Ravenwood’s mission is to cultivate health, passion for learning, and stewardship of ecological and human communities through nature-based mentoring of youth, families, and community members. Ravenwood is all about healthy communities, and we stand up for equity and diversity in everything we do. Quality mentoring guides our mission and connects us deeply to the land and to each other, creating cross-generational relationships filled with meaning, hope, and resilience. There are many distractions and obstacles in our fast-paced society, and an increasing number of negative trends—health issues, screen addiction, attention disorders, stress, violence, racism, sexism, homophobia, disrespect, substance abuse, and more—all of which need our attention and action as a community. Ravenwood is here to help, a place for kids and adults to learn and grow, naturally.
Ravenwood acknowledges with gratitude that we operate on the homelands of the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreille people in what is now called the Flathead Valley of Montana. From the 1700’s through the present, these Indigenous people have resisted and persevered over colonialism and genocide. Today non-Indigenous Montanans now occupy much of the Indigenous homeland, including the land that Ravenwood uses for our nature connection programs. Ravenwood acknowledges that we benefit from these historic injustices, and seeks to honor the unique cultural heritage of Montana’s first peoples through our words and actions.
Ravenwood strives to be respectful of Indigenous cultures in everything we do, and we have a policy to address the potential for cultural appropriation in our work. You can see our policy on cultural appropriation and how we choose what to teach at: https://ravenwoodolc.org/policy-on-cultural-appropriation/
