The Students who Bring Life to the Organic Learning Center

February 23, 2024

Team meeting with Evelin, Glen and the students

I have focused a lot on the organic practices and ideas on how to run an organic farm, but the more time I spend on the farm, the more I've realized that the people are a very central part of everything. When I think about the importance the project, it’s not just the practice of organic farming that is important, but it's also the benefit it brings to the people involved.

Glen's philosophy focuses on learning by doing and that is the idea behind CAO as a trade school. The students work on the farm and learn how to farm organically as they carry out their daily tasks. They also visit organic farms around Honduras where they continue to learn and teach. Some have had the opportunity to travel home and teach these practices to their communities.

Additionally, at the same time as the students are learning, they are also maintaining a full-time, salaried job. They get paid for the work they do as students. This is important because unemployment rates in Honduras are high. Stable, full-time, fair-paid work is difficult for young people to find. Therefore, while the students are learning and working, they are also saving their money to one day be able to have their own farm, business, or project.

Glen coaches the students on savings and the economics of managing a farm so that one day they can have the option to be owners and managers of their own land. He encourages them to be curious and ask questions so that they can gain knowledge and skills rather than just going through the motions without understanding the bigger picture of how the practices and operations work. They are encouraged to be leaders, teachers, and experts in what they do. In a talk Glen had with them one morning, Glen told them to be leaders, "not robots." This was a phrase they grabbed onto and they would joke with each other to not be robots. But I think that this make sense to them-- to be actively learning and not just going through the motions of the work.

Every time new volunteers and visitors come, the students have the opportunity to teach. To further assist in their growth and independence as organic farmers, Glen has en exciting new plan to purchase a large property and sell it back to the students with no interest for those who would like to start their own farm. I'm excited to see how this goes.

The students come from scarce resources and from challenging life circumstances. Three of the boys were raised together at an orphanage in the capital Honduras. Working together in community on the farm has created a tight-knit community here at CAO where they live, work, share meals, and, of course, goof around together. When you visit CAO, you really feel the sense of care and camaraderie that comes from their community. The students are all away from home on their own for the first time and have learned a lot from the experience. Now, us volunteers have learned a lot from them in many ways.

Hanging out at the river; Jose eating a coconut in the hammock; David turning my goodbye cake into a food fight; David with a bouquet of orchids at the waterfall; Evelin and I on a truck ride ; Rosi and I covered in my farewell cake

Working on the farm ; Rosi, Katherine and I on a weekend pizza night; David riding one of the sheep

Alexis strokes one of the cats at CAO; Roger and Axel laughing in the back of Glen's truck; David is obsessed with coke so the boys bought him bunch of 2 liter bottles for his birthday; Cristian, with his speaker that he carries around his waist while they work

Beyond being organic farmers, the students at CAO are young people exploring opportunities and finding every chance they get to enjoy themselves as they work and take on responsibilities of young adulthood. These young people are, without a doubt, the life of the Organic Learning Center. I spoke with the students about their aspirations and tentative plans for the future. Many have farms or agricultural endeavors in mind. Another would like to be a soccer player. Another said he will take whatever pays best, but for now he likes working and learning at CAO. As they figure out what is best for their futures, they have a supportive family at CAO. It was really hard to say goodbye to this group!