OSMP Featured Volunteers: Boulder Natural Highs and Light Root Community Farm

Several city staff worked together to create an innovative volunteer and service-learning program to reach teens through a partnership with OSMP Agricultural tenants, Daphne and Cameron Kingsley of Light Root Community Farm (LRCF), as well as Avani Dilger with Boulder Natural Highs (BNH).

Boulder Natural Highs is a teen focused program for drug prevention and recovery. Teenage participants are led by psychologist Avani Dilger with Boulder Highs for each project. The OSMP/Boulder Natural Highs/Lightfoot Farm program creates an inviting and relaxing atmosphere that invites teens to feel good without the use of substances. The program includes cutting-edge brain chemistry, herbs that are truly good for you, creative stress management, healthy alternatives, arts & crafts, non-judgmental dialogue, healthy rituals, AcuDetox or AcuWellness, and inspiration to examine your life. Avani Dilger, OSMP staff and Light Root Community Farm Ag Tenants weave in OSMP information, farm practices, and wellness in a hands-on way by working directly with healing herbs and farm animals.  

Relationship building and teen focus groups with Natural Highs revealed a desire to discover experiences in local lands different from toxic place association or "party sites." They wanted places to feel safe, somatic experiences where they can feel in their bodies and connected to place, as well as social interactions that don't involve substance. Boulder Community Health (BCH) connection between OSMP have been working together and building relationship for four years and have worked to build programming to address behavioral health and addiction in the community. Through this BCH and OSMP have provided feedback to Light Root Community Farm - the farm changed their mission to redefine "how they feed their community" in desire to become a place of healing. BCH has been in great support of this effort and has become a pivotal partner in believing in OSMP and funding our programs that in turn have a significant impact on substance misuse prevention and recovery.

BNH’s engagement on the Light Root Community Farm includes opportunities for planting and harvesting of medicinal herbs and some vegetables, hands-on information about the wellness and medicinal properties of the plants grown by participants, connection with a variety of farm animals, increased knowledge of the open space agricultural program, as well as experience with regenerative holistic farm practices while working directly alongside Daphne and Cameron, the agricultural tenants. Programs are advertised through Boulder Natural Highs. During this pilot year in 2023, OSMP/Boulder Highs/Light Root Farm hosted six programs in 2023, and discussions are occurring for planning a winter program. Teen participants report feeling empowered and inspired to incorporate wellness into their lives, and a deeper understanding of the importance of preserving lands for local agriculture. 

Avani G. Dilger, LPC, CAS, AAT, ADS-RT - Executive Director, Boulder Natural Highs (BNH)

Boulder Natural High (BNH) with Light Root Community Farm Program focuses on the wellness of teenagers through growing an herbal apothecary for substance replacement.

What motivated you to start this program with OSMP?

A lot of the teens we work with come from underserved backgrounds and don't always have access to healthy alternatives and resources. The collaborative project with Light Root farm allows our teens who are struggling with mental health and substance use issues to have access to animals, plants, and trusted adults to learn and experience a healthy sense of connection. The Light Root Farm provides a wholesome environment where teens can experience the real nurture that can come from connecting with animals, plants, and humans who are present and welcoming. 

What was one of your favorite memories from last season’s project days?

Growing the herbs and medicinal plants that we use in Natural Highs as healthy alternatives to substance abuse at Light Root Farm with the help of Daphen Kingsley and Cameron Genter has been a powerful experience to learn a different engagement with the world and with nature - not engaging in blind consumerism but in an attentive relationship with the natural world that can provide a sense of satisfaction and contentment that is often missing in our culture and drives addiction and substance abuse.

Are you learning anything from this work? Do you see a difference for yourself or for the teens?

Our teens have said that when they are at Light Root Farm they feel "cured" from their mental health challenges. It is a powerful experience that in order to feel content and happy we do not need to necessarily address and medicate "disorders", but we need to find the right, nurturing environments that bring out the healthy aspects in teens and people all ages that we might have not felt in our daily lives for a long time.

What else would you like to share?

We are so grateful for Daphne and Cameron who use their extraordinary skills in biodynamic farming to benefit the mental health and well-being of teens who might otherwise not have access to wholesome, nurturing environments in their lives. We appreciate the City of Boulder for supporting our nonprofit efforts in supporting teens' mental health and access to healthy alternatives to substance abuse in such innovative and creative ways.

Daphne Kingsley and Cameron Genter – Light Root Community Farm (LRCF)

What motivated you to start this program with OSMP?

The farm offers so many opportunities for connection to the land by working with the plants and the soil and the animals and rhythms of nature, which can be very grounding and therapeutic for people. We wanted to outreach to young people and teens in our community and this collaboration with OSMP and Natural Highs was a great fit to make this connection and build these relationships for young people on the farm. 

What was one of your favorite memories from last season’s project days?

Last year was our first season of this collaborative program, and we offered a diversity of working with the medicinal herb gardens and farm animal engagement for each program.  The teens were very drawn to interacting with the farm animals, especially the piglets!  They would spend time holding and cuddling piglets and it was such a nourishing and transformative experience for them.  Witnessing the joy and beauty of these young people interacting with the natural world and with each other in a meaningful and positive way was a highlight for us too!

Are you learning anything from this work? Do you see a difference for yourself or for the teens?

There is so much to learn by working with other people, and we appreciated seeing how Avani holds such an inclusive and empowering space for young people to come together and share with one another. Working with this teen group also helps us to better understand the challenges and struggles teens are navigating in the world and how we can better meet them in this space on the farm.

What else would you like to share?

This collaboration with OSMP, Boulder Natural Highs, and Light Root Community Farm has been inspiring and impactful, and we are grateful for the support to continue this work together!

View our previous Volunteer Spotlight on OSMP's Chautauqua Ambassadors.