'We grow youth.' Ashland County's Pathfinder Farms is a haven for young people

VERMILLION TWP. – Pathfinder Farms is a cellphone-free zone for students seeking its life skills programs, and nobody is complaining about checking their devices at the door.

A group of Ashland City Schools students — primarily freshmen who were randomly selected for a pilot program — discovered the camaraderie of hands-on activities, including chopping ingredients and prepping recipes in the fully-equipped kitchen in the barn.

"These were always our best talks — in the kitchen," said Autumn Bachelder, the culinary chef for Pathfinder Farms, a nonprofit organization that offers faith-based programming to help young people build relationships and life skills.

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Attendees "blossom in all aspects of the program," said Bachelder, who has been affiliated with Bella Bleu's and now Bella's 220.

Jacob Blasdel, the farm's life skills and team-building coordinator, said the COVID-19 pandemic isolated youth and negatively impacted them "mentally, relationally and academically."

Jon Burkholder, who runs Pathfinder Farms with his wife, Sandy, drew up a proposal for the daytime school pilot, which earned the support of the Ashland City School District administration and kicked off in April.

Ministry outreach at Pathfinder Farms

The concept of experiential adventure education in the lakeside and wooded setting of the 100-acre farm was first implemented in 2015 with a small group of boys in an after-school program, said Blasdel, who has a background in campus ministry and the Coalition for Christian Outreach.

He has helped design adventure-based opportunities such as rock climbing, backpacking, canoeing and kayaking for college students.

The Burkholders "dedicated the property to God to use as a ministry outreach to students in the community," Blasdel said.

The woodshop, camping skills, compass work and games used as learning tools "put us on the map," he said.

Jon Burkholder "had a calling from God in 2011," said Sandy Burkholder, in the "big picture" of working with youth. "He studied for four years ... digging into the Bible" and preparing for the venture.

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He had also gained experience as an automotive technology instructor at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center for 28 years.

The idea of experienced-based learning "hit a nerve," Jon Burkholder said, "opening (students) up to what they can excel in."

"It gives us as educators a path we can help them walk," he said, to guide young people "where they can be most successful," while simultaneously showing them "what their natural abilities are."

Ashland County farm helps youth find their path

Sandy Burkholder highlighted the journey of a young man who arrived at a session with bangs covering his eyes and a hoodie hiding his face.

By the end of the session he had parted his hair and embraced working in the farm's greenhouse. He is now working in a local greenhouse, she said.

All the better, said Jon Burkholder, "when we can be a conduit to an employer."

"Most of the guys enjoy cooking," Sandy Burkholder said.

"Our girls like woodshop," Jon Burkholder said.

"All of us on staff believe we really need to create a safe place," Blasdel said, adding, young people are not going to step out of their comfort zone unless they feel safe.

To that end, programs, which this summer will primarily focus on middle school students, begin with a warm-up activity -- a game with a purpose.

"We're going to laugh," Blasdel said, and students are going to begin to "feel comfortable with us.

When they go into the woodshop to hammer nails or complete initiatives like throwing a sock through a hoop or moving a golf ball from point A to point B through PVC pipe, "we grow closer together... and interact," he said.

If students get uncomfortable, as did one girl who became frustrated hammering nails, they can move to something else.

There is an effort to build more permanent structures around the farm, he said, for obstacles and challenges such as balance platforms that pivot and rotate.

Simple activities help mold youth into caring adults at Pathfinder Farms

The kitchen is a hub of fellowship, said Bachelder, where students work on family recipes, and learn to like foods they previously hadn't enjoyed by mixing and matching ingredients.

Brussel sprouts and asparagus become favorites in part because "they helped in the preparation of it" and took ownership of the activity, she said.

They also eat salad with fresh lettuce from the greenhouse.

Groups eat outside when they can, basking in nature and hearing the sound of the creek, Bachelder said.

It is part of a self-care component to the day, as are fishing, hiking and painting products they make in the woodshop, she said.

The decompression that takes place is "almost palpable. There is this wall that (comes) down."

"It looks a little different for everyone," Bachelder said. "A lot of students were drawn to the water." For others, it meant sitting by a campfire, which they all learned how to make.

The three dogs on campus are also "a huge self-care component."

Over the course of a session, "I saw a growth and a maturity," she said. "I saw their personalities and individuals for who they were."  Additionally, "They taught me a lot."

Jacob Kirkpatrick, who recently graduated from Ashland University, talked about "the problems of our generation" and his understanding of students, some of whom are not much younger than he is.

During his gap year, he wanted to do something that serves the community, and Pathfinder Farms fit the bill.

"We have the community at heart," Kirkpatrick said. "All of us care deeply."

The motto is, "We grow youth," he said. "We mold them into better citizens and adults."

About Pathfinder Farms

Pathfinder Farms, at 846 County Road 30A, operates multiple sessions, encompassing different age groups and schedules.

It offers after-school programming and day, evening and summer sessions for students across area, including Hillsdale and Mansfield, church groups, homeschool consortiums and youth in the juvenile court system.

It is staffed by three full-time employees, an intern and many volunteers, and primarily funded by donations, grants and fundraisers.

For information about programming and scheduling call 419-368-4267.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Pathfinder Farms helps Ashland-area youth find their way