousness, students examine culturally-narrated truths, social constructs, and the process that facilitates the evolution of an individual\’s belief system.
Program Faculty
Graham Meltzer
PhD, Architecture and B.DesSt., Built Environment, University of Queensland, Australia
Meltzer has a deep abiding interest in communal living, architectural design, and green building. His academic research, teaching and experience over the last 20 years have focused on co-housing, looking specifically at the links between social cohesion, design theory and the human environment, environmentalism and sustainability. Meltzer is on the board of ICSA, the International Communal Studies Association, and is currently working for the Findhorn Foundation as Community Architect and Project Manager. He has written numerous articles, chapters, and books including, Sustainable Community: Learning from the Cohousing Model and Another Kind of Space: Creating Ecological Dwellings and Environments (co-author).
Gill Emslie
Diploma (M.A. equiv.) in Process Oriented Psychology, School of Process Oriented Psychology
Portland, OR, and London UK; Certificate in Holotropic Breathwork, School of Holotropic Breathwork, CA
Gill has extensive experience as an international trainer and facilitator, drawing on her training in transpersonal psychology, as a consultant to organizations and communities, and as a psychotherapist. She delivers trainings in group dynamics and conflict facilitation, social design, personal development, staff training, supervision, and developing the relationship between individual purpose and its application in the workplace and the world. Gill currently works within the corporate and voluntary sectors both in Europe and Latin America, as well as teaching in a variety of educational program.
Melissa Godbeer
B.MSc, M.MSc University of Metaphysics, California
Melissa is passionate about Living Education and personal sustainability, and teaches on a range of themes from green mind programming to pro-peace activism. She has been an educator with the Findhorn College since 2005 where her key area of interest is the beneficial communal effects of right-livelihood. With a diverse history originating in Zimbabwe, Africa, Melissa dynamically draws on over 10 years of team leadership and group facilitation experience, and utilizes advanced facilitation technology as a means to reach her audience. While maintaining an authentic level of compassion to support and mentor students through the academic demands of the rigorous Findhorn Community Semester program, Melissa’s capacity to demystify the seriousness of sustainable education brings relief to the learning community.
Ruby Worth
Foundation in Community Arts, BA(hons) Theatre,
MSc Dance Movement Psychotherapy, RDMP
Ruby grew up in the Findhorn Foundation where her parents were founding members of the Performing Arts Group. Returning as an adult and recognizing the potential to grow a creative practice out with the cultural capitals, Ruby created and collaborated on a series of large-scale performance projects including the Family Project – a celebration of family, art and community. Ruby believes in the inherent life force, vitality and sense of connection that creativity and the arts can unfold. As an award winning performer and artistic director she has created innovative dance-theater performances for contemporary arts and community venues working across the generations, her work has been heralded as “a treasure trove of imaginative surprises“. For four years she served as a Specialist Advisor to the Scottish Arts Council. In recent years the settings for Ruby\’s work and studies have broadened to include development within the National Health Service, creatively working with movement, dance and theater with people diagnosed with schizophrenia and with people with profound and additional support needs. Ruby delivers trainings in creativity and dance movement therapy to teachers, carers, health professionals and students both locally and internationally.
Elisabeth Hamin
UMass Faculty Sponsor: Applied Sustainable Eco-Village Living ((ENV. DESIGN 592B)
John Gerber
UMass Faculty Sponsor: Exploring Self and Community through the Arts (HONORS 397L)
Leda Cooks
UMass Faculty Sponsor: Group Dynamics (COMM 354)
Gretchen Rossman
UMass Faculty Sponsor: Worldviews and Consciousness (INTL ED 292E)
