Frequently Asked Questions

What are the instructor qualifications?

Our staff have come to Groundwork from outdoor education, study abroad programming, farming, and environmental activism, seeking to teach in a setting that’s more grounded and directly connected to the environmental issues facing our world. Our instructors typically…

• Have an average of 10 years experience in experiential education and sustainability education.

• Have worked at small sustainability-oriented communities, community farms, and similar environmental projects.

• Possess at least a 4-year degree in an environmental field.

• Are certified Wilderness First Responders.

Do staff have medical training?

Yes, for 2022, all in-person programs will have staff who are certified Wilderness First Responders.

What is the food like on the programs?

Food is one of the central components of our programming. The food is home-cooked, mostly home-grown, local, and organic. Programs on our farm will take part in preparing all meals, developing menus that utilize nutritious, in-season foods and change as the season goes by.

On the rare occasions we have meat, it will be local and organic. We will likely be raising chickens for meat. (Vegetarian options are always available.) A main focus of our exploration of food systems is asking what a sustainable, local cuisine looks like in the high deserts of the American West. We first strive to source our food from our own farm and valley and surrounding mountains, then we broaden our search to within a small radius, ideally less than one or two hundred miles away.

Can you accommodate vegetarians or vegans?

We can accommodate most dietary restrictions and allergies. Due to our focus on local foods, we may struggle to accommodate strict vegan diets, especially early in the summer when most vegetables are still seedlings. Please contact us directly if you have questions about your dietary requirements.

Does Groundwork have specific rules on programs?

In addition to standard expectations for participation we also expect:

• While on Groundwork farm grounds: No use of recreational drugs or alcohol. No weapons on the property.

Fellowship Program

How is your fellowship program different from WWOOFing or getting a job on a farm?

Groundwork’s fellowship is rooted in farming, so it will be similar to working on a farm in some ways. There are a few key differences:

• Our farm focuses on subsistence and seed growing, and is not primarily a commercial farm. This different approach changes the nature and feel of being on the farm.
• The fellowship has community placements, and balances time on the farm with seminars and land-based projects.

Do you offer fellowships during the school year?

We know there is a big demand for semester programs during the traditional school calendar, but our programs are designed to follow the farming season in Colorado (April-October), which is fundamentally different from the academic calendar. If you are a university student, you can check out our internship program, which gives students college credit for semester-long internships. We primarily work with environmental studies students at CU Boulder, but can arrange something with most universities.

If you’re looking for a semester or gap year program in Western Colorado during the regular school year, look into our friends Dev and Marian at the High Desert Center across the valley from us.

Do fellows have weekends off?

Yes, fellows have weekends free. Most fellows like to go exploring in the wild spaces near Paonia. Within an hour drive, you could be at the West Elk Mountains, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, or Dominguez Canyon.

Fellows are also welcome to stay on the farm. Food is provided through the weekends.

How do I get around town or go on day trips once I arrive in Paonia?

We highly recommend you bring a personal vehicle and/or bicycle to the farm if possible. Paonia is a small rural town on the Western slope of the Rocky Mountains about 4.5 hours from Denver International Airport, and about 1.5 hours from Grand Junction Regional Airport. Driving is the easiest way to get around if you want to go on excursions during your time off, and the best way to get to and from the farm. That being said, we encourage fellows to bike as much as possible – as the town of Paonia is just a few minutes bike ride away from the farm and has everything you need!

Admissions

What is the screening process for programs? Do you turn down applicants?

Groundwork offers programs with 2 types of admissions:

1. Open registration (programs with links to “Register Now”). These include our ecology and anthropocene programs.
2. Application review process (programs with links to “Apply Now”). These include our fellowship and permaculture programs.

Anybody is welcome to register for open enrollment programs, and spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more competitive programs, see the application timeline on that program’s application page.

I’m 16 or 17. Can I come on a program?

As of 2022, we do not accept participants under 18 years of age. You might look into Where There Be Dragons‘ programs along the Colorado River which Groundwork staff helped design, or the High Desert Center in Paonia.

Do I need to have experience farming or in an environmental field?

No, we have no specific requirements for background experience for any of our programs. For our more selective programs, we do prioritize applicants who demonstrate a commitment to environmental fields and the topics we focus on, but it’s no problem if you’ve never planted a seed, slept in a tent, or studied sustainability.

Financial

Why are Groundwork programs using a sliding scale?

Groundwork is committed to economic equity and equitable access to educational opportunities.  You can read more about our sliding scale here.