July 30, 2021
Island student shares semester at sea experience
Islesboro sophomore uses educational support to learn about career on the water
Since 2013, the Island Institute has been able to offer Geiger Scholarships to island students to help them pursue off-island enrichment experiences like summer camp or a semester abroad. Islesboro sophomore Dylan Frank, a Geiger scholar who also received a Compass Workforce Grant, recently spent his Spring semester aboard a schooner with Sailing Ships Maine and gained skills to help him pursue a career on the water.
July 22, 2021
Why workforce?
Broadening our focus to address this critical need
The workforce shortage in Maine is nothing new, but it has become even more acute and highly visible as we emerge from the pandemic. In our work supporting Maine’s island and coastal communities, we've heard a lot about the workforce issues they are facing, and it is a top area of concern for the partners we work with. In response, we are broadening our education work to better focus on this critical issue.
July 16, 2021
Archipelago Artist Profile: Helene Farrar
For the next feature in our ongoing series of Archipelago artist profiles, the Island Institute’s Lisa Millette introduces us to encaustic painter, Helene Farrar, whose nature-inspired pieces create a profound connection to Maine and the world around us.
July 13, 2021
Energy resilience planning begins in Eastport and Islesboro
What communities everywhere can learn about clean energy from Maine's islands and coast
How do you cope with electricity outages and plan for energy resilience when you’re a small, isolated community—either at the end of a 40-mile power line or on an island several miles out to sea? Eastport and Islesboro, both off Maine’s coast, were selected to tackle these issues through a U.S. Department of Energy program, the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP).
June 22, 2021
Offshore wind in Maine: Using what we’ve learned to guide our future
Takeaways from a decade of work on ocean planning and offshore wind
Since the development of Maine’s Ocean Energy Task Force in 2008, the Island Institute has worked to help the questions, priorities, and concerns of fishermen and fishing communities be heard in decisions about ocean use. As we move into a new set of work to support these conversations, here’s some of what we’re bringing with us from the past 13 years.
June 17, 2021
Building climate resilience in Maine
Our collaborative approach to implementing "Maine Won’t Wait"
Now that Maine’s Climate Action Plan, "Maine Won’t Wait," has been finalized and shared widely, what’s our role at the Island Institute in supporting our state’s ambitious goals? Since our last update, we’ve continued to work alongside Maine’s island and coastal communities to build climate resilience. Here, we highlight several examples of where we’re collaborating with communities and partner organizations.
June 9, 2021
Broadband and (nontraditional) education
One of the critical benefits of having a good connection is access to education—and not just for kids
In 2020, more than 14,000 Mainers participated in academic and workforce training through Maine Adult Education. They are Maine’s future: people who are overcoming barriers to employment and learning new skills they’ll need to access post-secondary education and training. Adult education is their avenue to that first job, or the next better job. And COVID-19 threw another enormous obstacle in the way.
June 8, 2021
Celebrating World Oceans Day: Life and Livelihoods
What does the ocean mean to those whose lives are connected to the sea?
At the Island Institute, we’re proud to collaborate with leaders across the coast to build resiliency and create opportunities that help to ensure our marine economies remain vibrant. “The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods” is the theme for World Oceans Day 2021, so we and our partners at Luke’s Lobster asked members of our community whose livelihoods depend on the ocean to share a little bit about their work, their connection to the sea, and the ways they’re working to create a more sustainable coast.
June 3, 2021
Legislative Update: Spring 2021
We work collaboratively with communities to tackle challenges and build resiliency. While this often means spending time in the places where we live and work, it also means focusing on what’s happening further inland at the State House. This has been a busy legislative session so far with multiple bills and issues affecting our coast. In our latest policy update, we highlight some of the key issues we’re watching, what they mean for our communities, and the work that’s been done so far.
June 2, 2021
Technology, older adults, and the story of resilience
When the pandemic hit, it was hard to ignore the depth of the digital divide in Maine. We worried about school children and adults unable to work from home, because broadband access was not available or affordable. At the National Digital Equity Center, we worried about the many older adults who were already isolated and lonely being left behind without a way to safely connect with the world. Did our older adults have the resilience to brave this new-to-them world?
