The Program

The eight-month program has been designed to stretch you through new experiences, new places, and new relationships within a Christian community. Out of this year, you will grow a lot in knowing God, learning about who you are, and discerning where you are heading.

While living together in a large community home, students will practice regular rhythms of meal times, recreation, study, mentorship, prayer, and worship. The following gives you an overview of Act Five’s eight-month program.

First Term

The goal for the first term is to become a community together. We will learn to pay attention to God, to each other, and to the world around us, and to experience and be challenged by new things, new people and new places.

Highlights

• Coldwater Canada wilderness trip
  14 days in Northern Ontario in September, including a nine-day wilderness canoe trip through the beautiful Temagami region.
• Learning among First Nations community
  A week in October spent on the Six Nations reserve, learning from community members, in partnership with Ohsweken Baptist Church.
• Two options for a four-week cultural exchange and service trip in November:
  • Travel to Zambia with EduDeo Ministries, integrating elements of school construction, classroom interactions with local students, time in local villages and communities, and a Safari visit. The amount needed to be raised or paid will be approximately $3600-$4000.
    OR
  • Travel to southern Texas to serve with World Renew’s Disaster Response Services, working on relief projects in communities struck by recent natural disasters, while engaging in the local culture, learning about border relations, and exploring the beauty of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. The amount needed to be raised or paid for this will be approximately $1500-$1800.
• Academic Courses
  Students will complete two courses: The Six Acts and Place, Home & Land.
  See course descriptions here

Second Term

The goal for the second term is to put learning into practice within the city and church of Hamilton. We hope students can taste the joys of participating in God’s mission in local and daily ways, while developing a clearer sense of what, how, and why they are going to do whatever it is that lies ahead of them after Act Five.

Highlights

• Opening Coldwater winter retreat
  A weeklong January trip with Coldwater Canada, integrating elements of retreat as well as “hot tent” camping.
• Road Trip & Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh
  A weeklong trip through Ohio and Pennsylvania, spending time learning, resting & adventuring, culminating with the Jubilee Conference.
• Field Placements
  1-2 Field Placements over the course of 8 weeks with various local business, non-profit organizations, and tradespersons in and around Hamilton.
• Coldwater Backpacking trip
  A final backpacking trip with Coldwater Canada hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail.
• Home Tour
  A commitment to support students once they head home at the conclusion of Act Five by visiting their homes, and sharing stories at school chapels or local churches.
• Academic Courses
  Students will complete two courses: Vocation & Praxis and Stories of Faithfulness.
  View Courses

Other Program Details

Housing

Students will be living together on Blake Street in downtown Hamilton, along with three Resident Leaders.

Going Home

While Act Five is meant to be an immersive community experience, students are encouraged to head home twice each semester, including an extended break at Thanksgiving, three weeks over Christmas, and an extended break over Family Day weekend.

Field Placements

Students will work with Act Five staff and outside experts in determining where second-term field placements will be located. Some of these will be within community non-profits. Others will be in placements unique to each student’s interests such as music, business, architecture, healthcare, education, various trades, and more. In most situations, Field Placements will be unpaid.

Have more questions? Read the FAQs