About Maine Outdoor School for All
Who We Are
Maine Outdoor School for All is a network of overnight environmental learning centers working together with Maine schools and other partners to facilitate learning opportunities that empower students to create healthy, vibrant Maine communities.
Mission
Maine Outdoor School for All collaborates to promote best-in-class overnight environmental learning in Maine for all students, create model community-based education partnerships, and contribute to statewide initiatives.
Nature-Based Education Vision
In twenty years, there is a network of overnight and immersive Environmental Learning Centers that give all students in Maine access to holistic environmental learning and facilitate community-based education innovation. Maine is known as a place where our educational institutions are vibrant communities connected to the natural landscapes of Maine- the lands, waterways, and ocean. Maine students understand the connection between their health and the health of the natural world. They are civically engaged members of their communities, towns, and regions.
Our shared education model:
- Use systems thinking, ecology, and sustainability integrated into our program models
- Provide three-day or longer residential environmental learning programs
- Couple outdoor and in-school experiences over multiple years
- Foster teacher-driven professional development through ongoing collaboration
- Have a robust social-emotional curriculum
- Have a foundation in strong science and community-based/civics curriculum
Maine Outdoor School for All allows the partner organizations to share best practices and administrative resources, reach a much greater number of students, and work together to teach a rising generation how to be responsible stewards of their environment, their own health, their communities, and their state.
To date, the Maine Outdoor School for All Project has allocated $1.3 million to support over 10,000 students from Maine schools