Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Please contact us if you cannot find an answer to your question. We will try to add information for questions we get to this page as well.
Route is a homeschool extension program in Holland for high school youth that focuses on life skills, character building, and a broad sample of learning of trades. Those enrolled in the program will have time in the classroom, time working on projects, and time on-site at a Habitat for Humanity house built in the Holland area. Route will have skilled instructors and advisors who care deeply about character development and at the same time want to expose high school aged youth to all the trades needed to build a new home. We believe that this Christian-based learning program will equip young people to learn a vast array of new skills, but also empower them to be confident leaders as they approach adulthood.
We believe that there is more than one route for young people. Not everyone needs to attend four years of college to be a productive, competent adult. This program will be taught by adults who are committed to your high-school aged child and will mentor them in many areas throughout the year.
Rather than choosing one trade, all students will be exposed to all of the different trades that are involved in building a house. Each day will include one of the following for every student:
Classroom Learning
This block of time will be used instructing the youth about what they will be doing on-site at the house build project. They will learn about safety, tools, expectations, and information about all of the trades needed to build a home. Some stations will occasionally be set up to give the
youth a hands-on learning experience so that they better understand what they hear and see in the classroom. These classes will be taught by instructors who are knowledgeable in the trade
taught and committed to empower each young person to be confident in each area of this house build.
Project Learning
This block of time will be used instructing the youth using a very hands-on approach. Instructors will take the classroom lessons taught and apply them to a specific project. A large portion of these projects will be light construction. The focus of this instruction is to build confidence in each youth as they begin to use tools and build something. We want each young person to take pride in the projects they work on, whether it’s as a group or individually. The projects selected will also equip the youth with the skills to transition to the on-site house build they will be participating in.
On-Site Learning
Students will have the opportunity to visit some of our local trade businesses, meet some business owners and tradespeople, and will get a chance to serve by helping on a Habitat For Humanity house. Our goal is to equip the youth with the understanding that they are building this home while practically living out Colossians 3:23.
Classes, projects, and the on-site learning will be led by local Christian business leaders, retirees with building experience, and others that have a passion for working with young adults. Announcements will be made soon on who some of these leaders are.
Instruction and activities will typically take place at the following location:
Family Church - Redwood Campus
10717 Adams St.
Holland, MI 49423
We also plan to to visit local businesses and serve at a local Habitat worksite.
There are 2 options available for the program (each student would be enrolled in one of these sessions):
- Tuesdays - 9am-3pm
- Wednesday - 9am-3pm
Route 2 will be held on Mondays from 9am-3pm
We will have two 10-week semesters. The first semester will begin the week of October 1, 2024 and end the week of December 9. The second semester will begin January 7, 2025 and go to the week of March 18. We plan to take the week of March 10 off for the National Homeschool Basketball tournament.
This program is for homeschooled students ages 14 and up.
This program does include physical labor. Any student that is registered should have the ability to handle construction-related work. Students should also have the ability to work independently. We do not have the resources to offer one-to-one training from our instructors. Please take this into consideration before registering or feel free to contact us with further questions.
The total cost for the 6 hour/week program is $1500. A $150 deposit is required for registration to be accepted. Students will not be officially registered until deposit is received. Due to limited spots, registration does not guarantee a spot. Refunds will be given to those not accepted into the program. For those accepted, $600 will be due by September 24. The remaining $750 will be due by January 1.
Please keep in mind that this program, especially just starting out, will obviously not have the resources that places like the Tech Center are able to offer. However, what we are able to offer is that the students will learn a variety of skills in a Christian environment and we will have a strong focus on character and how to be well-rounded people. We also see this as more of a community learning environment that is very flexible to be able to move in whatever direction God is calling us. We welcome anyone that has a passion for teaching youth to come and share your skills. Please visit the "Get Involved" tab to let us know!
The mission of the program is for youth to genuinely learn skills, grow their character, create connections, and serve God and others. With the many business partners that we are connecting with, our goal would be for these businesses to know that a student that came through the Route program is prepared and qualified for employment in a trade.
We understand that credits are important as well and are willing to help with this, if needed. Proof of attendance can be provided to help assist in using the program towards high school credit hours.
We do not plan to have any assigned homework and do not plan to have much, if any, "book work". Our goal is to spend as much time as possible learning in a hands-on style by working on projects and helping with building homes.
Our intention is to keep the groups very small so that each student can receive individualized attention and training. Our goal is to have an adult for each group of 4 students.
Please feel free to email us at info@adifferentroute.org or fill out the form in the "Contact Us" page.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.