Unbound Grace ~ Sentinel Farms Arts, Agriculture & Equestrian Camps & Programming support Vermont youth to develop the skills needed to prioritize their health and make health focused decisions for life. Unbound Grace Youth recognize that their personal health decisions directly impacts the health and wellness of their community. Unbound Grace Youth are supported to follow their learning interests
, regardless of their families current financial strength, enabling them to experience repeated success as they commit themselves to develop their gifts, talents and passions while communicating and achieving their dreams and goals. Understanding growth from adolescents into young adult hood as a progressive path of life-long learning provides a depth of resiliency necessary to navigate the choppy waters of being a youngster in the highly public life of the 21 Century. Healthy outdoor agricultural Re-Rooting activities provide Unbound Grace Youth a hands-on understanding of how to prepare, plant, tend and harvest; the necessary working factors involved in every equation and successful outcome. Unbound Grace Youth are actively engaged in learning:
UG~SF Classical Horsemanship: focuses on building a mutually respectful and enjoyable relationship between horse and rider. Youth recognize early that honoring the gifts the horse offers is reciprocated through their youthful care, physical training and disciplined perseverance to become safe and gentle riders. These Unbound Grace grounded rational and compassionate reasoning skills support greater understanding of the psychology of emotional relationships as well as the science driven physics & physiology of moving in a balanced physical relationship with the horse. Good Stewardship: connects farm & animal health & sciences with human health including a background in anatomy and physiology. Learning the mechanical skills and observations skills needed to tend to the needs of others, includes taking part in the many facets of caring for the grass fed cows, calves & chickens, pasture rotation and tending to the variety of farm gardens. Care for Community and self by making well informed heath focused choices. Enjoying the many benefits of being physically fit is inseparable from being physically active and learning about healthy nutrition choices. Being able to move one’s body successfully and safely to accomplish the many physical farm tasks is the objective. Opportunities to integrate the joy of both the work and play of a working farm with a little fun competition of team relays and swims in the Creek while looking for treasures to describe in their poetry and journal entries increase both the aerobic and the creative intellectual aspects of a young growing mind. In conversation, youth share their experiences of being bullied and sometimes having returned the hurtful behavior. Communication, coping, empathizing and cooperative team work skills build naturally as the group learns to accomplish tasks of animal and barn care cooperatively. Daily practice develops adept and impressively gentle handling of the animals as well as the tools of the trade. Gained insights as well as the intrinsic growth of self confidence provides the foundation for the skills sets and perspective needed to deflate bullying where ever they come in contact with its negative influence. Unbound Grace Youth take pride in their accomplishments and enjoy opportunities to share their growing gifts, talents & passions. Each week campers progress and develop their own leadership style as they encourage and support each other with their responsibilities. Campers recognize an increased sense of belonging to their greater community as they forge meaningful relationships and grow into future camp counselors. There are no electronic devices allowed during programs. The entire farm is a no smoking facility. Youth focused outdoor programming like Unbound Grace ~ Sentinel Farms keep kids learning and improve their chances for a bright, educated future. Unbound Grace Youth enjoy attending programming after school as long as the weather and light allows but when Vermont winter days shorten and the cold sets in – the afterschool programming comes to a screeching halt. We must get the Four Season Indoor Programming Space & Arena built to provide the continuity of care as well as allow the continued growth of the youth’s progressive pride in their training accomplishments that self fuels their dedication to their own growth and participation in their chosen community.
