KEEP Programs

KEEP programming ranges from custom made programs for private groups to large scale community events such as the Annual Yatsugatake County Fair Paul Rusch Festival that attracts around 50,000 visitors during the festive October weekend. In 2005, over 29,000 people participated in KEEP programming.

• Agricultural Education Programs

KEEP offers both single day and overnight programs using Ohio Experimental Farm facilities to introduce dairy farming to students, the general public, and those in the dairy farm industry. In season, the farm sponsors hayrides around KEEP, public milking sessions with KEEP's famous Jersey Cows, and a farmer's market near the Farm Shop. There are opportunities year-round for interns from around Japan to spend time studying at the farm. School groups enjoy overnight programs staying at St. Francis Discovery Center and learning about dairy farming through hands-on experiences and classroom activities.

Environmental Education Programs
 

•          Both on KEEP grounds and by special request on location, KEEP staff offers top quality environmental education programming for all ages. The Environmental Education Department was founded in 1984. Although some environmental education activities were happening at KEEP as early as 1981, the opening in 1984 of the first Nature Center (built by 400 volunteers) marked the official start of the Environmental Education Department. KEEP utilizes all its facilities to host environmental education programs, as well as holding many outdoor activities in the lush highland forest on KEEP property.
•         Professionals and novices to the wonders of nature can join stimulating programs at KEEP. From visiting the Yatsugatake Nature Center or the Yamane Museum exhibits to joining programs at the Nature Center, the Yamane Museum, the St. Francis Discovery Center, or other KEEP facilities, there is something for everyone.
   
•         For more information on general public programs, please click here to view our current events page listings of various KEEP programs.

Cross Cultural Educational Programs

        The International Relations Department at KEEP offers programs that bridge the cultural and educational divide between people. The programs can be grouped into two categories. Outreach and development work is accomplished by both working abroad in the other regions in Asia, Europe, and the United States as well as hosting trainees at KEEP from around the world. The knowledge gained at KEEP can be taken back to local communities, thereby broadening the impact of global development. KEEP has partnered with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), the Tanzanian Embassy in Tokyo, the EDNP (Episcopal Diocese of the Northern Philippines), and others to help people help themselves in communities worldwide.
        International cultural exchange and increasing cultural awareness is another category of International Relations Department Programs. From culture programs hosted at KEEP such as Philippine musician's live performances to trips such as the Yatsugatake Delegation traveling to Kentucky on the Sister Region Exchange Program, KEEP facilitates a vast exchange of intercultural knowledge leading to increased cross cultural understanding. For more information on programs such as the Brian Kane Fellowship Program, The Tulgao Project, and the Sister Region Exchange Program, please click here to view the ACK Programs page.