Organizational Culture

CIRCLES 

Sitting or standing in circles is a simple practice that is foundational for our organizational culture. Circles represent equity (everyone has equal physical space) and community (everyone can see one another’s faces when speaking and listening). Each activity on the farm - youth programming to staff meetings begins with a welcome and opener of some kind. This ensures that we begin in a relational way (acknowledging one another’s humanity) rather than a transactional way (focusing on how others can help us achieve our own goals). It is a chance to build community across differences. It does not need to be too time intensive, but it does need to happen each time we begin.  

For youth, starting the program with a game is a way to mark the transition away from whatever else has happened in the day and mark the entrance into a different kind of space. In our program, youth take on the facilitation of opening circles, ensuring that they have a chance to practice their leadership skills and feel like they are co-creators of the experience.