Dec. 1 - 22, 2026
Tuesdays 12Â - 1:30 pm (PT)
Children of the Land:
Soul Fire Farm’s Approach to Raising and Mentoring Young People
Live Online Course with Leah Penniman
REGISTER NOWChildren carry a natural wisdom for relationship with land, with community, and with purpose. In this live course, Leah Penniman invites participants into the teachings and stories of Soul Fire Farm, where young people are raised through shared responsibility, earth-based learning, and intergenerational cooperation. Grounded in Afro-Indigenous wisdom, the course offers caregivers and educators practical insights for nurturing children who are rooted, connected, and supported in discovering their unique paths.
Dates
Dec. 1 - 22, 2026
Meeting Times
Tuesdays
12 - 1:30 p.m. (PT)
Duration
4 Weeks
Format
Format: Live Online with Interactive Sessions
Cost
$349
Note: Registration requires pre-ordering the book Children of the Land. Pre-order your copy.
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Your children are not your children. They are the sons and the daughters of life longing for itself.
Kahlil Gibran
This course centers on the lived practices of Soul Fire Farm, examining how land-based education, mentorship, and community responsibility shape the development of children and youth. Drawing from Afro-Indigenous traditions of village child-rearing, participants will explore approaches that honor the roles of caregiver, child, and land as interconnected partners in learning and growth.
Through storytelling, reflection, and shared inquiry, Leah Penniman offers concrete examples of how young people are guided toward stewardship, self-determination, and collective care. Participants will consider how these practices can be adapted to diverse cultural, geographic, and institutional contexts, including families, schools, farms, and community programs.
Rather than prescribing a single model, the course invites participants to reflect on their own relationships to land, lineage, and responsibility, and to carry forward principles that support children in growing with dignity, belonging, and purpose.
This course runs from Dec. 1 - 22, 2026, with live classes held on Tuesdays from 12 - 1:30 p.m. (PT) via Zoom. Recordings will be available for registrants who miss a session.
Why Take This Course?
Learn practical, land-based approaches to mentoring and caregiving that can be adapted to diverse families, classrooms, and community settings.
Explore Afro-Indigenous traditions of village-centered child-rearing, stewardship, and intergenerational responsibility.
Connect with a community of caregivers and educators committed to raising young people grounded in justice, relationship, and care for the Earth.
Who this course is for
This course is especially meaningful for:
- Parents, caregivers, and guardians
- Teachers, mentors, and youth workers
- Farmers, gardeners, and land-based educators
- Environmental and social justice advocates
- Anyone curious about land-centered approaches to raising and supporting young people
No farming or formal teaching background is required — just openness to learning from land, lineage, and lived experience.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Leah Penniman is a Black Kreyol farmer, African Traditional Priest, author, mother, and food justice activist with over 30 years of experience cultivating land and community. She is the founding Co-Executive Director of Farm Operations at Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York, a Black- and Indigenous-led organization working toward food and land justice.
Leah is the author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land (2018), Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists (2023), and Children of the Land: A Soul Fire Farm Parenting Guide (2027). Learn more at soulfirefarm.org and follow her @soulfirefarm.
Children of the Land
Soul Fire Farm’s Approach to Raising and Mentoring Young People
