Earth Craft Policies and Expectations
At Earth Craft, we are committed to creating a non-judgmental and supportive experience centered on personal and collective growth, respectful, non-hierarchical communication, working collaboratively, resolving conflict and creating shared vision, and leaning into communion with the more-than-human ones. We won’t just be sharing space; we will also be learning to share life together.
It’s essential that each member of our soulcentric community feels respected, included, engaged, supported, and alive.
DIVERSITY and INCLUSION
We welcome everyone regardless of their background or identities such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic class, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, country of origin, or religion. Throughout the program students learn through participating in life in a communal living environment, one committed to each individual’s unfolding. We respect all preferred pronouns, and we are LGBTQ+ and BIPOC friendly. We respect multiple intelligences and learning differences.
ESSENTIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Please review the following essential requirements to make sure you are prepared for the physical, intra- and inter-personal challenges of our program.
What You Can Expect from Your Guides
You can expect your guides to powerfully hold a loving, inclusive container for learning and living that is free from discrimination or favoritism. We are committed to the maintenance of deeply supportive spaces for taking psychospiritual and physical risks that are free from all forms of physical or verbal harassment.
What We Expect of You
By agreeing to participate in Earth Craft, you must be prepared to:
Help create and maintain a respectful and supportive living and learning community. To that end, you agree to work effectively as a member of our community. This will require problem solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences and be open to feedback
Refrain from language or actions that may be hurtful or judgmental of others, and no ‘talking in the bushes’ about others. Refrain from all forms of sexual harassment, racial/ethinic/LGBTQIA+ slurs. We encourage language that is positively respectful, uplifting, transparent, and direct.
Engage as fully as possible with daily group and individual invitations and practices that create space for honest sharing and feedback to and from peers and guides.
“Lean in” and challenge yourself, both physically and psycho-spiritually. To that end, please be ready to try new things and bring a willingness to learn and participate as fully in activities and invitations as you are able.
Contribute to the creation of and collective accountability to group agreements.
Be committed to your own Self Care. It’s essential that you take full responsibility for your own health and wellness. You must respect safety rules at all times to prevent injury or illness. We also expect you to prioritize your sleep, hydration, and nutrition.
Communicate with the group or seek help individually from a guide if you are having trouble taking care of yourself emotionally or physically.
Take responsibility for your own behavior and its emotional or physical impact on others, whether intended or unintended. Be willing to engage in council/restorative justice as a means to reestablish group harmony and trust in group relations.
Come with a beginner’s mind and a willingness to be open, receptive and committed to personal inner work as well as to allow yourself to be vulnerable to your peers and guides in the supportive container of community through the ways of council and non-violent communication.
Show up on time for all group activities including chores, meetings, hikes, etc. This includes being punctual for our daily shuttle between Pompanuck Farm, where you will be living, and Spirit Hollow, where we will spend our days.
Be an equal, participating member in maintaining the tasks of community life, including: sharing chores, cleaning, and house upkeep; self-governance strategies and weekly process councils and check-ins; planning, shopping and cooking some meals together
Refrain 100% from using alcohol and recreational drugs and sharing any prescription medications while on both Spirit Hollow and Pompanuck campuses. Cultivation of healthy and respectful relationships with the earth and our human community in this program requires our full presence and awareness, in a way that is incompatible with the use of mind-altering substances.
We ask participants to refrain from beginning a romantic or sexual relationship for at least the first two weeks of the program. After that period, participants must notify the staff if a romantic or sexual relationship begins. If the relationship is between two people in the program, both parties will create and sign a relationship contract with a guide’s assistance, which outlines appropriate behavior for an intimate relationship in a communal living and learning setting.
Unplugging. Earth Craft is a much-needed time-out from the over-stimulation, anxiety and stress of mainstream life. Our remote locations provide you with a rare opportunity to be fully present, to step OUT of the consumer-conformist culture and into the deeper stream of soul, community and nature. Though we are not anti-technology, we are for being mindful and intentional about how we spend our time. We will co-create a group contract for limited technology usage on the off-hours of our program that all participants will agree to. There is no access to cell service while at Spirit Hollow and limited access at Pompanuck.
Physical Eligibility Requirements
You should feel comfortable with light to moderate physical challenges and be able to walk a mile at a reasonable pace without any respiratory distress.
You should be able to hike with a 20 - 60 lb backpack (depending on your size and body weight), which requires average strength and endurance as well as basic balance and agility.
You should be okay with hiking in conditions which may include but are not limited to: rough, rugged, uneven and steep terrain.
You should be open to camping overnight.
You should be able to hike distances ranging from 2 -10 miles in one day. We will begin with lower distances and build over time, so you will have the chance to condition over the course of the program.
You do not have to have tons of outdoors experience (with hiking or camping) to participate in the program, but you should be in adequate physical shape and be eager to learn about and participate in all our forest-based activities.
You must not be actively in emotional or psychological crisis. Our guide team has experience in therapeutic methods, we know that mental health challenges are a part of life for all of us, and we will support your growth in emotional resilience and healing while at EarthCraft. However, EarthCraft is ultimately not a therapeutic treatment program, and if you are experiencing significant emotional instability or inability to keep yourself safe, then it would be best to seek a dedicated treatment program.