About Us
The ARC & ARCafé:
Community Learning Center & Local Foods Market
The ARC strengthens and supports our island community by creating opportunities for people to connect; by mentoring students as they develop life skills through hands-on learning; and by promoting innovative enterprise to diversify the economy of Vinalhaven.
Located on the unbridged island of Vinalhaven, The ARC (Arts & Recreation Center) was initially founded in 1981 as an unstaffed space available for year-round community activities. In 2008 the organization experienced a transformation both physically and philosophically. With the help of dedicated students and community volunteers the ARC raised funds to hire staff, implement community programs, and aid in the construction of the ARCafé (social enterprise), a café, local foods market, and place-based training facility for young islanders.
The ARC is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers services and spearheads fresh approaches to meet the current and future needs of the Vinalhaven community.
Learning Together by Doing is more than a slogan that captures the spirit of The ARC’s educational programs. The learning process that occurs when people choose to respond to real needs by working together constitutes the heart and soul of The ARC. From the classroom to the boardroom, The ARC is a learning organization.
Why is the ARC important to Vinalhaven?
Vinalhaven’s economy depends on lobsters and tourism, and the year-round population survives almost entirely on imported food and fuel. Settled in 1766, Vinalhaven is home to generations that have lived on the island since before the American Revolution. The community is close-knit, strong, and unique. But the net value of lobster fishing, the flow of tourists’ dollars, the availability and affordability of food and fuel from the mainland are all tied directly to the cost of oil on the global market. Without local food sources, more variety of jobs to retain the island’s youth, and education that values place and community, the deep-rooted town of Vinalhaven could dissolve and vanish along with the era of cheap oil.
A brighter future is possible for this community. Clean air, water, and soil yield food as rich as that from the surrounding ocean, but are greatly under-utilized. Of Vinalhaven’s thousands of acres, fewer than twenty are in cultivation today. Thousands of visitors flock to the island each summer, more than happy to patronize island-run businesses, of which there are about sixty. The ARC’s workplace training programs are designed to raise awareness of island business opportunities while imparting the skills needed by young entrepreneurs to succeed. Relationships built with local teachers, staff and volunteers help young people develop responsibility and a connection to their community.
With carefully planted seeds, we can help the next generation realize an island of abundance.
