As you well know just by reading the newspapers, violent activity is rampant. Whether one is a perpetrator or a victim, they need help. The Gentle Barn has proven that by offering training in kindness, caring, and supportive dialogue through working with animals and nature, angry, negative attitudes are decreased, turning potential abusers into protectors.
“By telling the injured child the stories of the animals,” says Ellie Laks, Founder and Director of The Gentle Barn, “And then connecting them, we create a direct bond between the animal and the child. They can bond with the animal on a much deeper level knowing that the animals have a similar if not the same abusive past that they have. But because the animal has nothing to gain from the child, other than maybe their own healing, the child gains an immediate sense of trust that then fosters a sense of responsibility.”
The Mayor of Santa Clarita, Marsha McLean who is dedicated to both animals and children at risk, visited the Gentle Barn last month and talked with them about solutions to violence. The Mayor was interested in finding out how The Gentle Barn’s program introduced animals to troubled youth and to learn why these animals were such good role models.
“I sincerely enjoyed visiting The Gentle Barn,” said Mayor McLean, “I was very impressed with how clean everything was and I loved being able to actually pet a pig for the very first time. The Gentle Barn’s Peace Enhancement Program is a vital part of our continued outreach and support of our children at-risk in the Santa Clarita Valley.”
Marsha joined by Councilmember Laurene Weste, who also holds animals and children close to her heart and D.J. (Donald) Hamburger, a junior at Canyon High School, who was the Groundhog Day Job Shadow for the Mayor, toured the six acre ranch and met and learned the stories of some of the sixty rescued animal residents and learned about their Violence Prevention Program.
The Gentle Barn Foundation is a non-profit organization that teaches people kindness and compassion to animals, each other and the planet. They do this by bringing people together with their rescued farm animals and are supported by donations and sponsorship of groups. Through the interaction with the animals, The Gentle Barn teaches people tolerance, courage, strength, trust, leadership skills and empathy. Their violence prevention program is host to boy’s homes, foster homes, inner-city youth, mental health care facilities, hospitals, scout troops and local schools. The Gentle Barn is open every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for you to visit the animals. The Gentle Barn is located at 15825 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita.
For more information, please call 661-252-2440 or visit www.gentlebarn.org.