Out of Eden Learn (OOEL) is an online learning community and research project accompanying Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek on his seven-year long Out of Eden Walk, which retraces the global migration of our ancestors in a 21,000-mile, seven-year odyssey that began in Ethiopia and will end in Tierra del Fuego, Chile.

As of 2019, Out of Eden Learn has 34,166 students in 1,372 classes from 60 different countries and 40 U.S. states registered on the website. Students are completing weekly activities, posting responses, and responding to others’ posts. Project activities invite students to replicate Paul’s walk within their own neighborhoods, investigate contemporary global issues, and reflect on how they as individuals fit into the unfolding story of human history. Out of Eden Learn invites young people and educators to develop the awareness, capacity, and inclination to engage with the world and with one another. It is open to all schools and students, free of charge.

Beyond the core curriculum offerings, Out of Eden Learn also developed and runs two specialized learning journeys, one about Migration and another about Planetary Health.

In Stories of Human Migration, students are invited to:

• Explore connections and stories from their own and other people’s lives related to the broad theme of human migration

• Develop a more nuanced understanding of human migration, including complex factors involved in migration and the diverse and multi-faceted nature of individual migration experiences

• Develop a critical awareness of their own perspectives on human migration, including the role of the media and socio-political contexts in shaping perspectives

• Engage with the topic of migration through discussion on the platform and/or by taking action or engaging beyond Out of Eden Learn

Introduction to Planetary Health invites students to explore the topic of planetary health, which has to do with the complex connections between environmental changes and human health.

Watch the video below for a peek into an Out of Eden Learn classroom.

The project’s research explores online learning environments, how to engage in meaningful dialogue across geography, language, and culture, and how to consider the global connections and differences in youth experience.

Out of Eden Learn is an initiative of Project Zero, a research organization at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in partnership with the Abundance Foundation.

Interested in joining? Learn more, or sign up to participate at http://learn.outofedenwalk.com. You can also watch the video below for a basic overview of the project from Liz Dawes-Duraisingh at Project Zero.