Launching C.R.A.F.T.

A new program has made its way into Woodstock- C.R.A.F.T., a program which gives students more opportunities to unite and help our community, along with the ecosystem. Run by Kat Robbins and Janis Boubol, the program is leading Woodstock into a better future.

Students will be working with farmers, foresters and community businesses to help create better and more efficient systems to fight climate change. Becoming stewards of the land is the main goal of the immersive classes the program is offering. Students are given opportunities to learn and grow, as well as direct their own learning paths. They are allowed to learn about what they are passionate about while helping the community.

Robbins understands the trouble the world is truly in: specifically our climate. “Our world is facing a lot of problems, and we can't just hand all of these problems to you all. We need to work together to figure out solutions that feel really hopeful,” said Robbins.

“We need to work on giving students real experience to be able to take action to see that school can be done in different ways and to also honor and recognize the work that students are doing to make the world a better place. We want to honor and recognize that,” says Robbins. Educating and helping students is the main goal of C.R.A.F.T. as well as making sure they let the students know that helping the world is no easy task.

Students actually go outside and interact with their environment and community compared to staying indoors learning about something. Students are empowered and can be environmental activists. “Students learn about food and forest systems and use their critical thinking skills to bring new perspectives to problems of equity or in the environment,” Robbins said in a recent presentation on the program.

Luckily, starting this program was easier than they expected. “Everyone that we talked to has given us thumbs up along the way. Teachers really feel that it's hopeful and students' eyes light up when we say we want to spend more time outdoors helping our community. Everyone is coming together about helping the community and world. I know we're doing it for the right reasons,” said Robbins.

Robbins and Boubol received a fellowship from the Rowland Foundation to help them get started. They visited other programs and organizations to learn just how to start this program and how to keep it running. “We feel so grateful to have the time and resources we needed. In order to shift the programming at the high school, it's not going to take a tremendous amount of funding and resources. But, what we are also working on is developing a second campus on the King Farm,” says Robbins.

“Very few schools are offering this concentration. We hope to evaluate the success and, if it is successful, we will share it to schools across Vermont and hopefully the whole country some day,” says Robbins. Robbins and Boubol want to expand if they can- but their main focus right now is Woodstock. If you are a Woodstock student or part of the Woodstock community, you can be a part of the program. Reach out to Kat Robbins or Janis Boubol with these emails: KRobbins@wcsu.net and jboubol@wcsu.net for more information.