Northern New Mexico Co-op Community

Introduction

The Northern New Mexico Co-op Community is an educational center anchored in the dynamic, diverse community of the Rio Grande. Here, against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristos mountains, the violent intersection of Indigenous peoples, Spanish Colonialism, and Anglo Capitalism has generated a rich and complex culture with deep roots and living traditions. Against this background, struggles for autonomy and access to scarce resources are taking place, and questions of ecological sustainability and economic justice are finding creative new solutions. For students seeking to broaden and deepen their Antioch education, the New Mexico Co-op Community presents a challenge; to become conscious participants in the history of a place.

At the heart of the program are Antioch students engaged in cooperative education; providing their energy and creativity to local organizations in return for invaluable work experience. Students might develop arts workshops for public schools with the Santa Fe Art Institute or coordinate the activities of a holistic medical clinic. Other students will learn to raise food in the desert or become production technicians at a Public Access station. Each student will leave New Mexico with a new set of skills and experiences that will help them make their mark in the world.

Course Work

In addition to their work and independent living experiences, students will take part in a two-credit course entitled The Ethics of Place. This course will challenge students to critically reflect on their role within the intersecting contexts of Northern New Mexico; its history and ecology, as well as it social structures and practices. Through lectures from local experts, readings, and discussions, students will explore several themes that are crucial to developing an informed understanding of New Mexico and an ethical orientation toward place:

• Colonization
• Militarism & The Federal Government
• The Desert Ecosystem and Scarcity
• Land, Culture & Autonomy
• Tourism
• Mythology of the Southwest

Through this exploration, students will learn methods of inquiry and habits of reflection that will help them to be deliberate, responsible, and effective community members – whether they are co-oping in New Mexico, studying on campus, or back home in their own communities.

Contact

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