EDUCATION
What we’re offering: Guidance. Knowledge. Practical Experience.
The Mindset of a Community Pioneer
Level 1 Certification
July 24 - Oct 6, 2025
75 days
(approximately 2.5 months)
Who Is This Program For?
This program is for you if:
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You’re excited about creating a new way of living that benefits both people and the planet.
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You want to live within a thriving, healthy ecosystem—and you want to help build it from the ground up.
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You see yourself building community infrastructure, food forests, and long-term living environments.
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You’re excited to be part of the early stages of a movement that has the potential to spread worldwide.
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You’re looking for a real-world education that schools and universities don't offer.
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You’re an open-minded, intellectually curious individual driven to constantly evolve and want an environment that challenges and satisfies your hunger for growth.
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You’re eager to join a like-minded, mission-driven team.
Whether you’re aiming to become a full STEP member or gain practical tools to apply in your own community or project, this program will change your perspective and how you engage with this world.
Why Begin With Education?
Knowing how to live well in community is not inherent—it’s a skill that needs to be learned and developed.
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Education is essential because building a successful community requires a shift from individual-centered thinking to a unified, team-based mindset. Thriving communities aren’t collections of isolated individuals or competing groups—they function as a coordinated whole, like bees or ants.
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At STEP, we begin with education because high-functioning communities are built by individuals who have the abilities to contribute beneficially to community life: communicating clearly, demonstrating emotional maturity, solving problems constructively, maintaining personal autonomy while strengthening the unit, and making decisions that benefit both each other and the planet.
From Beginner to Member
Full Program Structure
The Mindset of a Community Pioneer
Build the mental, interpersonal, and practical foundation needed to live and work successfully in a STEP community.
Level 1 Certification
Build Your Foundation.
An introductory level to all topics of the curriculum, laying the groundwork for future growth.
Level 2 Certification
Deepen Your Understanding.
Strengthen and expand your knowledge through further study and application of the curriculum.
Level 3 Certification
Teach and Integrate.
Begin teaching Level 1 and Level 2 students for deeper integration.
Community Pioneer Builder
Learn hands-on skills in natural building, ecosystem restoration, and food forest creation while helping to establish the physical foundation of STEP Site 1.
Level 1 Certification
Apprentice
Learn and apply the foundations of natural building, ecosystem restoration, and food forest creation.
Level 2 Certification
Intermediate
Advance your skills with more complex projects and contribute to the design and development of STEP Site 1.
Level 3 Certification
Master
Demonstrate mastery by leading projects and helping shape the future of STEP’s sanctuary sites.
STEP Membership
After completing all six levels of training, you gain the lifelong opportunity to live, work, and contribute to the growth of STEP sites as they are established. This includes hands-on involvement in building infrastructure, developing food systems, and restoring ecosystems at each site. You’ll play an active role in expanding the STEP network, applying your skills while continuing to grow alongside and live within a thriving community.
The Mindset of a Community Pioneer
Certification
The Mindset of a Community Pioneer is STEP’s foundational training program—a 3-part practical curriculum within an immersive learning environment designed to teach you what it takes to live and work together in a STEP community. This program creates the conditions for you to build the mindset needed to function as a unified team and advance to the next stages.
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This course takes place at Base Campus, STEP’s 2-acre training site in Petén, Guatemala, where you will live and learn full-time with other students.
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The mindset of a STEP community pioneer means having the desire and resilience to navigate uncharted territory and help build a new model of human and community living.
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The education program at Base Campus—and the first STEP community site—is currently in beta testing. Joining means you must be willing to be part of the experiment: to live through the early trials, learn through experience, and help refine and strengthen the systems for yourself and future members.
The STEP community is built by everyone participating—not directed by a few—requiring you to work in a team, be autonomous, and sync up with a shared vision.
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Level 1 Course Description:
Level 1 is the starting point —the 101. It introduces the foundational mindset and skills needed to live and work successfully in a STEP community. At this stage:
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you begin learning—building the core principles outlined in the STEP curriculum
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and unlearning—recognizing and starting to dismantle social constructs that limit personal freedom and community living.
Level 1 lays the essential groundwork for further transformation and marks the beginning of your journey toward becoming a strong, self-aware, and collaborative member of a STEP community.
Curriculum
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​The STEP Community Mindset
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Coexisting in Harmony with Nature
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Conscious Responsibility of Actions
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Autonomy
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Excellent Communication
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Intellectual Mind
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Adaptable to Change
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Quick Learning & Integration
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The Drive to Constantly Evolve
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Positive Solution Based Mentality
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Resilience
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Confidence
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Peacemaker & Peacekeeper
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Kind & Considerate
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Energy Efficiency
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Time Management
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The Importance of Prioritization
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Having as Much Fun as Possible
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Free From the Social Constructs of: Identity, Attachment, Romantic Relationships & Drama
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The Life Diet: Eating in Alignment with Life
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The Seed-to-Seed Cycle
Here’s a preview of 24 of the 48 total course topics:
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