Welcome to the Deep River Folk School

Based in Franklinville, North Carolina, Deep River Folk School was founded to support healthy, resilient, and sustainable ways of living, and to share those skills with our community.

What We Do

We offer hands-on workshops in a wide range of folk skills for simple, practical living.

Our programs are taught by experienced instructors and grounded in learning by doing. A typical day might include time with tools, time outside, a shared meal and a hand-crafted item to take home.

We focus on skills that people can carry home and use in everyday life.

How It Started

The Folk School was founded in 2019 by a group of farmers, builders, crafters, health practitioners, environmentalists, and community members.

From the beginning, the goal has been simple: create a place where people can learn useful skills, share knowledge, and support one another.

Each year, the program continues to grow and shift in response to what people want and need.

Why It Matters

We are living through a time of real challenges—environmental, social, and economic.

Deep River Folk School exists as a place to respond to those challenges in practical ways:

• learning skills that increase self-reliance

• building stronger local connections

• sharing knowledge across generations

• creating space for belonging

Our Focus Areas

Our workshops center around a few core areas:

• Food — growing, foraging, preserving, cooking, and sharing

• Shelter — building, maintaining, and creating livable spaces

• Essential Skills — practical, everyday tools for life

• Understanding the Natural World — working with the land and local ecosystems

• Community & Connection — building relationships, sharing stories, and supporting one another

These areas reflect a broader vision of self-sufficiency and resilience that runs through all of our programming.

How We’re Organized

Deep River Folk School is a collaboration between:

• Sustenance Farm, which provides the land and physical space

• Living Well Earth Stewards, a nonprofit that supports administration and programming

Together, they make it possible for the Folk School to grow and serve the wider community.

Nonpartisan and Inclusion Policy

Deep River Folk School is non-partisan and all are welcome to come and learn skills for resilient, sustainable living in the safe environment we provide. We ask that all partners and instructors at our school leave political content and opinions out of class offerings and student interactions. Deep River Folk School deeply values community learning among diverse people, and we ask for your full partnership to ensure all students feel safe to learn with us.