We are happy to report that despite COVID-19, Embark Center for Self-Directed Education is still up and running. We have been able to adapt many of our classes for elearning, continue mentor meetings and tutoring, and create community through a private social media app. We also have been pleasantly surprised that online learning has offered new opportunities to us that we previously had not taken advantage of.

Here is a snapshot of how Virtual Embark is working.

• Embark class favorites such as Crazy Crimes, Minecraft Communication, ASL, Current Events and Coloring, and The Basics of Everything are still on the calendar.
• Thanks to technology, more volunteers have been able to lead classes and workshops, such as Anatomy and Physiology, Writing Workshop, and Philosophy discussions.
• We have been able to expand our Real Life, Real Stories class to include speakers from around the world. So far we have spoken to a nurse, an environmental activist, and a producer for ABC News. Our upcoming speakers include a newly published author, a hostage negotiator, and a personal assistant to a famous social media influencer.
• We are collaborating with other Liberated Learners Centers (of which Embark is a member) throughout the country to create an even larger catalog of classes for our members. 
• The Liberated Learners network has also created events such as Open Mic Night and Teen Social Hour where members throughout the country can meet and collaborate with other like-minded peers.
• We have even been able to keep our Thursday field trip day by attending virtual field trips together to places such as the Winchester Mystery House in California and Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. Places we never dreamed of being able to go are now options for us, such as Mars, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Moon!
• All members at Embark have weekly mentor meetings, which we have been able to continue virtually.
• We also have been able to continue one on one classes and tutoring virtually as well.
• Our weekly Community Meeting, where members and staff work together to choose classes, discuss best practices for running Embark, work out differences and conflicts, and catch up with each other, is still one of our most well-attended events.
• Since we can no longer socialize in person, members and staff are sharing resources, support, and community through a private social media app. 
• Many educational institutions and companies are offering free-resources, which we are constantly sharing with our members. 
• We also haven’t forgotten the parents and families of our members. Learning from home is a huge adjustment for most families, and many of our members have siblings who are home now too. We are offering a weekly support meeting as well as a private social media meet-up for Embark parents for help, ideas, and encouragement.
• Embark staff, Andrea, Catina, and Kara have also been participating in talks and live-streams supporting and offering advice to families new to schooling at home.

Because the structure of Embark is based on collaboration, community, individualized learning, and flexibility, our live online classes are still discussion-based, where all members have a voice. As a self-directed education center, Embark members are an integral part of choosing and creating classes, field trips, and online events. All classes on our schedule are member chosen, which means we can modify start and end times, class materials, and even whether or not there is homework or responsibilities outside of class. As always, none of our classes are compulsory, so members are free to create their own schedules.

While we greatly miss seeing each other in person, walking around Leesburg, exploring our area through our many field trips, volunteering with our non-profit friends, and hanging out in our beautiful building, we are so grateful that we are still able to collaborate together and individually through this new platform.

At Embark we know that there is no one-size-fits-all to education, so if you are a teen or know of one who would benefit from a personalized, alternative path to learning, please contact Andrea today to learn more about Embark Center for Self-Directed Education.