The Necessary Steps to Heal: Thoughts on Work Program
Prem Linskey, Program Director
Meaningful work is a pivotal part of a person’s well-being. It gives people a sense of purpose, a reason to get out in the world, and can fill them with intrinsic motivation. The Work Program provides an avenue of accountability to residents of the Ranch. We foster the idea that everyone is needed for our community to run well and flourish. A person’s crew peers, the livestock, and staff are all affected by a resident’s decision to show up to crew and work.
Finding Motivation
The Ranch is special in its ability to provide a level of intrinsic motivation to the residents. Intrinsic motivation means a person finding the drive and ambition to do something because it feels good and right. This type of motivation provides a much longer and deeper sense of fulfillment to a person. To find purpose in this world is one of the most beneficial vehicles for someone to feel comfortable with themselves. A lack of purpose in life can cause a person to be constantly anxious while searching and working to fill that void. To discover purpose through meaningful work is to begin the necessary steps to heal.
Teaching Accountability
The Ranch offers intentional and beneficial programming to help a person find the skills and motivation to build themselves up. Farm Crew does a fantastic job at teaching accountability by caring for living creatures. Collecting eggs that get served in the kitchen is a great way to feed your community and hold a sense of responsibility.
In the woods, we run new lines that will make our sugaring operation more efficient. This maple is served daily with breakfast, and it is valuable to feel the benefits of work in the woods helping fuel the Ranch’s maple consumption.Woods are also building up our firewood supply so that everyone can keep warm this winter, which fuels the community in a different way.
Our Shop Crew is working to build new offices and a cabin. This contribution allows residents to see their progress daily and know the value of their labor, as well as to work on something that will be here for years to come.
The People’s Kitchen turns out soups and desserts twice weekly and the residents show reliability to produce food for the community with daily deadlines. Our Gardens Crew is responsible for supplying the kitchen with much of our produce. This is no small feat and takes a lot of hard work and dedication each day in the hoop house and garden beds.
Power in Relying on Each Other
The program offers residents opportunities for growth through our individual approach; focusing on each person’s experience by allowing individuals to take appropriate risks, become leaders, and work together as members of a group. The work reveals and responds to a person’s evolving strengths, confidence, and creativity. Work reminds us of the power in relying on ourselves and each other.
