Interfaith Home School Program seeking to expand
Cheryl Clemens | 05/27/10

Kayam Farm’s Interfaith Home School Program in Reisterstown just completed another successful season and is looking to expand next year from one weekly session to two.

“It started when Julie Mair, a local Muslim woman with two young daughters, contacted the farm (part of the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center) to ask if she could bring her daughters out to help plant,” said Kayam’s Director, Jakir Manela.

Manela, along with Kayam’s Education Director Casey Yurow welcomed the family. “The kids enjoyed themselves so much that they returned with friends.” By the fall, another Muslim family became involved in the program. Together, with Manela and Yurow, the two families came up with the idea of offering weekly environmental education sessions for home school families of all faiths and backgrounds.

In the 2009 season the Interfaith Home School worked with about 10 youngsters from five different families. This season, Kayam Farm served 18 kids from eight different families, including Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Bahai.

“The children blossom in our beautiful outdoor setting,” said Manela. “They learn to plant and harvest, compost and water and throughout each session they are learning about each other in a compassionate, respectful way. We sing songs in Hebrew, Arabic and English. We learn about different religious traditions regarding social justice and sharing the harvest. We explore plants and animals in the woods. We have fun and make new friends,” explained Manela.

Currently, Kayam is seeking funding to expand the programming from one to two days a week. Manela is also hopeful that Kayam will be able to establish what he calls a “Chesapeake Teen Diversity Camp.

“The camp,” Manela said “would bring together local teenagers of all backgrounds for a few weeks each summer, learning how to grow food and take care of the earth, while also learning to live together with teens from different spiritual, social, and economic backgrounds.”

Kayam at Pearlstone inspires social and ecological responsibility by transforming our community through hands-on Jewish agricultural education. The Farm offers a variety of programming for school groups, families, individuals, and others interested in learning about Jewish agriculture and environmental practices. Kayam also has a Community Supported Agricultural program (CSA,) for those wishing to share in organically grown produce.

Kayam at Pearlstone and Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center are agencies of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

The program will resume in September 2010. For additional information, please contact Simone Ellin at 410-369-9284.

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