Programs and Services

[WHAT'S NEW: The Hub is expanding! We will have four micro-academy cohorts—two for tweens, and two for teens—as of early 2024; see below for essential logistical details for each cohort, as well as programmatic details they have in common.]

Our micro-academies are very different from typical online programs. You can think of them as enhanced "digital homerooms" that provide a consistent group learning experience that is highly interactive, interest-driven, and interdisciplinary. The emphasis is on both intellectual growth and "soft skills," as well as feeding the soul through empowerment, connection, and creativity. Activities, guest speakers and group projects are jointly chosen by the participants and facilitators. 

Essential Details for cohorts already up and running as of 2023

Ages and Times:

Micro-Academy for Ages 9 to 12—9:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. U.S. Eastern Time

Micro-Academy for Ages 12 to 15—9:30a.m. to 1:30 (or 2:30p.m.) U.S. Eastern Time 

Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays (scroll down to see a breakdown of the day)

Facilitators: Julie and Quin lead the older group; Sarah and Svet lead the younger group

Enrollment: Terms run from mid-September to mid-December, and from January through May (with a week's break in April). Exact start and end dates, tuition amounts, and the application process are described here. We have rolling admissions; the tween cohort still has spaces available, but the teen cohort is currently waitlisted (please see below for other tween and teen cohort options).
Location: Online

Essential Details for new cohorts launching in early 2024

New cohort for tweens in the greater Pacific region: 

Ages: 9 to 12

Days and Times: 9a.m. to 1p.m. Australian ET (which corresponds to an afternoon start time on Mondays and Wednesdays on the other side of the International Date Line, e.g., 4p.m. to 8p.m. US PDT). Scroll down to see a breakdown of the day.

Facilitator: Sarah, who also co-facilitates the current tween cohort, which can pave the way for collaborations across those cohorts. A second facilitator will be added when the group size warrants. 

Enrollment: Terms will run from February through June (with a two-week break in April), and from mid August through November (with a two-week break in September/October). Tuition and enrollment info can be found here.

Location: Online

New cohort for teens in the Americas/Europe/Africa: 

Ages: 13 to 16

Days and Times: Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11a.m. to 3p.m. US ET. Scroll down to see a breakdown of the day.

Facilitator: Julie, who also co-facilitates the current teen cohort, which can pave the way for collaborations across those cohorts. A second facilitator will be added when the group size warrants.

Enrollment: Terms will run from January through May (with a week's break in April), and from mid September to mid December. Tuition and enrollment info can be found here.

Location: Online

Additional Program Details for All Cohorts

The emphasis is on deep, interdisciplinary learning about the world and one's place in it (spanning subjects such as history, cultural anthropology, economics, geography, sociology, psychology, literature, civics, science, engineering, and math) plus the development of key personal and inter-personal life skills, such as the “5 Cs” (critical thinking and problem solving; communication; collaboration; creativity and innovation; and citizenship). This is accomplished via longer-term group projects and shorter activities, which can take the form of discussions, games, collaborative creations, quizzes, workshops, presentations, guest speakers, and field trips (e.g., a guided walk through a historic French town or a tour of a marine sanctuary in Belize). 

Cohorts age up with the participants each year. Admissions are capped when a cohort feels full (the maximum is generally expected to be 8 to 10 young people per group, with two facilitators once the size exceeds five). Facilitators actively participate in activities, bringing their different life experiences, perspectives, interests, ideas and personalities to the table, and modeling intellectual curiosity, learning, and conversation. Cohorts that run concurrently can mingle during some shared break-out sessions; cohorts that meet on different days/times have opportunities to collaborate asynchronously (and all members of The Hub can interact on our private communications platform). 

The participants are given a lot of agency to shape the program and decide their roles on group projects, according to their strengths and interests, as well as skills they're working on developing. With agency comes responsibility, so they're expected to engage and play an active role. The cohort functions like a learning team, so an intentional, supportive culture is a key priority, and connection is woven into the format. Participants also hold each other accountable for following through on their commitments to the group. 

To find out more about how everything comes together in our programs and sessions, you can read "The Full Story of The Hub," check out our FAQs, and/or listen to one of our information session recordings here.

What Happens Outside the Micro-Academy Hours?

Participants are free to follow other elements of their customized learning pathways, whether that involves working on core academics; participating in The Hub's à-la-carte programming, or doing other activities. The sky's the limit! (The Resources page includes lists of ideas that can serve as a starting point.) Overwhelmed with options? We can help you cut through the clutter, suggest tailored ideas, and offer other guidance (as well as connect you to people with specialized knowledge about things that fall outside our own areas of expertise) via The Hub's wraparound services. 

The participants are also encouraged to continue interacting with each other outside micro-academy hours. They are given access to The Hub's private social network, where they can collaborate on projects, socialize, and post activity playlists, among other things.

Can I Try It Out First?

Yes! To get a taste of the micro-academy, interested young people are welcome to join us for a complementary mini-session. Please check the events page for the open-house schedule, description, and registration instructions.

This is the starting point for the micro-academy's daily flow. We adapt the details as needed, in order to optimize the experience, while remaining true to the core principles and ideas. Some periods feature a choice of break-out rooms, each focusing on different things. 

(Hour 0 = Micro-academy start time.)

Hour 0 – Hour 00:45: Setting the foundation

• Community building—check in, and share and reflect on what else everyone has done since the previous meeting.
• Expanding horizons—e.g., watching a short video to inspire new project ideas; a guest speaker presenting a “show and tell” about a job or hobby, etc.

Hour 00:45 – Hour 1:00: Break

Hour 01:00 – Hour 02:00: Purposeful activities

• Mini tutorials or interactive group and/or individual activities that build knowledge in various areas of interest, and/or that develop a meta-skill such as project management.

Hour 02:00 – Hour 02:15: Break

Hour 02:15 – Hour 03:00: Project work 

• Working in groups of various sizes, on projects of their choosing, with a facilitator's guidance. The elements that are productive to do together are done jointly online; the participants work independently on the rest, either online or offline. 
• A learning artifact comes out of each project, whether in the form of a written document, a PowerPoint presentation, a video, a piece of art or music, etc. This further develops important communication and presentation skills, and engaging in creative self-expression.
• Facilitators actively participate in projects too, serving as role models. Additionally, they check in with each group, guiding participants to work together to answer questions that have arisen, demonstrating how to find resources to get through bottlenecks, etc.

Hour 03:00 – Hour 03:15: Break

Hour 03:15 – Hour 04:00: Wrapping up (younger cohort) or seminar time (older cohort), with a "working lunch," if desired (individual meal times will vary, depending on time zone, session start time, and personal preferences, so this is just a placeholder in this sample framework)

• Younger cohorts: Children and facilitators may use this time to either continue working on their projects or to do another activity.
• Older cohorts: This is a time for in-depth discussions (of topics originating from the participants, or from open-ended prompts that are designed to encourage the participants to chew through all sorts of topics, without leading them to pre-determined conclusions). Discussions often generate additional questions, as well as research to find answers. (Note: Young people who graduate from schools focused on self-directed learning typically mention conversations as being one of their primary learning vehicles during their teen years, as mentioned in this article.) 
• Show-and-tell presentations and Q&As (on personal passion subjects), guided field trips and guest speakers may also be scheduled, for both cohorts. 
• Eating a "working lunch" is optional; participants are also welcome to eat as needed to fuel their bodies and minds throughout the session.

(Younger cohorts: The program ends here.)

(Older cohorts: The more formal part of the program ends here too. Some older cohorts also feature a partly facilitated extended session, as described below, for which attendance is optional.)

Hour 04:00 – Hour 04:30: Extended session period (if offered)—informal short activities

• This time is set aside for facilitated activities of choice (past group favorites have included playing geography guessing games, giving each other quizzes on topics of personal interest, playing various strategy games, etc.). 

Hour 04:30 – Hour 05:00: Extended session period (if offered)—open socializing 

• The Zoom room remains open for unfacilitated socializing.

"[My daughter] loves being part of The Hub. I already see some  effects: she is much more assertive and willing to have discussions on deep topics. She is super motivated and wakes up at 6 am to be able to join." — Parent

"The kids couldn't stop talking about class today. They thoroughly enjoyed their time with you and even continued a few games of geosearch on their own." — Parent

"So fun to hear them laughing and learning!!" — Parent

The facilitators are "real gems" and have "created digital joy, which is very hard to find." — Parent

The facilitators "are so amazing with the kids. [My son] really enjoys The Hub. ... He is engaged and participating. ... I have heard him contribute many thoughts, ideas and opinions." — Parent

"It’s so much more than I expected. My children have been able to engage in important, grown-up  conversations, and their perspectives have been given weight and have been considered important. They continue to talk about these things and look for applications of them throughout the day. … I think about what different experiences they'll have as adults because of internalizing these experiences, and having opportunities to be leaders at these early ages.” — Parent

"I can't wait until The Hub's spring term starts." — Participant (during winter break)

"I'm grateful that I'm in The Hub." — Participant 

"By the end of the first term, it started to feel like a family." — Participant 

Micro-academy enrollment comes with membership in The Hub. As members of The Hub, enrolled participants and their parents also have access to the following:

Community Spaces and Events 

Hub members have access to private online social lounges where they can come and go and interact with each other at any time. 

Curated Resources

The Hub maintains a curated list of third-party platforms, websites, curriculum packages and events (at a range of price points) that might interest members, to help them choose how to spend their remaining time. New discoveries will be added regularly. We'll also share examples of curated pathways, showing how the micro-academy and various à-la-carte elements can be put together to form a comprehensive whole, as well as examples of portfolios to document learning. (For more in-depth and personalized guidance along these lines, members have access to additional wraparound services.)

Priority Registration and Discounted Tuition for The Hub's À-La-Carte Programming

Hub members receive advance notice of à-la-carte programming, before registrations are opened to the general public. These other programs also offer discounted tuition to members. 

Like our programs, The Hub as a whole will continue to evolve as we observe what works, as well as what additional needs or opportunities emerge, and refine our offerings accordingly. For instance, we are planning to add two new micro-academy cohorts as well as a streamlined, one-day-a-week version of the micro-academy in 2024. Get in touch if you would like to be added to a mailing list to find out more details as they are officially announced for upcoming years.