Discover

We are seeing a growing group of people in Charles City coming together with a heart for real community transformation. We love our community and its people and believe it has profound potential to showcase what a diverse, rural community with systemic challenges can become by working together.

VISION

We have the audacious belief that Charles City is well able to not only become a better community incrementally but is poised to make significant strides in the next decade to actually become a model of a what a unified, vibrant, innovative, resilient community of great people with rich history and beautiful natural resources can become by empowering the energy, creativity, and purpose-driven dreams of our children and youth as they become leaders, both today… and tomorrow.

FOCUS

Promise Land Is A 130-Acre Nonprofit Farm And Innovation Laboratory Dedicated To Community Transformation Through The Dreams Of Charles City Youth.

While the big dream we all share is a great community, we have chosen to pursue that worthwhile goal by focusing on the empowerment of youth…to come along side our young people to help them discover, clarify, and actively pursue the deep, passion-driven dreams within them. And while they are still in their formative years help them apply the outworking of those aspirations to their dreams for a better community.

It is our firm conviction that we cannot achieve that bigger goal without the energy and creativity of the emerging generations of young people. Through our community-wide efforts to empower their dreams during their school years, they will benefit and the community will benefit. They will also be much more likely to put down roots, or return home, to raise families and start businesses of their own.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Challenge youth to discover and act on their own dreams now and in the context of their own community seek innovative, transformational solutions.
Train volunteers to become mentors, life coaches and trainers in a wide spectrum of time-honored practices and new technologies and skillsets for the 21st century.
Provide the 130 acres at Promise Land Pastures as a community transformation laboratory in which to perfect many innovative models for use in the wider community and beyond.
Partner with the schools, churches, organizations and other community partners to provide community service applications for both the innovations and the young innovators.

2020 OBJECTIVES

Develop and test proven methods of purpose-driven coaching, education, and training in a rural community context, appropriately engaging mentors, student peer coaching, the family, schools, and churches.
Coach to multiply coaching. We will not only teach students how to discover, clarify, and act on their own dreams but also train them to coach others.
Establish a youth “idea factory” program in which students engage in real community problems, interview stakeholders and create new imaginative, effective, sustainable solutions in all community sectors.
Document all stories and results as model to be used as inspiration and guidance for other rural communities here and in developing nations.

2020 PROJECT GOALS

New practices in Animal Husbandry, specifically with Sheep and Goats and their products.
New practices in organic, sustainable Agriculture: Indoor vertical farming, Microgreens, Aquaponics, Square-Foot Gardens…and learning Farm-to-Table business and marketing operations.
An introduction to Seed-saving conservation among traditional and heirloom (non-GMO) seeds.
Certification program for becoming Drone Pilots
Development of a beginning course and support program in Self-publishing for young writers, artists, and musicians.
Development of a Business Startup program with from general business development, coaching and research assistance for specific ventures.
An Apprenticeship in Diesel Mechanics and related vocational training
Training in 3D Modeling and related technologies
Development of Apprenticeship programs for local businesses
Partnering with other stakeholders for community health and nutrition, offering courses, and partnerships in community gardens, food pantries, famers markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups.