Young people are encouraged to take public transport if possible. Young people arrive between 9:30-10:00a. They drop off their household pooled COVID LAMP sample for testing when they arrive, make sure their mask is donned properly, and walk inside to sign in and set their intentions for the day. Facilitators are available to assist Abromies who need support.

Young people and Facilitators promptly break up into small groups at the end of arrival time. In our small groups, determined by what program each Abromie is in, we play connecting games, check in with each other, hear community announcements, review the agreements and community awarenesses, share our intentions, and invite others in for collaboration or ask for support. Meetings run a bit differently for each program, with increased focus on intention and reflection, and increasingly complex conversation related to our values, as Abromies move from roots to branches to canopy. Meetings run about 5, 10, and 20 minutes for branches, roots, and canopy, respectively. The exception is Mondays when the meeting consists of the entire community and includes the Set-the-Week meeting where we plan out the offerings and outings for the week.

Young people at Abrome have tremendous freedom to engage in an endless array of activities of their choosing. No two days are the same, but common organized possibilities include Facilitator- or Abromie-led daily, weekly, or one-time scheduled offerings (e.g., a game of mafia, bullet journaling, building a fort, cooking risotto, a jam session, coding in Scratch, free writing, a nature walk); planned outings (e.g., grocery store, independent bookstore, local park); and volunteering or community support (e.g., animal rescue, protesting a harmful bill at the Capitol, mutual aid support). The indoor spaces of the facility are reserved for quiet work time for the first three hours of each day to support those who require the extended, distraction free, focused time to dive deeply in work (e.g., academics, creative pursuits, entrepreneurship, reading) that matters to them. This provides ample time for young people to make remarkable progress on self-chosen academic and personal goals, if that is what one chooses. And the magic extends beyond the formal offerings and self-directed pursuits–it lies in the spontaneity of free play; in the moments of conversation and connection; and in the ways that young people react to unstructured time to rest, reflect, or entertain oneself. It is in this nearly five hour block of time that young people have the opportunity to do the remarkable, unconstrained by the practices and structures of schooling, or the anxieties of adults.

People can eat anytime at Abrome. Having a dedicated time to eat in our day is a way to support everyone to remember to check in with their body and refuel mid-day. Facilitators will eat lunch, not hold offerings, and encourage the young people in the space to do the same.

Having a beautiful, functional, and welcoming space requires cleaning and maintaining the facility and the resources within it. Because we are a high responsibility community, everyone commits to cleaning up after themselves throughout the day, and participating in a collective community cleanup toward the end of the day. Although we have high standards for cleanliness, we recognize that people are at varying stages of development and we adjust expectations for each person accordingly.

Young people and Facilitators break up into their small groups after cleanup. In our small groups we may play connecting games, check in with each other, hear community announcements, reflect on our day, and express gratitude for each other, the Abrome community, our families, and our lives.

Young people are released at 4p, and for those being picked up we request that their rides arrive by 4:15p. Young people are encouraged to take public transport if possible.

We have a variety of non-daily meetings or activities to include Check-in & Change-up (on Thursdays where we raise awarenesses and develop practices that allow us to shift the culture to better support everyone), field trips (an enriching trip for the entire community, often scheduled every third week), Flying Squads (typically once or twice weekly all day outings where young people practice youth autonomy and take up public space in the city).