Wellkind Trust

TERAVANA TRUST RECOGNIZES OUR WHOLENESS, OUR INTERDEPENDENCE WITH ALL BEINGS, AND OUR CONNECTION WITH THE EARTH THAT UNITES US ALL. WE LOOK AT THE WHOLE SYSTEM, INTENTIONALLY DESIGNING PROGRAMS THAT SEEK TO RESTORE THE WEB OF RELATIONSHIPSTO SELF, EACH OTHER AND THE PLANETTHAT FORM THE ROOTS OF A THRIVING PLANET. WE LOOK AT THE WHOLE SYSTEM, INTENTIONALLY DESIGNING PROGRAMS THAT WORK TOWARDS COMMUNITY RESILIENCE - HELPING COMMUNITIES BUILD THE CAPACITY TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS. WORKING IN SOLIDARITY WITH LOCAL LEADERS, WE WEAVE STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS TO SELF, TO EACH OTHER, AND TO THE PLANET THAT REVIVE OUR SENSE OF CONNECTION AND HOPE, ENSURING EVERYONE HAS WHAT THEY NEED TO THRIVE.

THE GARDEN PROGRAM (TAKEN OVER BY WELLKIND, LLC WHEN IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN NOVEMBER 2021): AT WELLKIND, OUR MISSION IS TO GIVE LOCAL LEADERS THE RESOURCES TO CULTIVATE ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL WELLNESS FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THE EARTH. IN 2019, WELLKIND LAUNCHED ITS SCHOOL GARDEN & FORESTRY PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES. WE DEVELOP SCHOOL GARDENS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TWENTY-TWO K-12 SCHOOLS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THROUGH OUR MINI-GRANT PROGRAM, SERVING OVER 5000 YOUTH. 68% OF OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS IN MARIN AND SONOMA COUNTIES ARE SUPPORTED BY THE FEDERAL TITLE 1 PROGRAM, WHICH SERVES CAMPUSES WITH HIGH PERCENTAGES OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. WE ALSO HAVE OUR OWN GARDEN CURRICULUM THAT ALLOWS OUR CERTIFIED GARDEN INSTRUCTORS TO TEACH IN SCHOOL GARDENS. FROM THE LAUNCH OF THE GARDEN PROGRAM IN 2020, WE HAVE REACHED OVER 5,000 K-12 STUDENTS. OUR 3-PART WEBINAR SERIES, SEEDS OF CHANGE, SHARED TIPS ON HOME GARDENING AND OUTDOOR EDUCATION TO OVER 400 VIEWERS FROM 27 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. WE HAVE ALSO PROVIDED MINI-GRANTS AND MENTORSHIP TO 12 COMMUNITY GROUPS IN SONOMA AND MARIN CITY TO BENEFIT THEIR LOCAL FOOD SECURITY AND GARDENING PROJECTS, SERVING OVER 17,000 PEOPLE. THESE PARTNERSHIPS HAVE ALLOWED US TO READILY IMPLEMENT IN-PERSON GARDEN-BASED EDUCATION IN 2021-22 AS STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOLS. WE CURRENTLY TEACH ROUGHLY 55 STUDENTS EACH WEEK AND WILL INCREASE OUR REACH AS WE TEACH IN 5 ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS THAT HAVE AGREED TO BRING IN OUR SUPPORT. 94 PERCENT OF THE SCHOOLS WE SUPPORT, AND 100 PERCENT OF THOSE WHERE WE PROVIDE IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION, ARE SERVED BY THE FEDERAL TITLE 1 PROGRAM, WHICH SERVES CAMPUSES WITH HIGH PERCENTAGES OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. AS OF SEPTEMBER 2021, MASTER TEACHER LAURA HONDA IS LEADING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH IN MARIN CITY (GRADES 2-5), PRIMARILY AT BAYSIDE MARTIN LUTHER KING ACADEMY, A TITLE I SCHOOL. LAURA HONDA WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ADOPTING, AND AN EARLY PROPONENT OF, THE CALIFORNIA EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE (EEI). HONDA WAS AWARDED THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, THE TERWILLIGER ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD, THE MARIN HUMANE TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD, AND THE NATIONAL EARTH APPLE AWARD FROM THE ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY. OUR 3-PART WEBINAR SERIES, SEEDS OF CHANGE, SHARED TIPS ON HOME GARDENING AND OUTDOOR EDUCATION TO OVER 200 VIEWERS FROM 27 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

GUATEMALA PROGRAM IMPACT - WELLKIND GUATEMALA IS A GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE THAT SUPPORTS THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY OF TZUNUN, EMPHASIZING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, AND HEALTH. ASIDE FROM STRUGGLING WITH DEFORESTATION AND ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION, IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST AT-RISK VILLAGES ON THE LAKE IN TERMS OF FOOD AND HOUSING SECURITY. GUATEMALA HAS HIGH LEVELS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY. INDIGENOUS GUATEMALANS, WHO COMPRISE ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION, OFTEN SUFFER FROM MUCH HIGHER RATES OF POVERTY, MALNUTRITION, AND MORTALITY AND HAVE REDUCED ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND HEALTH SERVICES (MRGI, 2019). SEVENTY-NINE PERCENT OF INDIGENOUS GUATEMALANS LIVE IN POVERTY, WHILE 40 PERCENT LIVE IN EXTREME POVERTY (CIA, 2020). GUATEMALA ALSO HAS THE HIGHEST GENDER INEQUALITY INDEX IN LATIN AMERICA (WFP, 2020), WHICH MAKES THESE TRENDS ESPECIALLY SEVERE FOR INDIGENOUS WOMEN. WELLKIND GUATEMALA IS UNIQUELY TIED TO THE COMMUNITY IT SERVES. EVERYONE ON OUR TEAM LIVES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SANTA CRUZ. HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2021: IN THE PAST YEAR, LANDOWNERS FROM 50 TO 60 FAMILIES IN TZUNUN HAVE HELPED US PLANT OVER 2,500 TREES ON THEIR PROPERTIES. UR TREE PLANTING PROJECTS APPLY THE METHODS OF AGROFORESTRY, WHICH INTEGRATES WOODY PERENNIALS LIKE TREES WITH HUMAN-GROWN CROPS. OUR NATIVE ROOTS, HERBS, SHRUBS AND AVOCADO TREES WORK WITH COFFEE PLANTS TO CREATE A MULTI-LEVEL, HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE FOREST THAT SUPPORTS ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS SUCH AS NUTRIENT CYCLING. OUR PERMACULTURE GARDENS OFFER MANY OF THE SAME ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF OUR REFORESTATION PROGRAMS, ALBEIT ON A SMALLER SCALE. IN THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE WORKED WITH FAMILIES TO PLANT 100 ORGANIC HOME GARDENS. PARTICIPANTS PLANT A MIX OF COMMON VEGETABLES LIKE ONIONS, PEPPERS, AND CHARD, AS WELL AS LOCAL, CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT VARIETIES LIKE CHIPILIN, HIERBA MORA, MILTOMATE, AND GUISQUILES. THESE GARDENS SUPPORT 400-500 FAMILY MEMBERS AND SURPLUS GARDEN PRODUCE CAN THEN BE SOLD TO GENERATE REVENUE AT A MARKET THAT WELLKIND HELPED TO ESTABLISH IN THE LOCAL TOWN. THE MARKET IS JUST ONE SITE FOR THE ECO-CONSCIOUS CULTURE WE ARE BUILDING IN TZUNUN. OUR WORK IN EDUCATION IS WHERE WE PASS ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF PERMACULTURE, ANCESTRAL WEAVING TECHNIQUES, SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY AND OTHER PRACTICES TO EMPOWER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ENGAGE IN SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS. OUR ORGANIZATION FURTHER EMPOWERS LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY PROVIDING LEADERSHIP ROLES TO LOCAL INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND MEN. WITHIN EACH OF THE 2 NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE WORK, WE NOMINATE LEADERS AMONG THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE NAMED 12 LEADERS, SIX WOMEN AND SIX MEN REPRESENTING THE NEIGHBORHOODS PATUYA AND TZANTIXUB. THEY GIVE FEEDBACK ON OUR PROJECTS AND PRESENT THEM TO THE GOVERNMENT. EMPOWERING LOCAL WOMEN- WE STARTED A WOMENS ARTISAN COOPERATIVE. WELLKIND PRESERVES IMPORTANT DESIGN TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS OF KAQCHIKEL MAYA. ON TOP OF THIS CULTURAL PRESERVATION, SOME WOMEN ARE OFFERED SCHOLARSHIPS TO LEARN HOW TO CROCHET AND JOIN THE COOPERATIVE. ALL WOMEN ARE PAID A LIVING, FAIR-TRADE WAGE FOR CREATING CROCHET PRODUCTS AND RECEIVE FREE TRAININGS FROM WELLKIND IN PRODUCING THE MOST MARKETABLE OBJECTS FOR SALE. THE WOMENS COOPERATIVE HAS GROWN TO 105 MEMBERS. WELLKIND HELPS WOMEN FIND A MARKET FOR THEIR PRODUCTS.

FORESTRY PROGRAM (TAKEN OVER BY WELLKIND, LLC WHEN IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN NOVEMBER 2021): SCIENTISTS OVERSEEING THE MOST RECENT INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC) REPORT SEE HARMFUL LAND-USE PRACTICES AS THE SECOND LEADING DRIVER OF GLOBAL WARMING.THE IPCC HAS IDENTIFIED NATURAL AEROSOLS EMITTED BY PLANTS AS POTENTIALLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAME-CHANGERS FOR ADDRESSING GLOBAL WARMING. THUS, PLANTS AND FORESTS SHOULD BE AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST OF CLIMATE-HEALING HEROES. THIS IS WHY WELLKIND FOCUSES ON THE PROTECTION AND RESTORATION OF THE NATURAL WORLD WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FORESTS, BIODIVERSITY, AND THE PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE. IN CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST, OUR FOREST PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED TO PROTECT AND RESTORE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND THE SPECIES THAT DEPEND UPON THEM. INFORMED BY THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, OUR FORESTRY PROGRAM WORKS WITH LOCAL PARTNERS AND LANDOWNERS TO ENHANCE BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE, AND CARBON UPTAKE. A CORE ASPECT OF OUR WORK IS PROVIDING COLLEGE-LEVEL ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS. WELLKIND FORESTRY ALSO HAS A VOCATIONAL TRAINING ASPECT OF OUR WORK. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATIONS SCHOOL TO CAREER PARTNERSHIP, OUR TEAM PROVIDES YOUTH AGED 16-18 WITH VALUABLE ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE, FORESTRY POLICY, AND PRACTICES. WELLKIND FORESTRY HAS AN IMPORTANT VOCATIONAL TRAINING ASPECT OF OUR WORK FOR YOUTH AGES 16-18. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATIONS SCHOOL TO CAREER PARTNERSHIP, OUR TEAM PROVIDES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH VALUABLE ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE, FORESTRY POLICY, BIODIVERSITY AND METHODS. THE SPECIFIC BENEFITS OF OUR PROGRAM INCLUDE: COLLEGE-LEVEL ACADEMICS THE ACADEMIC STRENGTH OF OUR PROGRAM ALLOWS US TO GIVE INTERNS HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CREDIT FOR COMPLETING THEIR WORK. OVER TWO MONTHS AND BETWEEN 80-120 HOURS, OUR INTERNS DIVE DEEP INTO LEARNING ABOUT ISSUES THAT ARE DIRECTLY ON POINT TO ADDRESS PRESENT-DAY ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE, SUCH AS: HOW TO ASSESS AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF TREES, THE SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE, THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY SOIL, HOW TO KEEP ECOSYSTEMS IN BALANCE, AND MORE. TO DELIVER OUR CURRICULUM, WE COMBINE PRESENTATIONS BY EXPERTS LIKE JAMES POWELL, WHO SERVED ON THE COUNTRYS NATIONAL SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD UNDER TWO U.S. PRESIDENTS, WITH FIELD TRIPS TO LOCAL ECOLOGICAL SITES, AS WELL AS HANDS-ON RESTORATION ACTIVITIES. THE INTERNS ALSO LEARN HOW TO USE TOOLS LIKE GOOGLE SCHOLAR TO FIND AND ANALYZE PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC STUDIES, GETTING A CRUCIAL HEAD START IN RESEARCH BEFORE THEY HEAD OFF TO COLLEGE. HANDS-ON RESTORATION EXPERIENCE WE MAKE WEEKEND TRIPS TO LOCAL RESTORATION SITES SO THE INTERNS CAN GAIN HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN WATER TESTING, SOIL ANALYSIS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT SKILLS NEEDED TO FURTHER PURSUE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. THESE EXPERIENCES OFFER A VALUABLE SUPPLEMENT TO HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSES, WHICH TYPICALLY DO NOT OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK ON HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS. AS ONE INTERN WROTE, ALTHOUGH I'VE TAKEN AN ENVIRONMENTAL COURSE ALREADY IN SCHOOL, THERE WEREN'T ANY REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES TO LEARN FROM. THIS PROGRAM SHOWED US WHAT REAL PEOPLE DO TO MANAGE HABITATS. OUTREACH: TO THIS END, WE ARE DELIVERING ON A PUBLIC EDUCATION AND MARKETING STRATEGY. SINCE THE START OF THIS CAMPAIGN, WE HAVE REACHED OVER 70,000 PEOPLE: 64,000 POST VIEWERS ON FACEBOOK, 4,800 ON INSTAGRAM, 300 ON YOUTUBE, 1,700 ON OUR WEBSITE, AND 100 VIEWERS OF LIVE WEBINARS AND THEIR RECORDINGS. THREE OF OUR TOP-PERFORMING POSTS REACHED OVER 13,000 PEOPLE. OVERALL, AS A NEW ORGANIZATION, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED OUR OUTREACH OVER THE PAST YEAR: WEBSITE & STATISTICS JANUARY DECEMBER - PAGE VISITS: 207% /YR INCREASE FACEBOOK ;JANUARY - DECEMBER 2021 - 211% INCREASE INSTAGRAM MAY - DECEMBER 2021 - 63% INCREASE. WEBINARS: WE OFFER WEBINAR PANELS THAT HELP INFORM THE LARGER PUBLIC ABOUT SUCCESSFUL ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND HELP OUR INTERNS BROADEN THEIR REACH AND CONNECTION TO LEADERS IN THEIR FIELD OF INTEREST. OUR PRESS RELEASE TITLED NEW CAREERS FOR A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD WAS PICKED UP BY 219 OUTLETS AND WAS CLICKED 1,262 TIMES. IN FEBRUARY, I WAS INVITED BY MERIT MOTION PICTURES TO SERVE AS AN EXPERT PANELIST WITH A SCREENING OF THEIR FILM, CALL OF THE FOREST: THE FORGOTTEN WISDOM OF TREES. ADDITIONAL PANELISTS INCLUDED: MERIT JENSEN CARR, PRODUCER, AND CHAD HANSON, DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL ECOLOGIST OF THE JOHN MUIR PROJECT. OVER 135 PEOPLE ATTENDED LIVE AND PEOPLE ARE CONTINUING TO WATCH THE ONLINE WEBINAR.