We recently sat down with Manfred and Christina Gabriel and their son Allen to talk about the farm’s past and future. The Gabriels were one of the first families to attend Red Gate Farm’s programs twenty years ago.
What made you sign up Allen and his brother Theo for the farm programs when they were kids?
Christina: I didn’t really know what kind of experience our sons were going to have when I brought them to the activities at the farm. But Ben and his staff always created such a feeling of openness, with constant invitations and offerings growing each year as the boys were growing: walks in the woods at night to see owls and spotted salamanders, celebrations of spring with frogs’ eggs and baby chicks, Halloween fun, sledding, and a big bonfire in winter. There were also Film Camp and Youth Corps, homeschooling days and the annual harvest suppers and picnics… All with the spirit of: have fun, work hard, explore, learn, repeat.
Manfred: Christina and Ben created some of the first farm programs together. Christina would take the boys over to the farm and Ben would be like, “Okay, let’s go feed the chickens!” Allen can tell more about what it was actually like, but it was wonderful for us. And then we were homeschooling for a while, for a few years, and Chrstina and Ben together thought they could do a one-day-a-week homeschooling program on the farm. And that went on for several years, and it was wonderful. And the boys just came to regard the farm as an extension of their home. They felt just as home on the farm as they did on our land.
Allen, what are your earliest memories of being on the farm?
Allen: I remember being with my brother lugging the chicken water to the chicken coop from the spigot—which is not a long distance—but I remember putting in a lot of effort to just cross that little distance. I remember it being really hard, but feeling proud. I have a lot more memories of my homeschool days. That’s where I formed and strengthened some life-long relationships, and that was the time when I really fell in love with exploring nature and the outdoors. I learned so many things that I still actually apply—and now as a camp counselor, we go hiking in the same woods that I did as a kid.
What was it like for you to be at Red Gate Farm as a counselor, and did that change your perspective of the farm?
Allen: Being a counselor on the farm is the most amazing thing. The farm is such an intimate and important part of my identity, as are the things and the values that I learned there. Being a counselor is a chance to pass that on. And I still love carrying the chicken water! I still love working with Jack the Ox, and being around the animals, and being in the woods. I get to have fun and at the same time I’m passing on that excitement and fun to a whole new generation of kids, in whom, in a lot of ways, I see myself.
When you think about this new building, what are you most excited about?
Manfred: What I’m most excited about is that so many more children will be able to visit the farm and experience the farm in a different way. More kids are going to be able to have an experience like Theo and Allen had: working with the animals, understanding what a farm is like, experiencing nature in that way. I think that’s really a profound thing, particularly in a day and age when we spend so much of our time on our phones, or on computers, or in front of screens. To have that breathing space and that connection to nature and to other kids, other people, I think is really important.
Allen: I think anybody who has had a little bit of a break from the crazy digital world experiences at first a little bit of anxiety that comes from disconnecting, and then just a huge release of pressure and other anxieties. We’re replacing that digital world with something equally as stimulating and as exciting, but much more enriching. Last year, I sat down with a group of campers on their first day, and we were reflecting on going a week without using our phones, and they thought it was going to be hard. By the end of the camp, they really appreciated the time away from their phones They said that they were looking forward not only to coming back to camp next year, but also to taking a break from their phones.
What are your highest hopes for what the farm can give to future generations of children who will be able to visit because of this expansion?
Christina: I think one of the most important things for a child is to have a sense of connection to their world. To the real world in real time. Most kids have seen a picture book with a chicken in it, or a movie or a TV show. But a chicken is not a picture in a book. And our food grows from soil, sun, water, and work, not on the grocery store shelves. What I love about the farm is that the kids have a chance to experience sensation as opposed to sensationalism. All of their physical senses are activated with everything they get a chance to see and hear and touch: feathers, fur, flower petals, stone, wood, hammers and nails, muddy pond water, grassy fields, and roots and rocks on the paths in the woods. This is learning that goes in through the skin, and it is a joy to see the kind of sensibility and sensitivity that develops in the kids as a result of all of this direct physical experience.
Another thing that develops naturally from this experience is a sense of humility. We humans are not the only living things with needs on the planet. Things take time. Life is messy and unpredictable. The Farm’s mission is to teach the values of kindness and respect, and that is shown in the way people go about things at the farm. But there is also the value of the basics, like an egg, or a carrot. Chickens have to be cared for, seedlings have to be tended, and you can’t have everything you want, all the time. No matter what all these children pursue in their lives, they will always feel some connection to the natural world, and they will understand the value of an egg, a carrot, cooperative work, and just plain fun.
Manfred: I think the way the world is going, access to nature is going to be increasingly precious and critical. I think it’s important for as many kids as possible to get a sense of what it is like to care for animals, care for nature, grow food, and be part of a community. It's also a really important lesson for kids to learn that there are certain things that just need to be done for others who can’t do it for themselves. It is a natural and purposeful thing and it is important because it shows that you can contribute, that you can take responsibility, that you can take care of plants, animals, your friends, and others in your group, and in a way that is maybe more immediate than the modern sort of school experience.
What would you say to people who have heard about the new buildings, the Capital Campaign, and are thinking about supporting it?
Christina: We feel lucky as a family to have been part of the growing process, and to see all of the incredibly nurturing and educational programs get established. The new buildings are going to enable the farm to bring more groups from farther away, and to provide programs even during the winter months. When I see the kids and their families coming to the farm programs from more urban environments, I am so happy for them, because there is so much to learn and the whole atmosphere at the farm is so reassuring, supportive, and welcoming. Something that cannot be underestimated is the opportunity for discovery that is there for the caregivers and teachers as well: while we’re watching the children take in all of the miracles and mischief going down at the farm, we all have a chance to experience something we might not have experienced before.
Manfred: I think we all have a responsibility to give back, and we can do that by helping; we can do that by donating money. The farm is at the top of my list because of three things that I really care about. First, it’s connected to the community that I live in. Second, it is incredibly important and a rare experience to have that kind of access to nature, spending time outdoors, spending time with animals, learning about husbandry, learning about the plants and being able to help in the gardens. And third, the new buildings will open things up and will broaden access. These buildings symbolize a reaching-out from the farm to a broader community, expanding the circle of people who can benefit and who can participate, and who can become part of this magical Red Gate Farm community.
Allen: The impact that Red Gate Farm has on kids is profound, and it is life-changing in such a positive way. The things that kids who come to the farm will go on to do in the world are going to be so valuable. The new buildings are just such a great opportunity to expand what the amazing staff at the farm can give to kids They will rejuvenate and energize everyone and the spirit of the farm, and it’s really exciting to see the farm take a big step and go in a big direction.
