Clemente Program Partners with OWL360 to bring the humanities to young adults
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The 2023 Clemente Program Graduates. Photo by Dana Weir. [/caption]
BY Nhatt Nichols
After a year-long hiatus, the Jefferson Clemente Course has partnered with OWL360, an organization that supports youth and young adults, to once again provide accredited humanities classes to those facing economic hardship.
The Jefferson Clemente Course is part of a nationwide program offering humanities courses accredited by Bard College. Students do not need formal qualifications, even a high school diploma or GED, to be eligible. They offer a free six-month program that not only provides college-accredited education, they also cover the costs of childcare, textbooks, and transportation, removing many of the barriers young people face when considering higher education.
OWL360 provides support to young people in Jefferson County, including help with housing and job placement. Through The Nest, their uptown community coffee house and social hub, they serve valuable resources and community connections alongside coffee.
John Pierce, the chair of Jefferson Clemente’s board, is glad to have OWL360 as a partner organization to help with outreach and funding.
“The mission of the Clemente course is really important. Providing, specifically, humanities education to people who can otherwise not afford it, and that they get free books, free childcare, free transportation. The important thing about the Jefferson Clemente Course is, it's the only rural one in the country,” Pierce said.
Applications are now open for the program that starts in January. This year’s program theme is ‘Threshold’ and will provide classes in art, philosophy, literature, art history, American history, critical thinking, and writing that explore the theme of crossing through a threshold.
“We wanted a theme that was both very relevant for people in their own personal narrative, their own personal experience, but also broad and wide so that it can be something that is universally understood,” Dana Weir, the new academic director, said.
Weir was the art and art history instructor for the 2023 Jefferson Clemente Program. She has also provided art instruction for local schools and organizations, including Swan School, the Benji Project, and Northwind Art. She is committed to teaching and studying art from a social justice perspective, keeping diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of her practice.
“The Clemente course materials are inclusive of these more emotional dimensions to learning and growing, and that has to include joy and awe and wonder as the beginning, as the spark for that intellectual and academic growth,” Weir said. She will continue in her role as the art and art history instructor for the 2025 program as well as being the academic director.
Generations of students have benefitted from the Jefferson Clemente Course in the 25 years it’s been offered, including city council member Amy Howard.
“The Clemente course offered me a transformative educational experience at a crucial time in my life, as I felt lost and uncertain about my potential. Having recently been homeless and struggling with substance use, I was apprehensive about my ability to engage with learning. However, the course’s engaging subjects and supportive environment helped me rediscover my capacity for critical thought and valid expression of my ideas,” she said.
Howard also mentioned the important role humanities education has in finding common ground among diverse perspectives, a role that is deeply needed in divisive times.
Though focused on people aged 18-30, anyone who feels they would benefit from the Clemente course is encouraged to apply. You can request an application by visiting The Nest at 1191 Lawrence St, Port Townsend, or by emailing jeffcoclemente@gmail.com
To learn more about the program, they are having an event at OWL360 on October 10th from 5-7:30 pm. Learn about all of the resources available through OWL360, including the Clemente Course. Clemente alumni and faculty will be there to present information and share experiences.
