Hopedance

by Tyler Hartford

I sit in a circle of kids and mentors. Many of the kids were pulled out of standard educational settings when the pressure to achieve began to threaten their well-being.  Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, various anti-social behaviors, sensory processing disorders, adolescent depression, and even autism are some of the issues which had been diagnosed as reasons for these kids’ lack of success.

They sit quietly during this talking circle out of respect for the speaker, as they were respected when it was their turn to speak. I sit and listen and wonder at their maturity, insight and poise. I ask myself, “Is it this location, this magical and mysterious hill, which inspires these kids to act with such sincerity and deference?”

This hill is a special place. Nestled between the scree-filled slope of one of our Nine Sisters and a dark forest concealing a meandrous stream, this small hill overlooking the bay has been a destination to humans for hundreds if not thousands of years. The expansive view stretches from the Irish Hills and the northern reaches of Montana de Oro across the bay to the southern reaches of the Santa Lucia Mountains and up the valley to the east, bordered by our ancient and distinctive volcanic morros.

Halfway up the west side, there is a stump next to a large boulder with a deep acorn grinding hole. I imagine in the past, when this pine was tall and its shade was dense, that this site, with convenient curves in the boulder to sit in and refreshing sea breezes, was one of the most pleasant places in California to accomplish the work of making acorn meal.  I have sat in this place many times. I have come here by myself and with students and friends, carrying intentions and questions, to celebrate and grieve. If you’ve been to this place, you’ll understand.

I look around this circle and see the kids I have worked with for years, as well as those who have just found us. Each of them has made major achievements with us. I wonder as I sit with them, “Has their growth been a result of the respect with which they are regarded in our programs?”

Our focus on building relationships has certainly had an effect. One new child had never in his life considered another person a friend, until three weeks into our program. Our journey with him is just beginning, but with a remarkable start.

Another was so violent in expressing her emotions, that any hope of fitting in with her peers was bleak. It took a full year of work to help her feel safe enough to start trusting our group. Now she’s furthering her education in more traditional settings, as well as continuing with our programs.

A young man in his third year with us started coming one day every other week because he was so exhausted by his experiences in education to that point. Now he is the pace-setter in our Full Circle Teen School, a complete alternative to standard education which he and other students helped to create.

A boy sitting next to me had been labeled with attention deficit when he joined Nature School. When we witnessed this boy spend over an hour completely still, waist-deep in cold water, in an attempt to catch a fish, we were stunned by his concentration and commitment. I’ve since seen many examples of his prolonged focused attention in subjects that interest him.

Our assignment one day was to develop a story rooted in the surrounding landscape. The kids take turns adding to a story about a hero traveling through this land and encountering friends and foes along the way. Each experience speaks of a feature of this place and reveals the kid’s substantial knowledge of this region. Their hero finds fresh water when thirsty by following ecological indicators. She utilizes the trees, plants, and animals which she encounters for medicine, food, and crafts. Finally, after having met all of her basic needs by utilizing her surroundings, she looks for and finds community.

The creativity and ability to work together in developing such a story and the skills to present it in a group make the mentors proud this day. We close our circle and descend the hill with feelings of accomplishment and camaraderie. I ponder, “Is it the mentoring culture which we employ that has had such a profound effect on these kids?” I acknowledge to myself, with gratitude, that it is the model in which we have been trained, as well as the depth of relationships which we foster, and the powerful dynamic of children spending time in nature which makes these programs so effective.

Tyler Hartford is the Program Director for the Central Coast Village Center.  A calendar and information about CCVC programs can be found on its website www.theccvc.org . More articles and discussion are on its new community blog ccvcslo.blogspot.com .