“We must neither forsake nor fail to honor those whose service has sustained our freedoms. Words are not enough. Intention insufficient. We each owe a debt of reciprocity. Where their service to us ends, ours to them must begin.”
-Tracy MacLachlan, Founder, The Cheile Retreat and Grow it Forward Farm
The Grow It Forward Farm and Retreat is built on the tenets of honor, service, gratitude and hope and the premise that the health of the body, mind and spirit are inextricably intertwined and interdependent. We believe that although healing can begin through the introduction and development of self-management techniques and strategies, it will only be sustained through the commitment of individuals to maintain and practice them. By providing a variety of options and the time to evaluate and practice them, participants at The Grow It Forward Farm and Retreat will be empowered to determine which techniques and strategies can be the most effective and sustainable for them and will be encouraged to develop a personal success strategy to achieve stability, improved health, resiliency and quality of life both during Active Service and throughout their civilian lives.
Will provide a safe, supported living environment in which homeless Veterans, and those at risk of homelessness, will live and work on site while pursuing educational/skill training so that they can obtain gainful employment, achieve independence and stability, build a path to home, and begin to live their best lives. The program is designed as a hand-up, a place to begin, and a foundation of empowerment and success to build on.
The Retreat
Will serve the needs of Service Members and Veterans by providing a safe, natural, collaboratively supported environment to promote healing and health through a variety of non-clinical activities and therapeutic modalities. The programs are designed as a place between - to rest, rejuvenate, re-center, restore and reconnect with the self and with others; and, as a place to learn and develop a personal and sustainable strategy for mental, physical and spiritual health and wellness.
The Goals of the Grow It Forward Farm and Retreat are to:
➔ Improve force resiliency, readiness and Total Force Fitness
➔ Improve quality of life for participants
➔ Promote natural methods and techniques to support healing and reduce pain to mitigate dependency on opioids and other chemical pain management agents;
➔ Support success in transition to civilian life to prevent Veteran homelessness.
Our success will be based on:
● A whole being, individualized approach to wellness as opposed to a focus on a singular aspect or modality;
● The variability of time that each service member can participate; and,
● Our acknowledgement and respect of the individuality of each Service Member, their service, and their transition experiences.
Our programs will promote:
● Physical health through a variety of activities and therapeutic modalities that support natural pain and stress reduction and healing, exercise, rest and nutrition;
● Mental health through education and exposure to self-management techniques and healthy coping strategies as well as through collaborative education and support from the VA and local partners; and,
● Spiritual health through self-reflection and connection with the self, others, and the spirit/divine as it is perceived and practiced by each individual[1].
Programs Overview:
The Grow It Forward Farm
A Live-Work-Learn Initiative designed to help prevent and end Veteran Homelessness and inspired by the adage: Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. Although the rate of Veteran Homelessness has decreased over the last years, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Point In Time (PIT) study in 2018 identified and counted 37,878 homeless veterans living in the United States. Of those counted:
● 61% of were housed in emergency shelters or transitional housing facilities
● 39% were unsheltered, many living in places "not suitable for human habitation."
The top three reported causes of homelessness among unaccompanied individuals were:
● lack of affordable housing
● unemployment
● poverty
The challenges we are seeking to help solve are: as noted in a Texas Veterans needs assessment published in March, 2016: “Though providing a homeless Veteran with shelter is immensely important, it is difficult to end the cycle of homelessness without also accounting for factors such as employment and mental health.[2]”; and, that homeless Veterans may have also had difficulty finding gainful employment due to lack of transportation, appropriate clothing, resources, a permanent address, phone and access to internet services required.
The Grow It Forward Farm is designed for homeless Veterans, and those at risk of homelessness, who were not dishonorably discharged from Military Service and who do not have a history of violence, an active addiction, or severe disabilities/mental health factors that would impede their ability to live and work in the environment, but will include those with non-violent/drug related criminal records and those who were discharged from service with general or other than honorable circumstances.
● There are any number of direct and supportive opportunities available in agribusiness and hospitality that participants can experience and choose to become more educated and adept at while working and studying at the Farm.
● A hand-up, not a hand-out. Confidence and dignity restored through responsibility and accountability:
○ To help prepare participants for the realities of independent living, participants will contribute towards their living expenses through work exchange and participate in other shared duties such as cooking, cleaning and living quarter maintenance.
The Grow It Forward Farm Retreat
The Retreat is divided into two primary focus areas with the primary goals of supporting both individual wellness[3] and Total Force Fitness[4].
“Optimizing stress management skills and maintaining a healthy physiology before and during deployment, coupled with a process for rapid improvement and reintegration into normal life and optimal functioning on return from wartime, may well prevent the progression to PTSD and the development of chronic pain and may well reduce the chances of obesity, injury, and poor performance. Thus, a holistic approach that integrates the current domains of health and function is requisite for achieving total force fitness.”[5] - COL Beverly C. Land , MC USA
The Inter-Deployment Program (IDP)
Designed for units and individuals to prepare for and restore from Military deployment. The program will focus on rest, nutrition, social engagement, personal/spiritual reflection and physical activity to enable Service Members to: decompress and focus on personal preparation and restoration without the stressors, noise, and distractions of the world outside; and will, in the case of unit participation, also improve cohesion and community capacity within the unit.
The Extended Transition Program (ETP)
Designed for transitioning Service Members and Veterans who have: been identified as at risk on their Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP) assessment due to lack of employment, established housing, or a supportive social network; and, others who would benefit from additional time to effectively transition from Military Service to civilian life.
“By building a process to help our Service members discover a post-military path to empowerment, we set them on the trail opposite from the desolation and despair that currently encumbers our Veteran community.” - Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Su***de Prevention, 2016
In addition to the non-clinical therapeutic activities and modalities, the ETP will support participants:
● In creating a personal success strategy and developing S.M.A.R.T.[6]goals to achieve their professional and personal objectives and reduce the risks of negative/destructive behaviors and homelessness.
● Coordinate with Veteran support organizations to understand and enroll in all available and desired VA programs and benefits and to connect with professional and peer support networks to support success.
The EDP will support existing transition initiatives whose effectiveness may be limited for some due to brevity and by the ability of the individual participants to absorb, retain and process the information required to maximize success, especially among service members who have little or no exposure to independent life outside of the military and to assist in mitigating the transition challenges identified by The Veterans Administration and Veterans[7]:
● over two-thirds of today’s Veterans reported difficulties adjusting to civilian life;
● nearly 8 in 10 Service Members leave the Military without a job;
● more than 40 percent of Service Members leave the military without having identified permanent housing.
● Difficulty in navigating VA programs, benefits, and services;
● addressing financial challenges; and,
● applying military-learned skills to civilian life.
Therapeutic Overview
Earth Therapy
Simply stated, this is about spending time in nature to reconnect, re-center, rebalance and restore the body, mind and soul. Studies show that spending time in nature, away from the noise, distraction and interference of the man-made world can ease pain, reduce anxiety and stress and help restore internal balance. It is this belief in the healing power of nature that is the foundational premise of Cheile.
Journaling
Each participant will be given a personal journal with pen and ink to share their experiences with through purposeful writing. The use of pen or quill and ink is to encourage mindfulness and help the user to stay focused on the task at hand. Although participants will have a selection of options with some specific exercises from which to structure the journal, they will also have the freedom to explore outside of these parameters to find the style and format that be the most beneficial to their journey.
Artistic expression
Artistic creation has often been used to translate the emotional into the physical and has been used in therapeutic activities as an emotional outlet and a form of self-expression. Participating in artistic activities has been shown to reduce anxiety, pain, and stress and can be used as a vehicle for relaxation and meditation.
Aqua Therapy
Water is used to help release physical tension, relieve pain, reduce stress and provide participants with an enhanced opportunity to focus by eliminating environmental noise.
Massage Therapy
The body and the mind are inextricably linked. The health of one directly and indirectly affects the health of the other. Therapeutic Massage Therapy is used to relieve not only physical pain, it has also been found to be beneficial in reducing stress and relieving the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Animal Therapy
Caring for and positive interaction with animals has been shown in studies to increase levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol. The act of brushing or petting an animal can be both therapeutic and meditative. They can also provide us with valuable insight into our current emotional selves as they reflect and respond without judgement to our emotions and our energy.
The Medicine Wheel
The Medicine Wheel has been used by many indigenous peoples and cultures to represent the circle of life, the seasons, the cardinal directions and is often used in ritual as a pathway to healing and personal growth. It is thought to represent the collective knowledge of the Universe and of all things within it.
The Labyrinth
Representing the mysteries of life, death and the universe. Journeying through the Labyrinth has been used for centuries as a vehicle of meditation, introspection and contemplation and as a pilgrimage to the self.
Peer Counseling and Mentorship
The Program will coordinate with other veterans’ groups and organizations to establish mentoring relationships for participants as well as encourage voluntary group sharing activities for peer to peer support.
Professional Counselling
The Program will seek to work with local universities to initiate a study to track and refine methods to provide the highest efficacy possible. Additionally, the program will coordinate with the VA and local spiritual centers to bring specialized counsellors on site for veterans wishing to utilize their services during their stay.
[1] It is the policy of The Grow it Forward Farm and Retreat to respect the beliefs and practices of all participants without promotion or judgement and to support the engagement of spiritual leaders and counselors as appropriate and requested by individual participants.
[2] Kidder, Schafer, Carter, March 2016, p. 33.
[3] Defined by the World Health Organization as “the “active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.”
[4] The TFF framework is a methodology for understanding, assessing, and maintaining Service members' well-being and sustaining their ability to carry out missions.
[5] MILITARY MEDICINE, Vol. 175, August Supplement 2010, page 8
[6] S.M.A.R.T. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebound
[7] The Military to Civilian Transition 2018 A Review of Historical, Current, and Future Trends
