Volo Natural Learning Community was designed from the ground up for the explicit purpose of preparing young people to succeed in a changing world with courage, compassion, and creativity. Learners spend about 60% of their time immersed in nature, experientially exploring educational foundations to grow their problem-solving, leadership, and whole-person self-efficacy.
The Volo program was developed as an ideal model, which means it incorporated the best possible practices and perspectives regardless of brand; to do this, we drew on many years of combined experience with thousands of young people in a variety of learning settings. We also drew from published research and from the most successful school programs from around the world. Rather than mass teaching students in the traditional “factory model,” young people are treated as autonomous, creative, and capable beings who are actively developing intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, and spiritually.
Volo provides high-grade learning experiences. That means the quality of education provided in the Volo model is rich with essential learning opportunities. We purposefully orchestrate time in environments loaded with potential for learning experiences. We plan for integrating math, communication, science, art, movement, cultural studies, and music. Young people are motivated by intriguing questions, experiences, examples, and challenges. Learners are highly engaged as they learn through play, guided experiences, service, and exploration.
The Volo team embraces the value of transparency in sharing our startup strategy. We anticipate roughly five more years of growth before Volo is a self-sufficient and fully functioning educational institution serving grades 1-12. We have been creating the blueprint since 2020, with the help of many great people including a youth advisory team of dynamic young people. Early on we began with outdoor adventures and day activities. In 2023 we started a Friday program which we grew and continued in the spring of 2024. In 2024 we launched The Exploratory - a program with full-time and part-time options, and Friday adventures again. In 2025 we are launching The Luminary and The Quest to carry on and improve the daily programs. What happens now is crucial for the future -- please join us and contribute to establishing this better way to do school.
All social and cultural movements that transform the status quo begin with a small group of highly committed early adopters. Volo is gathering a founding community of people who believe in the principles on which Volo has been created and who are interested in helping to establish world-class education here on the Wasatch Back.
My name is Arthur, and I am working with an incredible team to launch Volo.
Our journey began decades ago for those of us in the startup team and the governing board. Each of us developed a love for the outdoors and for learning. Our respect for young people helped to bring us together from across the country.
We are proud of our education — our governing board and team have several doctoral degrees and many of us have taught and led in University settings — but we would be even better educated if we could have gone to Volo. We have created the blueprint for the learning community I wish I could have had back in the day.
Now, with the help of many local families, we are building the learning community together. And it’s a good thing, too. Well being for us all comes from lives full of learning; from developing as humans with agency, courage, compassion, and creativity. I am looking for good days now and great days ahead.
The Volo Natural Learning Community builds on three core principles: Personal Agency, Nature, and Community. A collection of defining elements blends through these principles to create our pioneering model. Dive deep into the model’s elements in our first full-time program, The Exploratory.
Home Base, 4554 N. Forestdale Dr. Unit E26, on the 2nd floor upstairs from Wild Roots Montessori. — The Exploratory will meet at our Park City “Home Base” and often travel from there for the day’s activities. Drop off and Pick up will be at the Home Base.
We often go to our Base Camp, which is Sagebrush Ranch in Garff Ranches. Volo has contracted a wonderful 40 acres with aspens, a perennial stream and a little schoolhouse 15 minutes from Park City.
We visit places to enliven and enrich learning, whether that is a unique natural area, a place where we can build, a business, or some other place. We have dedicated outposts and a unique ability to visit other places of interest.
Sagebrush Ranch. This 40-acre, private family property in Garff Ranches, near Kamas Utah, hosts a tiny schoolhouse dedicated to use by Volo. At this land there is a beautiful aspen stand, a spring-fed perennial stream, and other interesting biotic communities with wildlife including lizards, rabbits, squirrels, bluebirds, deer. There is plenty of room to roam and excellent outdoor classrooms.
4554 N. Forestdale Dr. Unit E26, 2nd Floor. This will be our drop-off & pick-up location as well as a space where we can meet indoors when that is the learning plan. This is also our space for cooking classes!
Outposts include 60 acres of private land along the Weber River near Oakley and a large yard and home with space to build things near Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway. Our conservation partners also provide access to special lands in Summit, Wasatch, and Salt Lake Counties.
We are happy to share Volo’s startup strategy to help interested community members understand our trajectory and ambitions as we work to bring Volo to life.
Progression
We began creating the blueprint for Volo in 2021. We began day-programs and outings in 2022. Friday only programs began in 2023. Interest has been high and we have had a lot of fun. In 2024 we are adding a full-time, 4-day/week program.
Specifically, 2024/2025 will…
Financing
To date, Volo has successfully raised charitable and foundational funds to cover nearly all of its operational costs. We are striving to fund The Exploratory beta year almost exclusively with tuition. That is because, at this stage of Volo’s development, the committed value of social capital is far greater to us than financial capital. Volo is in need of the heart and soul which will provide resilience, integrity, and, ultimately, give Volo wings!
Once our inaugural cohort is secured, we plan to spend the 2024-25 year raising enough capital to financially insulate Volo to reduce risk and provide flexibility.
We anticipate a fundraise of $350,000 in the form of state and federal grants, large foundational grants, and charitable donations.
I began talking with some very inspiring people about the reality of Volo early in 2021. I was joined by Jeff Westphal, Ngaire Duncan, Emily Cox, and Roel Op ‘t Ende. This initial, international team had 10 college degrees, close to 100 years combined experience in education, and a collection of varied and complementary skills (such as STEM credentials, language arts and communication, scholarship in history, and business leadership). Before long we were working with a great team of youth and advisors, including Martin Tadlock on our board of Directors.
This group is passionate environmental stewards, including scientists who have published in national and international peer-reviewed journals and educators with experience in Montessori schools, Waldorf schools, homeschool cooperatives, private specialty schools, and public schools across the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands.
We designed Volo to express the interests of young people, to benefit from the talents of its members and local resources, and to adaptively meet challenges and needs for the future.
Today, we have curated a local team in Park City, Utah to evolve our original design and vision into an operational reality! I’m thrilled to finally see the beginnings of our shared dream come to fruition.
We think, sort of humbly, that it is an amazing plan. Our full confidence is in its worth for young people. We look forward to what the future brings, and I look forward to seeing you become a part of it!