where hope blooms
The Wildflower School of Life is a therapeutic horticultural program designed to help struggling young adults thrive
becoming by belonging
Welcome to the Wildflower School of Life, where we embrace the transformative power of community. Our therapeutic model is inspired by the care farm approach which brings individuals with shared life experiences into a nurturing, nature-based environment. Within this horticultural setting, participants —affectionately known as “Wildflowers”— are offered meaningful employment opportunities that empower them to reclaim their strengths, boost their confidence, and embark on a transformative journey of personal growth through farming.
why wildflowers?
In his book The Orchid and the Dandelion: Why Some Children Struggle and How All Can Thrive, Dr. Thomas Boyce uses a metaphor comparing these two flowers to explain why some children develop mental illness and may turn to addiction. He says that 80% of our offspring are dandelion children (resilient and abundant), whereas the remaining 20% struggle because they are orchid children (sensitive and unique). But what if there was a way to have both the resilience of a dandelion and the beauty of an orchid? Hence the wildflower — uniquely beautiful and amazingly resilient — which also thrive in the countryside.
cultivating community
It will take a village to get this program off the ground, we need volunteers, land, horticultural experts, coaches, donations, a board of directors, not to mention a whole lot of enthusiasm to sustain it. We also need ‘Wildflowers’ who are willing to engage in the Wildflower School of Life program by learning valuable farming and life skills, and grow alongside others on a similar journey. So please join us as we cultivate a vibrant community where our 'Wildflowers' are thriving, instead of barely surviving.
