An Evening with Chris Pureka to Benefit The Barra School

66 Newfields Road,Exeter NH 03833

07 April, 2023

Description

Join The Word Barn and Bright&Lyon Productions in an evening of dinner and music benefitting The Barra School, a 501c3 nonprofit which provides free forest and wilderness therapy immersion experiences to at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. Ticket Tiers Available include dinner, drinks, merchandise, and tax-deductible donations. About The Barra School: Historically, Wilderness Therapy for LGBTQIA+ youth has been nothing more than conversion therapy in the woods. Well, The Barra School thinks that's bogus and has been working to provide the exact opposite. The Barra School is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in East Corinth, VT which provides free forest and wilderness therapy programming for at-risk LGBTQIA+ (and primarily trans/non-binary) youth across VT and New England. Utilizing trauma-informed practices and a cohort model approach, we bring groups of kids together in the woods one or two weekends a month during the school year, for a full week during each school vacation, and every weekend over the summer, culminating with a 2 week-long summer backpacking trip. While our base camp is located in the Upper Valley of VT, we travel to other locations, primarily in the White Mountains, utilizing cabins operated by the Dartmouth Outing Club as well as State Parks and National Forest Service lands. We go swimming and hiking, backpacking and snowshoeing, have campfires and singalongs, cook food, make art, play games, and lead youth in various healing and resiliency-building modalities such as meditation, yoga nidra, forest bathing, art and movement therapies, and restorative justice practices. Over the course of their time with us, Barra School participants gain confidence in themselves and their identities; find mentors, role models, and friends; gain new skills and resilience; become part of a diverse and dynamic community; and receive on-going social and emotional support as they navigate the challenges of being an LGBTQIA+ youth in today's society. The Barra School's programming is 100% free for all youth who participate. We raise money through fundraisers, donation appeals, capital campaigns, and apply for various grants to cover costs including providing all youth with transportation, top-quality gear, local/organic food, supplies/materials, as well as covering the costs of insurance, training, our emergency satellite device, and staff salaries. Instructors are experts in their fields and are wellness practitioners, certified Forest Therapy Guides, Wilderness First Responders, teachers, educators, artists, musicians, and clinicians. Most importantly, our staff represent the diverse and dynamic LGBTQIA+ identities of our youth participants and therefore serve as the authentic mentors and role models these kids desperately need and deserve.  All proceed from ticket sales and donations gathered will go toward ensuring that The Barra School has enough funding to continue this critical work next year and for years to come.