POC SANCTUARY

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POC ~ FARM & NATURE ~ SANCTUARY

Since 2016, Earth Arts has offered vital environmental education for children, adults, and families, in NYC and beyond. Our work is to bring nature into the classroom, through food, gardening, and healthy exploration. In the past, Earth Arts has also partnered with third party education providers, such as camps or after school programs- serving over 500 students, across boroughs and counties, from toddlers to senior citizens.  


However, since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, and the ongoing displays of police brutality, it has become clear that many of these third party education providers do not prioritize serving BIPOC communities, especially when they need it most. Many of the BIPOC students Earth Arts serves have had limited outdoor access since March, let alone access to farm or nature enrichment. Earth Arts has left these partnerships and organizations to create a permanent safe space for POC students and their families to enjoy nature and the art of growing food. 


100% of the proceeds from this fund will go to securing a safe space for BIPOC students from Harlem, Queens, Westchester, Brooklyn and beyond, to learn the art of growing their own food in harmony with nature. We have identified a space in upstate New York which is both accessible & affordable, while offering ample space for retreat lodging, nature exploration and food cultivation.  


This POC Sanctuary will work on the intersections of sustainable agriculture, ecology and social justice. We dream that this space serve as a summer retreat space for BIPOC youth, and a regional hub for ongoing workshops, courses, and certificate trainings to heal the earth-human connection for people of all ages.  

Earth Arts is seeking support for the purchase of a historic retreat property to be stewarded as a working educational farm and conservation center. This space would be accessible for students from NYC and the tristate area, and would be designed to serve BIPOC communities FIRST! Please help to spread the word!