Cultural Education

Explore other cultures with one of our hands-on Global Village programs! Whether you choose the one-hour tour with games, four-hour cooking program or overnight challenge, participants will come away with a better understanding and appreciation for others.

Heifer Global Village

Experience Immersive Education

In partnership with Heifer International, the Howell Nature Center operates the Heifer Global Village, one of three educational training centers in the United States. Through immersive, hands-on programming, the Global Village aims to educate participants of the causes and effects of hunger and poverty, and to enable them to make a difference in the lives of those in their own communities and around the world.

Global Village
Program Options

International Explorers (ages k-6th grades; 1 hour)
Explore what life is like for kids in different countries. Enjoy seeing houses and playing games from around the world!

Global Tour (5th grade & up; 2 hours)
Take a more in depth look at what life is like for people around the world by touring the Heifer Global Village at the Howell Nature Center.

Cultural Connections (5th grade & up; 4 hours)
Develop a better understanding of how culture and community influences daily life and about daily challenges people face like poverty and hunger. After touring the Global Village, prepare a traditional meal over a camp-stove and an open fire.

Global Gateway (6th grade & up; 6 hours)
After the Global Tour, participants are assigned to a house by lottery. Participants work with their “family” groups, to find and barter for their dinner and cook together over an open fire. The day ends with a debrief where participants develop a deeper understanding of inequalities in the world.

Global Challenge (6th grade & up; 26 hours overnight)
After the Global Tour, participants spend a night in the Global Village (with cold-weather options available). Assigned to a house and working with their “family” groups, participants find and barter for their dinner, cook together over an open fire, and sleep out in one of the Village’s rustic houses. The following morning is spent in an intensive debrief session in which participants develop a deeper understanding of inequalities in the world and come away inspired to make a difference in the lives of those in their communities and around the world.

Preparing for Your Visit & Additional Information

Cultural Connections

Global Gateway