EarthLinks Programs: Cultivating Life

At EarthLinks, everything we do benefits people and the planet. Through our Micro-Enterprise Workshop Program, participants who are homeless and low-income earn a small stipend for their work in our garden and creative workshop. Participants create Earth-friendly crafts, art, or products, while benefiting from skills development, increased accountability, and goal setting. Our programs give participants the chance to experience new learning, the welcome of a supportive community, and the peacefulness of the natural world.

The EarthLinks Workshop Program is a micro-economic development program created by EarthLinks for people who are homeless and low-income. Participants can take part in one or all of the components of the project:

• The EarthLinks Workshop in which participants grow the plants in the EarthLinks Peace Garden, then use  the garden’s abundance to create products available for sale. Our artists earn a modest wage from engaging in meaningful work, while connecting with a supportive community. Our workshop program promotes self-esteem, accomplishment, and the ability to appreciate the beauty of nature.
• Day Trips into Nature offer time away from everyday struggles and concerns by providing experiences in the state parks and in the mountains. Participants’ vision of the world and their part in it can grow, renewing their energy, their sense of connection, and their dignity. These revitalizing trips can help to enable participants to return refreshed and better able to face some of life’s challenges.
• At different times of the year, various programs are ongoing, such as the six-week Floral Design Course, where participants learn skills for employment in the floral industry. The course is taught by a professional florist and is offered for free.   Participants learn various skills include making centerpieces, European Hand Tied bouquets, funeral arrangements, wedding bouquets, corsages, and wreaths.  In addition, they also learn how to take orders, make a personal portfolio, and apply for jobs.  Upon graduation, each participant is offered a floral apprenticeship.