This program offers Evergreen students an opportunity to co-learn with juvenile males incarcerated in a medium/maximum-security institution (Green Hill Institution in Chehalis, Washington). It is high stakes work that demands deep and consistent engagement: approximately 12 hours a week in class on the Evergreen campus, 4 hours a week in class at Green Hill, and a modest involvement in other activities (such as fundraising) that help support and expand the educational resources available to the incarcerated youth.

The learning of the Evergreen students in this program fuels, and is fueled by, the learning of the Green Hill students. A fundamental principle of the Gateways program is that every person has special talents and valuable experiences that contribute to our shared learning. Our primary goal—supported by the theories and practices of popular education—is to create an environment in which each student becomes empowered to share their knowledge, creativity, values, and visions and dreams by connecting respectfully with people from a range of cultural, class, and other backgrounds.

On the Evergreen campus, students will explore—through faculty presentations, film screenings, workshops, and seminars—issues of race/ethnicity, culture, class, gender, power, and the many meanings of imprisonment and freedom in U.S. history and society. In the Green Hill classroom, Evergreen and Green Hill students will collaborate on a variety of projects, and will assume responsibility for the design, implementation, and assessment of weekly activities. Evaluation of Evergreen student performance will be based on participation in workshops and seminars on campus and at Green Hill, weekly seminar papers and creative writing exercises, and a capstone creative nonfiction writing project.