We are excited to offer 15 McKeen Center Community Immersion Orientation Trip experiences for the Class of 2025!
We are planning traditional overnight Orientation Trips due to Bowdoin’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement and other guidance from Public Health experts. If the COVID-19 landscape changes we may have to pivot to day trips to prioritize the health and safety of both Bowdoin and its surrounding communities. We will inform you of any pertinent updates as our planning evolves.
July 2021 Mailing Documents
Welcome to the McKeen Center Letter
2021 McKeen Trips Suggested Packing List
Below you will find tentative descriptions for the trips we plan to offer.
Aroostook County: Houlton Community
Learn about the history and economy of Houlton, a community in Maine’s northernmost county. In past years, the group has assisted the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, visited a wind farm, and helped meet the needs a low-income thrift store. Students will also have the opportunity to try ice cream from the famed Houlton Farms Dairy and hike and swim the North Maine Woods. Note: Students will likely sleep outdoors in tents and cook outdoors, but will have access to showers.
Aroostook County: Presque Isle Community
Learn first-hand about the importance of agriculture in Presque Isle, a community in Maine’s northernmost county. In the past, the group has worked on a hops farm, as well as the local high school’s farm, visited a wind farm, and conversed with leaders of the region’s growing Amish community. Students will also have the opportunity to try ice cream from the famed Houlton Farms Dairy and hike and swim the North Maine Woods. Note: Students will likely sleep outdoors in tents and cook outdoors, but will have access to showers.
Carpenter’s Boat Shop
Join Bob Ives ’68, founder of the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid, for four days of sailing, woodworking, and exploring the beauty of Maine’s coastal islands. This trip will provide opportunities for swimming, service projects at the boat shop, and interactions with local residents. Evenings will be spent enjoying home cooked meals and watching the sunset over the ocean while hearing Bob recount tales of Bowdoin’s past from his many years at the college as a student and staff member. Note: Students will sleep indoors at the boat shop and likely have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms. Participants should be comfortable swimming, but do not need previous sailing experience.
Downeast Communities: Lubec
See where the sun first shines on the United States as you explore Lubec, Maine, the easternmost town in the contiguous United States. In the past, students have worked with the Cobscook Community Learning Center, an organization that offers a vast array of arts and outdoor educational programs, as well the Lubec Historical Society, and the Lubec Community Outreach Center. They will have the opportunity to take excursions to the coast, including a visit to the iconic West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, and take a tour of the beloved Monica’s Chocolates shop. Note: Students will sleep outdoors in tents, but will have access to kitchen facilities and showers.
Downeast Communities: Milbridge
Students will engage with the Milbridge community, a Downeast town that is home to a growing community of Latinx migrant and seasonal farm workers. Ian Yaffe (Bowdoin ’09) is the executive director of Mano en Mano, an organization that works to support these migrant workers by providing educational services, healthcare, and affordable housing. In the past, the group has worked alongside students and staff in the classrooms of Mano en Mano’s Blueberry Harvest School, learning about the harvest process and the experience of migrant students during the summer months. They will also have the opportunity to explore the area through excursions to the Cutler Coast. Note: Students will likely sleep outdoors in tents and have access to showers and bathrooms.
Midcoast Communities: Environment and Sustainability
Get a jumpstart acquainting yourself with the communities nearest to Bowdoin and exploring the issues that are important to them. This trip will focus on environmental issues and sustainability initiatives in the Midcoast region. Students will do trail work and contribute to conservation efforts by the Nature Conservancy and the Maine Island Trail Association, as well as spend a day working at Bowdoin’s own organic garden. They will also have the opportunity to visit local sites of interest in the Brunswick and Portland area. Note: Students will sleep indoors on campus (in their own rooms) and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Midcoast Communities: Hunger and Homelessness
Get a jumpstart acquainting yourself with the communities nearest to Bowdoin and exploring the issues that are important to them. This trip will focus on food and housing insecurity in the Midcoast region and the organizations that are addressing these issues. Students will engage in daily service projects at local food banks, soup kitchens, and homeless resource centers including Good Shepherd Food Bank, Preble Street, and New Beginnings. They will also have the opportunity to visit local sites of interest in the Brunswick and Portland area. Note: Students will sleep indoors on campus (in their own rooms) and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Midcoast Communities: Immigrants and Refugees
Get a jumpstart acquainting yourself with the communities nearest to Bowdoin and exploring the issues that are important to them. Participants of this trip will learn about the immigrant and refugee populations in the Midcoast region, particularly in Portland, and the organizations that are working to serve them. Students will engage in daily service projects with organizations such as the New American Sustainable Agriculture Project, Portland Housing Authority, Immigrant Resource Center of Maine, and Telling Room that provide a variety of resources from affordable housing to legal representation to farming education. They will also have the opportunity to visit local sites of interest in the Brunswick and Portland area. Note: Students will sleep indoors on campus (in their own rooms) and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Midcoast Communities: Public Health
Get a jumpstart acquainting yourself with the communities nearest to Bowdoin and exploring the issues that are important to them. Participants of this trip will engage with organizations bolstering public health locally and internationally. Students will complete a service project with Partners for World Health, an organization that collects surplus medical supplies and redistributes it internationally to those in need. Students also often engage with the staff of Sweetser, Midcoast Senior Health Center, and Portland Needle Exchange, organizations that provide mental health, senior care, and overdose prevention services, respectively. They will also have the opportunity to visit local sites of interest in the Brunswick and Portland area. Note: Students will sleep indoors on campus (in their own rooms) and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Midcoast Communities: Harpswell
This trip will focus on issues facing the Midcoast coastal region, including climate change and environmental issues, eldercare, and social services. Students will also learn about the history and development of the Harpswell community. Students will have the opportunity to visit with organizations around all of these areas, support some of these organizations with outdoor service work, and enjoy outdoor recreation opportunities in the Town of Harpswell. Note: Students will likely sleep indoors and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Midcoast Communities: Bath
This trip will focus on issues facing the Midcoast coastal region, including environmental issues, the economy and economic challenges of Bath, and social services for marginalized communities. Students will also learn about Bath’s unique ship-building history in Maine. Students will have the opportunity to visit with organizations around all of these areas, support some of these organizations with outdoor service work, and enjoy outdoor recreation opportunities in Bath. Note: Students will likely sleep indoors and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Morris Farm
Explore the peninsulas of Midcoast Maine while working and staying in the quaint town of Wiscasset. Students will gain hands-on insight into coastal Maine’s important agricultural and tourism sectors. The group will primarily engage with the Morris Farm, a non-profit farm dedicated to teaching the values of sustainable agriculture, while also participating in conservation work with Friends of Casco Bay. The trip will likely also have the opportunity to explore the tourist destination Boothbay Harbor and visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Note: Students will sleep indoors and have access to kitchen facilities and gender inclusive bathrooms.
North Haven Island Community
This trip will introduce students to North Haven, a unique rural island community off of Penobscot Bay. In the past, students have worked with the local school and community center to prepare for the coming year, learned about the island’s geography through light trail work with North Haven Conservation Partners, and examined the history of the island by working with the historical society. The trip is designed to help students gain insight into the social, environmental, and economic issues facing island communities in Maine. Students will also have the opportunity to swim in local swimming holes, hike the trails, and potentially go lobster fishing. Note: Students will likely sleep indoors and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Vinalhaven Island Community
This trip will introduce students to Vinalhaven, a unique rural island community off of Penobscot Bay. In the past, students have helped the local school and municipal offices prepare for the coming year, learned about the island’s geography through light trail work with Vinalhaven Land Trust and Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and examined the history of the island by working with the historical society. The trip is designed to help students gain insight into the unique social, environmental, and economic issues facing island communities in Maine. Students will also have the opportunity to swim in local swimming holes, hike the trails, and potentially go lobster fishing. Note: Students will likely sleep indoors and have access to kitchen facilities, showers, and gender inclusive bathrooms.
Western Foothills
Students will engage with the complex issue of rural food insecurity and the economic consequences of deindustrialization in the foothills of western Maine. Trip participants will harvest, clean, and sort crops with community farms like Gardeners Growing Healthy Communities and the Allan Day Community Garden, both of which help people who are low income access fresh produce. In the past, students have also learned about the industrial legacy of the area by visiting a lumber mill and spending a day working at the Woodstock Historical Society. Day hikes will bring students to scenic vistas to appreciate the natural landscape of the White Mountain region. Note: Students will likely sleep outdoors in tents and cook outdoors, but will have access to showers.