ANNOUNCEMENT No longer enrolling. We have Flexible Refund Policies. Read our COVID-19 FAQs.
OUR PURPOSE
We are a unique Gap Year program in South Appalachia focused on personal growth through practical crafts, wilderness adventure, and living well in community.
For 17-22 year-olds taking time away from formal academics to experience hands-on learning through expert facilitation; for purpose-seeking students who are ready to be active community members and empowered self-starters; for those ready to grow and transform, and by extension, contribute to a more sustainable, aware, and enthusiastic society.
Take on tasks joyfully in the garden and in cooking homemade foods. Make your life: create practical items from raw materials. Challenge yourself to play hard and explore this earth, and, as a result, lead with character, clarity, and confidence. Set yourself up for success and fulfillment in college, work, and life.
GET YOUR YEAR ON
Make life-long relationships in a transformative, life-changing experience. We help you co-create an individually-tailored program to suit your interests within the group experience.
SUSTAINABLE LIVING
care for chickens
cook delicious meals
build garden beds
make jam/ cheese/ pie
grow food
make herbal medicine
ferment pickles
make compost
cultivate mushrooms
enjoy the land
TRADITIONAL CRAFT
make natural soap
tan a deer hide
knit a hat
blacksmith a hook
throw a mug on the wheel
felt your own slippers
build a chicken coop
quilt a pillow
weave a basket
work with leather
OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP
climb a rock face
hike in old growth forests
paddle a canoe on a mountain lake
raft on a whitewater river
sleep under the stars
mountain bike wooded trails
swim at the lakefront
plan an adventure
identify plants and wildlife
play disc golf
LIVE THE LIFE
The Pioneer Project
There was always something new and it was very exciting and I got my adventure and I got to meet all these cool people and see viewpoints I had never seen before. I felt like I became more and more the person I wanted to be. I felt more real from this experience.
PHILOSOPHY
We are community centered and experiential in essence. We believe the the best learning happens through experience and reflection as opposed to textbooks and tests.
We care deeply about each student and ensure that they get the attention they need to thrive in our program. We are unabashedly concerned with the health of our environment and thus teach practical skills in sustainable living to promote more ecologically mindful communities while striving to connect students to the natural world through wilderness expeditions. These wilderness adventure also serve to promote growth through their inherent challenges.
Craftsmanship is a dying value in our culture which has many unfortunate repercussions. Thus, we have chosen to promote traditional craft through exposing students to various artisans who still hold the wisdom of their respective craft traditions.
We believe that healthy communities are essential to the happiness and sustainability of our future, and therefore teach effective communication, conflict resolution, and facilitation techniques so that our students may become effective leaders in their own places.
We also believe that the Gap Year represents an incredible opportunity for students to do the important work of unearthing their passions and purpose outside of an academic environment.
MISSION
To foster direction, empowerment, and interdependence in young adults by offering a community-oriented educational experience focused on practical sustainable living, traditional craft, and outdoor leadership skills.
VISION
The Pioneer Project envisions a future where humans acknowledge their interdependence with each other and the Earth, while striving to live purpose-driven lives in service of others through creating supportive, ecologically sensitive communities.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
DIRECTION
Explore what sparks your fire by trying new things so you are able to steer your life’s ship with a confident hand. Without this clarity, living a conscious, values-directed life and making an impact on the wider community is impossible.
EMPOWERMENT
All change starts with the individual. Through critical examination of self-imposed barriers, develop the necessary skills for true self-reliance, and begin to recognize your own power to change your circumstances.
INTERDEPENDENCE
Individuals are necessarily members of cultural and natural communities and cannot act alone. Realize the importance of community in nurturing ideas, reinforcing values, and taking action to create a better world by being a part of one.
OUTCOMES
A vision for your unique path / motivation for learning more / academic direction / awareness of personal strengths and areas for growth / increased independence and self-reliance / leadership skills / increased social maturity / confidence / healthy life skills / a transformational, life changing experience / lasting, meaningful friendships
A SPECIAL PLACE
Settle into the homestead and be a part of a group of peers. Stretch out into the yard to discover secret spots along the creek. Set up a hammock in the shade of tall trees. This place is magic.
Lane's End homestead is situated on 18 acres that are home to a wooded mountainside, a covered platform, a quarter-acre garden, a workshop, an orchard, a creek with a swimming hole, and all the plants and animals that inhabit the land.
Our campus is located in a thriving craft community. Brasstown, NC, is home to John C. Campbell Folk School, which is one of the premier craft schools in the nation. Because of the high volume of students the school hosts on a yearly basis, many talented crafters and artisans have settled in the area to be instructors and sell their wares. This trend has created a strong community of creative folks who are excited to share their skills with students. The rural, small-town atmosphere has helped foster a tight-knit community that is host to countless potlucks, festivals, dances, and other events.
Brasstown is within two hours from these city centers: Atlanta, GA, Athens, GA, Asheville, NC, Chattanooga, TN, Knoxville, TN; not to mention a plethora of natural treasures like the Nantahala, Chattooga and Ocoee rivers, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and half a million acres of spectacular National Forest. There is no shortage of adventure opportunities within a stone’s throw to deepen and diversify the experience for our students.