Horseshoe Farm Youth Programs

Very few levers contribute as much to community health as a deliberate focus on education and children’s wellbeing. Horseshoe Farm’s focus on helping young people began at our founding in 2007 and remains one of the core pillars of our programming. Fellows and interns support and help lead top notch after school programs and volunteer in local elementary school classrooms. They work to build caring, consistent relationships, provide mentorship, and help lead a range of enrichment activities in these programs. They volunteer with students who are academically behind to help them catch up, with students who are academically ahead to push them further forward, and with other students who need special support. In our work with high school students, we provide help with professional development, life skills, and civic leadership skills. All of these activities contribute to the network of support and care for children that is so critical for young people to thrive and for building a culture of community health.

1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Education Matter More to Health Now More Than Ever” 2014

2. Christina Bethell, et al, “Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample: Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels,” JAMA Pediatrics, 2019

3. Combatting Childhood Trauma, One Relationship at a Time