Nestled among natural landscapes and gardens lies the Sunrise Community Farm Center, an organization cultivating a family farm in the heart of Chapel Hill. The center offers a variety of programs and engaging experiences for all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
In the past, families would have large farms and live, work and learn together as a community. The Sunrise Community Farm Center was founded to educate children in a similar environment, teaching them physical, emotional and social skills, Mina Choi, one of the center's co-owners, said. She also said that by nurturing these skills, the center instills in children that they are responsible, capable people who can be relied upon.
“If they love the garden, they can come work in the garden,” Choi said. “If they love the animals, they can work with the animals. And it's not just playing with things, it's also taking that responsibility.”
Mentorship is also a large part of the center's mission, Choi said, with children learning from an older, more experienced person to nurture their skills and development. She said that children are encouraged to explore skills in areas they are interested in, eventually teaching them to each other under their mentor's guidance.
The center also wishes to establish younger generations' appreciation of nature and all that it gives them. They want to have a lasting positive effect on individuals, equipping them to contribute to a better future.
“The relationships that we form with nature as kids are incredibly important to the decisions that we're going to make as adults to how we care for that nature,” Hope Blanchard, the center's program director, said. “So if we can recognize that the water that we're drinking has to come from the areas that we're in, then suddenly it feels a little more wrong to pollute the water.”
Along with children's education, the Sunrise Community Farm Center also aims to create an environment where people can explore their interests through engaging activities. They host a variety of programs including horsemanship, summer camps, junior mentorship opportunities, team building and volunteer opportunities.
“We're really trying to create a space for the community where, if their interest is in how to start an orchard, we want to be able to meet them where they're at to help them achieve their goals,” Blanchard said.
One of the center's main programs, horsemanship, fosters healing, connection and communication through interaction with the horses. At the center, all animals are considered teachers, each with their own skills. The horses are especially sensitive to people, making them helpful to people experiencing emotional difficulties, Choi said.
