Community Learning in the Berkshires

“I don’t learn stuff. I do stuff.”

This quote from a third grader captures one of the wonderful things about a new program, Community Learning in the Berkshires, or CLuB. It demonstrates how children become excited by learning outside the traditional classroom. The program takes place mostly outdoors, where children are “playing, making art and sculptures and engineering, working on machines and pulleys, creating forts and artwork together, play-acting and doing theater,” according to Maria Rundle, Executive Director of Flying Cloud Institute. “These are all really crucial experiences in learning our kids need right now.”  

I am very proud to serve on the board of Flying Cloud Institute, whose mission is “To inspire young people and educators through experiences with science and art that inspire creativity.” Too often in education we separate science and art, failing to capitalize on the fact that they both nourish creativity and that what leads to greatness in either are leaps of imagination. This summer the Institute was able to quickly pivot from its usual summer camp offerings to an outdoors experience similar to that of CLuB. It has also created online learning experiences that are true to its mission.

The second wonderful thing about CLuB is that it is a collaborative effort between two school districts and diverse non-profits to ensure that vulnerable children, including those without stable internet access, or whose parents must work, or whose parents themselves lack the skills to help with schoolwork, have the support and quality learning they need while school is mostly virtual. These are children most at risk for falling further and further behind as the pandemic continues. Local organizations saw the need as “a call to action.” In an amazingly short time, they were able to put the program into place, providing “the social and emotional learning experiences” it would be difficult for these children to get at home. Foundation grants, private donations and public funds are making it possible. In a time characterized more by divisiveness than collaboration, CLuB is an all too rare example of community problem solving.