A new and completely free higher education initiative is teaching literature and languages to self-learners. I’ve been at the forefront of this initiative and can attest that it feeds a growing desire for the classical knowledge and instruction that is glaringly absent in most American colleges and universities today.

It’s no secret that most Americans today struggle with both a foundering education system that makes learning a chore and the all-consuming distractions posed by modern technology. However, this doesn’t mean people don’t want to learn. Quite the opposite, as a 2016 Pew Research poll found that “73% of adults consider themselves lifelong learners,” while 74% have participated in educational activities.

Despite the perception that modern American culture is only obsessed with the latest Hollywood gossip or the newest trend on TikTok, there still exists a large segment of the population that wants to invest in richer things like music, art, literature, and philosophy. What these knowledge-seekers lack is a haven for doing so—a sort of modern salon without the velvet rope—where they can exercise their minds in collaboration with like-minded learners.

The Catherine Project was created to be that haven.

The Catherine Project is a nonprofit that introduces independent learners to literature and languages, offering reading groups, seminars, and subject tutorials via Zoom. These courses are led by dedicated volunteers committed to nurturing “the life of the mind.”

In addition to providing courses in ancient Greek and Latin, the initiative represents a variety of genres and authors in its offerings. From Socrates to Shakespeare, from Forster to Freud, the Catherine Project accommodates the preferences of every knowledge-seeker.

All courses are free, as the organization is committed to the principle that higher education and intellectual community should be accessible to all. Founder Zena Hitz puts it best in her description of the Catherine Project’s origins: “I envisioned education without strings attached, no grades, no credits, no tuition, run on the manifest love of learning alone.”

The Project’s namesakes—Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine of Siena, and Catherine Doherty—all reflect this “manifest love of learning.” Each Catherine made invaluable contributions to educational advancement during her time, catalyzing social change in the process.

Today, the Catherine Project is following in the trailblazing steps of its namesake by extending higher learning to everyone ages 16 and up, regardless of financial, educational, or personal background. 

This is an essential service, as traditional avenues of education—colleges and universities—have become either too expensive, too exclusive, or too political (see DEI agendas, student radicalization, and a departure from traditionalism in the liberal arts) for the average young person.

The Catherine Project seeks to overstep “the bureaucratic overreach and dysfunction so common to our contemporary institutions” and provide equal education for all in rejection of “the student-as-consumer model.”

As a current member of the Catherine Project, I can attest to the uniqueness of the initiative as well as to the love of learning its readers, teachers, and leaders exude.

There are two main benefits I see to this type of community.

First, the Catherine Project creates collaborative, non-incentivized learning. The collaboration offered by this initiative is unique because, unlike schools, where collaboration is non-consensual, the Project’s members choose to work together in pursuit of common goals. Participants extract value from great literature, conversing deeply with others and unlocking “bonds of human unity.”

This type of collaboration prevents “interest inequity,” or the disparity that occurs when one student is passionate about a particular subject while another is indifferent to it. Because entry is elective and participants have no incentive to join other than a genuine love of learning, the Catherine Project’s readers have equal shares of passion.

This results in lively, well-informed discussions, as every group member puts real effort into dissecting and decoding the reading material. During the classes I attended through the Catherine Project, my study of literature was broadened and enriched by the knowledge and passion of my peers, many of whom were seasoned scholars.

More importantly, listening to others’ viewpoints revealed my own myopia by showing me that my analyses formed only a small piece of a text’s puzzle. This was especially true of a Sylvia Plath reading group I attended.

Like all Catherine Project offerings, this five-week course discouraged readers from inserting biographical context into the discussion, referring only to Plath’s Ariel poems. As a Plath fanatic, this was initially difficult for me, but I soon came to appreciate analyzing her work from a purely literary perspective.

Secondly, the Catherine Project creates a true intellectual community that is independent from base political motives – something that is lacking in American society today.

For most adults, life offers few entry points to these communities, which are integral to promoting lifelong learning. Initiatives like the Catherine Project fill this gap by gifting intellectual community to busy parents, bored retirees, frazzled students, and everyone in between.

I believe the Catherine Project’s secret to success lies in its mixed-age courses, which allow people from all walks of life to enjoy intellectual community with each other. Young people benefit the most from this, as they receive the privilege of learning from veteran scholars who outstrip them in wisdom and experience. In the same way, older adults can also learn from the young, who may be more outspoken and unorthodox in their opinions.

Learning from other generations will always be advantageous. As we’ve seen on college campuses, healthy learning can be stifled when groups of students echo the biases and generational beliefs of one another.

True enlightenment never occurs in a vacuum—we cease to learn when we cease to consider a broad range of perspectives. Thankfully, the Catherine Project caters to a large demographic, which makes for richer, more diverse discussions that help illuminate complex ideas.

If you want to contribute to the Catherine Project’s mission to build “communities of learning based on conversation and hospitality,” consider applying at their website when summer registration opens on March 7, 2025.

Emily McMichael is a graduate of Liberty University with a degree in English and Writing. She previously worked as a student journalist for The College Fix, covering breaking news in higher education. In her spare time, Emily enjoys creative writing and academic research.