FabNewport launched Endless Summer this week, a free year-round learning program for students ages 10 to 14 that is registered with the state as a private school.
The first cohort has 14 students, many of whom came to FabNewport through its after-school and summer programs. The program runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and follows the general rhythm of the public school calendar, but students spend time throughout Newport County as well as at FabNewport, working alongside local businesses, tradespeople, farms and cultural organizations.
Students continue working on reading, writing, math, communication and problem-solving while pursuing individual interests, which the organization says could range from environmental research to art, sports, or building in the makerspace. Older FabNewport students will serve as Navigators, taking leadership roles with the younger cohort.
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to discover who they are, what they care about, and how they can best contribute to their community,” said founder and Executive Director Steve Heath. He said the program is meant to build a learning ecosystem in which young people take more responsibility for their own learning.
The model draws in part on the learner-centered framework promoted by Education Reimagined, a Washington nonprofit.
FabNewport started in Newport’s North End in 2013. The organization says it expanded to Providence and elsewhere in earlier years but found its strongest results came from long-term relationships with families in its own community.
