Essential Eligibility Criteria

 

The following Essential Eligibility Criteria outline the minimum requirements for successful participation in Kroka’s advanced summer programs and semester programs:

1. On all Kroka programs the primary language used in instruction is English. For Semester, students must possess a high level of English fluency and be able to understand, read, write, and articulate at a 9th grade level or above. In addition, to complete academic work on Kroka semester students must be able to write legibly with pens and pencils.

2. Baseline Physical Fitness is measured on the start day of the program and is a requirement for participation. Students must demonstrate that they are capable of completing:

    • a 3-mile run in 36 minutes or less
    • 30 crunches within one minutes or less
    • 20 burpees within three minutes or less

3.  Students are expected to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene. They must be responsible for all aspects of personal care and managing personal belongings, with periodic instruction and reminders.

4. Living in Kroka Village requires students to be capable of living in an outdoor, off-grid, low-technology environment while safely and effectively performing daily chores, including:

  • learning to use an axe and a maul to split firewood and kindling
  • learning to use a wheelbarrow, log carrier, and wheeled cart
  • learning to use a knife effectively for woodcarving
  • learning to use, with instruction, a variety or handheld tools for handwork projects including knitting needles, saw, awl, sewing needle, sewing machine, rasp, hammer, and pencil sharpener
  • Selecting and wearing appropriate clothing for sufficient warmth and protection in weather that includes rain, sun, snow, sleet, winds up to 40mph, and temperatures ranging from 80 F to -30 F
  • Entering and exiting dwellings with doors 2.5’ wide by 4ft high
  • Sleeping on the ground on an inflatable mattress and sleeping bag
  • Using composting toilets

5. Farming is an essential part of life at Kroka. In order to participate in farming activities, students must be able to:

  • move unassisted over uneven terrain including muddy, slippery, rocky, or loose surfaces
  • hold and operate a variety of handheld tools including shovels, rakes, pitchforks, hoes, rock bars, mattocks, and posthole diggers
  • independently move and lift buckets of water and animal feed weighing up to 30lbs
  • wear all required protective equipment including hearing protection, eye protection, rubber boots, work gloves, and durable work clothing
  • respond appropriately to risks associated with working with animals and/or machinery including sudden movement, warning sounds, and/or instructor verbal commands

6. Walking, running, hiking and backpacking activities take place on uneven terrain that may be steep, slippery, rocky, wet, muddy, and/or icy, and students must:

  • Be able to maneuver safely across varied terrain without assistance
  • Select appropriate equipment for travel in varied conditions
  • Have sufficient stamina to travel distances of up to 10 miles while carrying a backpack weighing up to 70lbs

7. Winter activities take place on snow and ice, which may require that participants can learn how to:

  • put on and take off skis, snowshoes, and micro-spikes
  • travel on skis and snowshoes over uneven, steep, slippery and/or icy conditions for distances of up to 20 miles and while carrying a backpack weighing up to 70lbs
  • identify trees to be used for firewood and harvest firewood using a handheld axe, folding saw, and/or by breaking branches, and learn to do so while maneuvering on skis and/or snowshoes
  • participate in the setup and takedown of winter tents, which includes tying quick-release knots in 3mm cord in sub-zero temperatures while not losing one’s gloves!
  • understand the risks associated with frostbite, hypothermia, dehydration, and burns
  • safely enter and exit the winter tent with an entrance no more than 3 ft high in pitch darkness while using a battery-operated headlamp

8. Mountain Biking and Bikepacking are essential modes of travel on Kroka Semesters, and these require students to demonstrate balance, coordination, judgment, and mechanical ability. Students must be able to:

  • mount and dismount a bicycle and achieve balance while riding
  • have the stamina and aerobic strength to keep pace with a group traveling 20-50 miles/day over paved surfaces, dirt road surfaces, and single-track woods trails
  • be able to quickly respond to environmental hazards, vehicles, pedestrians, and other cyclists by operating brakes, gears, and steering to avoid collision

9. During the spring and fall, canoe travel is common on flat water and whitewater ranging from class I-III. Whitewater canoeing is an exciting activity that demands 100% focus. To participate in canoeing, students must be able to learn to:

  • enter and exit a canoe independently from land and from water
  • demonstrate correct paddle position and paddle strokes
  • properly fit and wear a PFD and help a partner with PFD fit
  • read oncoming river hazards such as rapids, rocks, strainers, and other boaters
  • use international paddle symbols and react to symbols from other boaters
  • safely swim to shore, securely hold a rescue rope and/or flotation, and demonstrate self-rescue following a capsize and/or swimming event