Smack in the heart of the east end of Boise, just minutes from downtown, there’s a sanctuary where you’ll find 3 horses, 6 pygmy goats, over a dozen birds, and a giant Turkish Kangal dog named Agbi. And that’s just the domesticated, full-time animal residents at the Warm Springs Care Farm. Deer, owls, bobcats and mink also regularly come by to visit the farm, despite being surrounded by historic houses and well-traveled streets.
Before anyone “enters” her urban oasis, owner Linda Haley has them take a few deep breaths, focusing on an elongated exhale. With kids, she asks them to close their eyes and release their worries to a large oak tree, lovingly called the “Worry Tree.” It’s a moment to pause, re-set, and take in the magic of the place. Then you cross a bridge over a narrow stream into Haley’s thoughtfully-designed refuge with an orchard, barn, gazebo, greenhouse, labyrinth and horse stable.
“Everything on the farm is designed to feel like you’re being hugged by green enclosures – and to help cultivate a sense of belonging and well-being – to support better mental health for kids.”
On Starting a Care Farm to Improve the Mental Health of Our Community
Interview with Linda Haley, owner of Warm Springs Care Farm
Q: What is a care farm?
The concept of a care farm is very old. Simply put, care farms are based on the idea of using animals to help people. The first care farms were where people with mental instability went to work outside, connect with nature and move their bodies – and to help them feel better, emotionally.
Q: Why did you start the Warm Springs Care Farm?
After the “social undoing” of COVID, I wanted to build something that everyone could be involved in, including the most vulnerable people.
As a mom of an 18-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old, I’ve seen A LOT. And as a teacher and educator for over 30 years, I know how to motivate and love all kinds of differently-abled kids. And during the pandemic, I felt ready for a different way to make a more immediate difference in kids’ mental health and well-being.
My Native American ancestors enjoyed regular “shared experiences.” They’d sit around and crack acorns around a table, or weave together, and just laugh, talk, joke – and fart – together! And I think more people need more shared, authentic, communal experiences. We, like horses and ducks and goats, are designed to live and thrive in community.
Q: What happens at the Warm Springs Care Farm?
My mission is to improve the mental health and well-being of families using therapeutic farm practices. We do this through creating art, caring for the animals, moving our bodies, getting dirty and doing hard labor. We also offer a variety of after-school programs, classes, volunteer opportunities and summer camps.
All our programs and volunteer opportunities help kids and families get off screens, feel more connected, learn from animals and nature through the experience of doing hard work where it’s needed.
For example, for younger kids, we have Barn Club, a weekly, after-school program on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. And for older kids, we have a leadership team where I let teens figure out what needs to be done on the farm and create projects to meet those needs.
Q: What do kids learn at the care farm?
Kids can learn so much from watching animals and their behavior. Each of our birds has a personality – and a name! The kids observe how they interact and communicate, and they get to witness life, death, betrayal and love.
For kids who need support learning to read social cues or emotions, watching animals’ behavior and body language can be particularly helpful.
By observing animals, kids can:
Learn about confident body language and boundaries – like when they have to decide how to respond when Carter (a pushy pygmy goat) bumps into them.
Watch how the different types of ducks form friendships and alliances and see that relationships take time, patience and investment.
Observe how animals don’t tend to stay in a state of heightened anxiety or pressure – they know how to release stress and move on.
See how the horses read and respond to our emotional states and body language.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of your work on the care farm?
When a parent calls me with a child who is having suicidal ideation and then later tells me their child says that that the only good thing about their life is the care farm, I know this work is making a difference. This is a healing place.
When a child with autism runs squealing “horse,” “duck,” “goat” – after their mother has told me they don’t speak – I know there is magic here.
And when we host field trips for kids who have IEPs, it’s amazing to watch kids connect with their senses and experience the pure joy of smelling dried herbs, or getting muddy feeding the ducks.
I also love that our community is multigenerational. We have a grandmother who volunteers with her grandchild. Another family shows up every Sunday morning to feed the animals so that my kids and I can sleep in.
Q: What organizations or individuals do you partner with?
In 2024, we started partnering with the Children’s Home Counseling Services down the street so therapists could bring kids to the farm to do animal-assisted therapy here. It can make therapy more effective to get kids out of a formal building and moving, in a space where they’re naturally more relaxed and open.
We also host a wellness class that helps teen girls learn more about food, movement, sleep and self-care, and we offer a self-defense class for middle schoolers. And we’ve partnered with the Girl Scouts, who helped design our garden beds – and the Rotary Club too.
I’ve been so moved by the outpouring of support from local organizations. All of our programs are donation-based, so we rely heavily on support from local families and businesses.
Q: Why did you choose to become a friend and partner of You.Me.We.All?
I really appreciate that they’re an organization that’s just “getting stuff done.” And I’ve been so impressed with their communications. And like me, they’re focused on making a big difference in improving youth mental well-being – and not waiting for someone else to do it.
I feel like the parents behind You.Me.We.All are ahead of many of our community and school leaders. They’re bringing important education and policy to the table – and getting a good reception from administrators and leaders. Because I worked in education for many years, I’ve been honored to help advise them on how to effect change within the district.
Q: What do you think kids today need more of?
They need to feel a sense of belonging. They need spaces that when they show up, people there are happy to see them. I can’t tell you how many kids have told me that no one looks at them at school – or talks to them. But whether we are 50 or 5, we all want to feel like we belong somewhere and the moment we show up, people are happy to see us.
The kids that come here get absolutely filthy. And they work hard. And they’re learning science and physics while they’re working hard. Physically exhausting work is gratifying – and calming to the nervous system. It helps us feel strong, needed and connected, which kids crave.
Q: As a long-time educator of kids and mom of 3, what advice do you have for parents?
If your child is telling you that they’re lonely, depressed, isolated or anxious – which is a lot of kids – they’re telling you that because there is an unmet need. And that unmet need probably has something to do with a lack of belonging and a lack of shared experiences. So it’s really important to find a place where your kid belongs and is loved, respected and trusted by another adult.
I know it’s an unpopular thing to do, but parents need to take away the devices and help their kids find more movement, more connection to others, and more time outside.
I also think we need to be teaching – and reminding – our kids that the little things are BIG. Because there are a lot of kids who are hurting. So ask your neurotypical children: How does it feel to smile at someone in the halls at school? And encourage them to be on the lookout for inviting someone new to eat lunch with them. That helps them learn that we all have a responsibility to love and protect one another.
Learn more
Visit the Warm Springs Care Farm website to learn more about their programs.
Visit the You.Me.We.All website to learn about our initiative to create meaningful learning and connections in the outdoors to help improve youth mental well-being.
Comentarios