Youth Springs Eternal Food

These people look younger than the average farmer (57 years old).  That's good - I plan on eating for some time to come.

It has never been a harder time to be a farmer.  Cultural and economic forces have devalued the profession, eroded rural landscapes and communities, and sent a whole generation of would-be farmers fleeing an inheritance of toxic industrialized debt and drudgery in droves.  Most of the holdout farmers ain't spring chickens.  And when they go, our food supply will have really "bought the farm" as well.

Meanwhile, all kinds of observant youngsters are fired up about farming the right way because they know our lives depend on it.  Next to movie star, it's the hippest vocation to aspire to.  But with the cost of land, equipment, labor and other inputs - in the context of a society that does not value food - the serious young producer has a near impossible row to hoe before the first seed hits the soil.

Enter Cerro Vista Young Farmers.  Last year Daniel Carmona gave some young apprentices a 30+ year head start with the benefit of his experience, while they gave the biggest local produce producer the benefit of their focused labor.  At the end of the season, they embarked on their careers growing our food with some savvy in the ol' tool shed and some cash in the pocket.

Lama Mountain Internship

An LMI Pioneer shows a camper how to card wool from a sheep he tackled and sheared

Five college-age students participated in the first-ever Lama Mountain Internship (LMI) in 2013, Residential stays ranged from 1-3 months, and interns spent 30 hours a week engaging in activities related to homesteading in the high desert—from sheep shearing to food preservation, from composting to construction.

Shepherded by charter school founders Todd Wynward and Dr. Stephanie Owens, LMI was of significant benefit to both the interns and the host community. The individual interns gained new knowledge, deep friendships, improved skills, and clarified personal values from a “time apart” characterized by healthy localized living, meaningful work, wilderness experiences, group discussions and opportunities for deep reflection. The Mountain at large benefited significantly from the labor interns brought to projects—cultivating community gardens, caring for sheep and goats, installing a drip system, building a greenhouse and sustainable housing, and practicing youth leadership with SCYR Summer Camp and Roots and Wings Community School.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2014 internship season.  College credit may be available to participants.  Contact Todd for more information.

Camp- The Home of the Free and the Brave

This year, if we were going to go on down to Arroyo Seco and march in their iconic 4th of July Parade - by golly we were going to take home some prize money!  But what theme should we choose for the float?  The judges were looking for “Most Creative”, “Best Children's Entry," “Most Humorous," and “Best on Wheels." Every category was worth considering for our giant bus and its melting pot of young passengers; but we’re talking about the 4th of July here people!  So of course we set our sights on “Most Patriotic."

We had red, white and blue balloons, stovepipe top hats, stirring patriotic hymns, Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty, an Eagle named Freedom… oh, and one giant tie-dyed American Flag.  The competition was fierce, and the stars and stripes were flying, but in the end, the declaration from the grandstand was SCYR #1!  The prize money will help us keep Summer Camp free for any kid who wants to attend.  And that was just one morning out of our 8-week action-packed summer.

Many Hands Make Lighthearted Work

Father and son size up the new cabin

Localogy is volunteer powered, and nowhere is that more apparent than at the annual SCYR Work Party Weekend.  Parents, alumni and other volunteers descend on the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch on Friday with tools and materials in hand and by the time we pack up from our celebratory river float on Monday the camp facilities are ready for action.

In 2013, parents took it upon themselves to organize some big projects from start to finish.  We built a new cabin, finished out the garage, got the fleet in working order, poured a floor for our camp cookie, and checked-off of many miscellaneous to-dos.  When staff week started, there was nothing left for us to do but concentrate on being excellent camp counselors.  Thank you volunteers- after all, if we don’t do it ourselves, who will?  More pics, info and signup here.

5 Days to Make the Movie!

Localogy’s grassroots media arm is flexing.  Recognizing the power of film to shape the ideas that shape our lives, and the necessity of placing that power directly in the hands of the people, we are excited about the dramatic feature film, “Baby Lu”.  Ascending director Emily Ray Reese is intent on telling rare, genuine stories that put the typical tired, warmed-over Hollywood plotline to shame.  Learn more about the project: click here.

Back in the day, Emily started our summer camp film program, guiding the campers all the way from script writing, through the final edits of the youth-produced epics “Mr. Q” and “Kiss of Death”.  Ms. Reese has come a long way from her camp counselor days- wrapping up a Masters at the prestigious NYU Graduate Program in Film and Television.

Production of the film will be based at the Ranch with a largely local cast and crew.  Local youth will be mentored in a full-fledged top-flight film production.   Baby Lu has 5 days to reach its funding goal, and it's all or nothing.  if you support taking our culture to a new level, donate here and pass this on to all your friends and make it viral.