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Hello friends, family, and strangers alike:)
My name is Emma, I am 18 years old and I am so excited to share that I was recently accepted to attend a 10-week-long environmental leadership program at the Eco-Institute in North Carolina. The Rising Earth Immersion program is a gap semester experience starting in September 2022 that combines social justice work, environmental sustainability, and personal development.
For those who don't know me, I am a senior in high school taking PSEO college classes online. I live in Two Harbors Minnesota with my two moms, and my two big, lovable dogs. I love to read, write, hike and kayak, listen to music, and spend time with my friends and family. When I graduate high school, I will be 10 credits short of an Associates degree, (which I plan to complete during the summer) and I have plans to attend a four year college in Duluth MN within the next few years.
During these 10 weeks living on an organic farm and Earth sanctuary, I will be engaging in homesteading classes, activism workshops, and career designing practices all while studying permaculture principles, spiritual ecology, and collective liberation. Taking into consideration that there are only twelve spots available for this program, I feel incredibly honored to have been selected for this opportunity! As I prepare to graduate high school and move into this transitional period in my life, I am seeking to create a stronger connection with myself, a stronger connection with the people around me, and a stronger connection with the natural world that exists around us. This program is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to strengthen those connections.
This program will inevitably provide me with essential life skills, life-changing experiences, long-time friendships, as well as my first opportunity to travel independently. My intentions for participating in this program are not only to learn more about me and the future I want to create for myself, but also to be able to come back and share all I learn with my community in Two Harbors Minnesota. At the beginning of this year, my family bought 40 acres of land with the intentions of creating our own permaculture property and homestead sanctuary. I want to use the skills I acquire during this program to create a sustainable, progressive, and socially conscious oasis on the North Shore.
The full tuition for this program is $12,000, however I'm happy to say that I have been lucky enough to have received a $1,500 scholarship. This leaves me with $10,500 of tuition to come up with. Currently, I am doing my part by working a part time job at a local coffee shop while i'm still in school. And while I do plan to take on more shifts this summer, I realistically won't be able to finance this experience alone. I would also like to stress that there is a deadline for my tuition! I have a down payment of $500 due by March 7th, the first $5,000 due by May 1st, and the second $5,000 due by June 1st. As you can see, I am looking to raise the full $12,000 taking into consideration the cost of travel as well as any extra spending I might do on this trip:)
While I do understand that this program may contradict the societal expectations of many students my age, I am confident that I will gain so much wisdom from this experience. With that, I ask that you help me support this unconventional opportunity to cultivate personal growth and intellectual discovery. I have no doubts that by participating in this program, I will have life experiences that will stay with me forever.
So, if you are comfortable enough to support my participation in this extraordinarily unique opportunity, I would be beyond grateful for any contributions towards this once-in-a-lifetime trip. If you are unable to support me financially, you can suppport me by sharing this fundraiser with your friends and family! Thank you so much for your consideration to support me at this time in my life, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my story:)
Below is a link to the program website, as well as a few videos about the Rising Earth Immersion Experience!