The Folk School

We try to enrich lives and build community by passing on skills and personal knowledge in classes that are hands-on, family-friendly, non-competitive, affordable, and connect people to the places they live.

The Folk School is an Alaska-chartered, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to life-long learning and the teaching of diverse practical and creative skills. Our school started with a field immersion program called “Week in the Woods” many years ago and in 2013 became a full-fledged folk school in the spirit of Nikolaj Grundtvig’s folk school movement which he started in Europe over 200 years ago. His core belief was that learning should occur across social position and differences: the teacher learns from the student and the student learns from the teacher in a dynamic and mutual exchange. The unifying focus of the classes we teach inspires and empowers students of all ages through the process of learning new life skills that serve to build resilience in a vastly changing world. We are a community-driven organization that looks to stay connected to the natural world while building long-lasting relationships. Over the years the public response has been enthusiastic, and participants have returned again and again looking for new opportunities to teach, learn and make friends along the way.

We primarily teach classes year round at our physical location in Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. Our instructors specialize in skills and techniques ranging from woodworking, pottery, birch bark weaving to the culinary arts as well as the fine arts of music, creative writing, philosophy studies, and more. Last year, we engaged nearly 700 students and taught over 100 classes.

Our goal is to keep this momentum of growth going while continuing to develop new programs. We would like to expand upon our children and youth programs so as to not only teach them a new skill, but to help them reinforce and fine-tune it over a longer period of time. These programs also instill a greater sense of community among the students and teachers. Your donations help a great deal with keeping the classes affordable for the larger Fairbanks community. Toward that end, your financial support goes a long way. Please consider donating a portion of your PFD, and help us grow our programs.

Thank You!