The Living Classroom (in preparation) will be one of the Centre’s most intensive, individualized and scientific courses. The idea of a “Living” classroom is in contrast to studying the outdoors from indoors. This concept takes students out into the land around them and gives them a hands-on educational experience which will not soon be forgotten.

The program is a summer science intensive for students and college intern field assistants, located in and along the European Greenbelt, just outside of Slavonice.

Students earn high school and college credit for spending eight to ten days in the field collecting biodiversity data, conducting individual field-based research projects, and following through with regularly scheduled fall study sessions. Mentor oversight during summer field work and subsequent fall research and work sessions provides students with necessary supervision and guidance for successful completion of real scientific projects, papers and presentations.

The program provides an in-depth hands-on scientific learning experience, in which data collection and species identification skills are acquired, along with a broad understanding of important ecological concepts and environmental stewardship.

The Centre anticipates future expansion of the Living Classroom to include several options for continuing education students to become involved. The setting and structure of the program provide an excellent basis for undergraduate and graduate level studies in natural sciences, historical land use, environmental education and beyond.

The Centre’s sister organization, The Telluride Institute has already been running successful versions of the Living Classrooms for 15 years in the 1,000,000 acre (400,000 hectare) watershed of the San Miguel River, in southwest Colorado, USA.

Visit the Institute's Website