Join the Vermont Village School in the joyful work of creating new, liberatory spaces that will take the place of abolished institutions. We are excited to invite new families to explore joining our second year of gatherings at Retreat Farm in Brattleboro.
While elders work towards a just and equitable society, we will gather with the children in that vision. Shared experiences of joy along with encouragement of critical thought will replace academia and its system of white supremacy. As children gather, they learn what it means to temporarily give up some amount of individual freedom while within an interdependent group. As adults, rather than enforcing rules and policies, we will model the responsibility of being a part of a collective and facilitate dialogue to create boundaries for our communal learning space.
Our Village school has been welcomed into many emergent spaces of creativity right in downtown Brattleboro: River Gallery School, NEYT, BMAC, and more. We will be walking as far as a mile at a time each and every day to take part in all that our village has to offer. We will also take on roles within the village as children decide what they have to offer! For example, as the growing season ends, we may start and maintain an indoor sprout garden in the village in collaboration with Edible Brattleboro, or stock shelves at the local free grocery store, Foodworks. Sometimes, we drive to visit a partner in the region, such as SUSU CommUNITY Farm.
We will also welcome guest villagers to come share something they love with us as we learn the low-fi technology of gathering, such as Shingai Kagunda, Afrofuturist storyteller, and José Rivera, aural cartography organizer.
We are building this world together, and as fellow parents we want to replace the stress of drop-off and pick-up with grounding rituals to begin and end our days together. Our days will begin around 9am (whoever gets there first starts the metaphorical–or actual–fire) and we will close in a circle at 2:22.
We are asking families to pay on a sliding scale, between $45-$100/day. Families should reflect on their income, property ownership, access to inheritance, and societal privilege when choosing an amount. If the sliding scale is not accessible for you, please register below and fill out this scholarship application. Families who live in New Hampshire can receive money from the state for VVS.
At this time we are welcoming children between the ages of 8 and 13. Most spots will be filled by returning students, but in the spirit of abundance we would like to hear from all interested families instead of imposing a strict limit.
Please fill out the form below to tell us more about your child. We will then reach out to talk to you about the program and what your child is looking for in this moment. We believe that embodiment is the best way to determine fit—come join us for a day and see how it feels.
