Changing Lives through Landscape: Rancho Cielo Youth at Mitteldorf Preserve
Seven kids, nine adults, four organizations and a whole lot of nature recently came together for a special collaboration that brought into focus the transformative power of the land. On a sunny Friday afternoon in early May, four young men and three young women from the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus were joined by staff and educators for an overnight camping experience at The Big Sur Land Trust’s Mitteldorf Preserve. Rancho Cielo is a 100-acre ranch in the foothills of Salinas where at-risk and adjudicated youth have the opportunity to chart positive life paths by learning new skills that help them increase their confidence and self-esteem. The Big Sur Land Trust was pleased to host Rancho Cielo, the Monterey County Office of Education and the Ventana Wilderness Alliance and help organize a sleepover experience that proved deeply meaningful to kids and adults alike.
“It was a really neat partnership,” says Chris Devers, the Rancho Cielo teacher who initiated the collaboration. “The Ventana Wilderness Alliance provided personnel and the camping equipment, the Land Trust provided the property, the Monterey County Office of Alternative Education provided the teaching staff, Rancho Cielo provided the food, and Dave Campos of the Probation Department volunteered his time to make the weekend memorable for the kids.”
Todd Farrington, BSLT’s Community Affairs Manager, met the group when they arrived at Mitteldorf. “At first there was a lot of frantic exploration,” Farrington says. “They were running around, checking everything out, peering into the cabin. But what really struck me was how quickly they got quiet. Pretty soon the din ceased and they were quietly playing ball, playing chess and reading.”
For Gary Vincent, Director of Alternative Programs for Monterey County Office of Education, that kind of shift hints at the transformative value of getting out of the city and into nature.
“It shows them there’s more to the world than what they know,” he says. “Introducing these kids to an alternative environment outside of their normal frame of reference, where they don’t have to be constantly looking over their shoulders, allows them to just be kids, with all the wonderment and youthfulness of just being a kid. That whole hardcore wall can come down.”
Morgan Harris, Youth in Wilderness Program Assistant for VWA, was on hand to facilitate group dynamics through team-building exercises and environmental education. “Trust exercises encourage the students to let go and trust people they wouldn’t trust readily. It’s really about getting them up and moving and talking and having fun.”
After a delicious dinner, everyone gathered inside the lodge in front of the fireplace to roast s’mores and share personalstories. “People opened up a lot,” Harris says. “It was really cool.” That night, one of the students celebrated her 19th birthday sleeping beside the largest redwood tree in Monterey County.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, everyone set out on a challenging hike from the cabin to the Echo Ridge summit. “The students were very courageous,” says Rachel Saunders, BSLT’s Director of Communications and Community Affairs. “As the morning grew warm, they felt safe enough with each other to shed layers, even if it meant showing rival tattoos. They were at a place they had never been before and were very kind to each other, paying attention to and looking out for one another.”
When they reached the summit, everyone gathered in a circle for an appreciation exercise. As they took in a spectacular view, one by one people shared what they were feeling that morning.
“It was magical,” Devers says. “It was beautiful to watch how everybody opened up.”
One young man shared that the air smelled different. “I appreciate the encouragement to keep going,” he said. “I’m breathing this in and it smells different—the sap, the earth—there’s something different about breathing this in.”
“When you have a kid, it’s hard to be a kid yourself,” said the young woman who celebrated her birthday. “Today I got to be a kid.”
Another young man appreciated the opportunity to leave all his stress behind. “It allows you to be open-minded again,” he said.
The students were not the only ones full of appreciation. “I teared up,” Vincent says. “Looking over the summit and hearing what the students were saying was emotional and reminded me why I went into this occupation. It was a very grounding experience.”
As Harris points out, “A couple trips into the woods aren’t going to fix everything. Yet even just a day outside gives these kids perspective beyond their immediate world, and perspective on life more generally. The sense of tranquility and calmness is really noticeable.”
“This is exactly the kind of experience we want to nurture,” Saunders says. “The Land Trust is committed to being a portal for people to reconnect to the land. It was an incredibly moving experience for everyone.”
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