Trillium Community has been
celebrating community in spontaneous, loving, spiritual, and intentional ways
for over 30 years now. We offer a unique cultural experience as well as a
residential
education program and retreat center in a beautiful and wild
setting. We strive to be closer as family while remaining conscious
of an individual's needs for space. We have special ways that we honor our
closeness and individuality within the community by regularly coming together in
circles, song, shared meals, councils, and conversations. We appreciate sharing
our spiritual practices with one another as part of a conscious desire to grow
and make this world a better place. These practices may involve anything from a
mediation, silent hike, or even just cooking dinner! We do not have rules about
spirituality, yet we ask that those who choose to come here be respectful of our
diverse and intentional ways to educate and inspire.
Trillium Community hosts:
* A residential eco-village embracing sustainable ways to live in harmony with the
Land;
* A wilderness campus offering university accredited programs;
* A grassroots conservation organization protecting the biodiversity of the
surrounding wildlands from degradation;
* A cultural, spiritual, arts and retreat center providing opportunities for
healing and education for the stewards of our planet.
We are an open, honest, and
communicative community, facilitating residents to thrive as individuals to be
the persons they truly are and strive to be within this very unique setting. We do this by using methods of open communication by providing a safe
environment for allowing feelings and emotions to be displayed, by listening
with our hearts and minds to what each other has to say. In a healthy community
other people's feelings can be felt by all, even at subtle levels. We want
students and interns to arrive here with a good understanding of our culture. We
ask that you ponder with yourself and meditate on the following questions. These
are posed to help you see clearly within yourself and give some indication of
how well you will be able to fully succeed here, as an individual, in a
community, and in a remote wilderness
homestead.
How honest are you with yourself?
Living on a remote wilderness homestead is challenging enough on the physical
plane, and then there is the emotional plane! While we strive to live happily
and love one another, conflicts do arise which can impact the entire community.
We like to deal with these issues within ourselves, and with those it directly
relates, as soon as possible and as open as possible. When issues arise in your
life, how do you deal with them? Are you able to clearly communicate feelings,
even at the risk of offending others? Are you willing to work out conflicts in a
group-setting, if need be?
How would you assess your work ethic?
The Ecostery is a residential
intensive! This is not an
understatement! The courses are for upper-level undergraduate credit and for
graduate credit as well. The academic load is rigorous, interdisciplinary, and
quite demanding at times. Please think about these questions about your
particular academic abilities.
- What is your level of reading and can you read
multiple books at once?
- How are your writing skills?
- Can you present research,
thoughts and ideas clearly to a wide audience of readers?
- How well do you view
your research skills? Are you able to engage in, sometimes lengthy, intellectual
conversations in a group setting? Individually?
- Can you keep up with a heavy
academic course load?
- Are you able to think clearly while handling many tasks at
once?
How comfortable are you with living in close residence with others,
up to eight people, for eight weeks?
This not be overlooked! Ecosterians live closely together in an octagonal schoolhouse. There is
mostly community space and in the schoolhouse with a shared living area and
kitchen. During the Ecostery, students live in close contact with their peers
during the entire time: sleeping in the same building, having most meals
together, and learning most of the day together. Think about how this might
affect you.
- How much personal space do you need for yourself?
- Can you share
community food and help to coordinate/cook/clean group dinners, sometimes for up
to fifteen people?
- Are you able to help keep a tidy community space?
- How
offensive might some of your personal habits be and what might bother you about
others?
Application:
Your
first assignment is to create your personal D.E.E.P. Ecostery Application by
writing a detailed letter of introduction, including all the information listed
below. Return this application information with a $200 application fee, which is
applied to your tuition. The application fee is fully refundable if you are not
accepted. We will accept applications through March 15 (Spring session) and
September 1 (Autumn session). Applications are reviewed as received.
Applications received after the deadlines will be reviewed on a space-available
basis. Acceptance is based on the content and presentation of your application
information and an interview, in person or by telephone. For applicants under
age 21, we may also require a telephone interview with a parent. You will be
notified of your acceptance by February 1 (Spring session) or August 1 (Autumn
session), or as soon as possible if your application arrives later. Upon
acceptance, you will receive an acceptance packet with additional detailed
information about the Ecostery. Upon acceptance, your application fee is
non-refundable and is fully applied as a deposit to your tuition.
Please begin your D.E.E.P. Ecostery
Application using the following as a guide once you have read the Application
Prerequisite. The prerequisite is for your own personal use and
should be given careful consideration. If you have any questions,
please contact us!
Read and think carefully about these items:
- COMMUNICATIONS: your name, address, phone, FAX, e-mail, etc.
- YOUR VITALS: birth date, gender (if not apparent from your name), physical
condition (be sure to include allergies, recent surgeries, illnesses and special
conditions we should know about here at this remote location).
- YOUR EDUCATION: Students: your grade, major, institution, related experiences.
Educators: your educational background, grade, subjects you teach.
- YOUR FUTURE: what you expect from this program, and how you plan to use it in
your education and work. Where do you see yourself in a decade?
- A DETAILED LETTER OF INTRODUCTION: including a statement of why you are
choosing to experience this program now; who are your heroes; describe your
close personal relationships; describe your present personal habitat and diet;
personal and spiritual pursuits.
- THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: these should be sent separately by the writer
and one should be from a professor.
- TWO WRITING SAMPLES: choose from journal, advocacy, research, or creative
writing.
- STATEMENT OF INTENT: why you want to participate
in the Ecostery.
Registration:
Upon arrival at the Ecostery,
participants will complete Antioch University course registration forms. You
will receive a D.E.E.P. Registration Confirmation upon receipt of the balance of
your Tuition, which are due September 1 (Autumn) or March 1 (Spring).
Tuition:
Write
a check to "D.E.E.P." (Dakubetede Environmental Education Programs)
for your tuition, including housing, which totals $2450 undergraduate and $2850
graduate level; subtract your deposit from this amount. Meals, books and
equipment are not included.
Refunds
and Cancellations:
Once accepted, your application
fee/tuition deposit is not refundable. If you cancel your registration before
March 15 (Spring) or September 15 (Autumn), you will be refunded your tuition
minus the $200 deposit. After that date we will no longer be able to give you a
refund unless a suitable replacement can be found. If the session is canceled
for any reason by THI/AUS or D.E.E.P., all tuition and credit fees will be
refunded.
Ecostery Academic Standards
The D.E.E.P. Ecostery is a challenging residential
intensive! We stress cooperation over competitiveness. Readings and course work
are extensive and faculty expectations are high. Several hours of homework
(reading, writing, journaling, research) are necessary each week to keep up with
the rapid pace of the intensive. Papers, projects, research, and oral
presentations are part of the evaluation process. Participants must be focused
and highly motivated to compress the work of a typical 11-week quarter term into
8 weeks. In addition, participants engage the equal challenges of living and
working together as a community in Place. Working on community process,
household chores, preparing and cleaning up meals, and successfully meshing
different personalities ~ all comprise portions of an intensive experiential
curriculum, & are also a part of the evaluation process.
Financial Aid, Student Loans, Scholarships, Discounts
If you are presently enrolled in a degree program and
receive financial aid from your home campus, you may be able to use those funds
for the D.E.E.P. Ecostery. Contact your financial aid office about having your
financial aid sent directly to you or checks disbursed to D.E.E.P. as described
above. You may need a letter from your academic advisor indicating your Ecostery
credits will transfer into your transcript at your home campus.
A $200 tuition discount is available to any
participant who recruits another participant paying full tuition and fees.
Maximum discount is $1,000 for 5 successful recruits. Partial work scholarships
with D.E.E.P. may be available during the month prior to the beginning of the
session. Scholarship amounts will vary according to work needs and availability
of participants. The work will be on location at Birch Creek Arts & Ecology
Center.
Prior to Arrival at Ecostery
1. Participants obtain all text books and read the following text prior to
arrival: Wallace, David Rains. The Klamath Knot. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books,
1983.
Complete text listing will be included in the acceptance packet.
2. Participants will obtain all necessary equipment and supplies and personal
gear. Complete list will be included in the acceptance packet.
We look forward to receiving your application!
DEEP
P.O. Box 1330
Jacksonville, OR 97530
deep@deepwild.org
Please write "DEEP
Application/Inquiry" in subject line of e-mail!
(541) 899-1696
