Hearty Roots is thrilled to announce a new partnership with support from The John T. Gorman Foundation, whose mission is “to make Maine a more equitable place where all children and families can thrive”. The Foundation's $75,000 grant supports Hearty Roots in partnering with schools to offer programming that boosts student mental health and well-being.

“It's exciting to see how school and community leaders across Maine are coming together to provide youth with supportive spaces where they can build strong relationships with peers and mentors and have positive experiences,” said Leigh Arsenault, Senior Program Associate for the John T. Gorman Foundation. “The John T. Gorman Foundation is privileged to help Hearty Roots expand its partnership with schools and deliver programming that can lead to measurable improvements in youth mental health and well-being.”

The grant will allow Hearty Roots to double direct services to middle school youth at Medomak Middle School and Wiscasset Middle School for twice-weekly outdoor adventure sessions for a total of six hours per week at each respective school. 

Hearty Roots Program Manager Katherine Kirchoff said, "Deepened programming hours through the support from the team at John T. Gorman allows us to have consistent weekly connections with students and an embedded, positive presence in the school culture.”

Hearty Roots has developed a unique and simple fusion of emotionally supportive programming that takes place in the forest grounds next to Lincoln County schools. In essence, it’s relationship-building, outdoor skill development, and self-discovery. Hearty Roots helps youth to develop tools for resilience and bolster self-esteem as the tide of mental health pressures on youth and young adults continues to rise. Bringing programming to schools in Lincoln County ensures that more kids have the opportunity to build relationships with trusted adult mentors ‘in-real-life’, away from screens.

Kirchoff added, "After meeting our team through school experiences, students are choosing to sign up for pop-up camps, overnight campouts and summer adventures hosted on the Hearty Roots campus in Bremen." 

These experiences take place on the Bremen campus in all seasons, and provide another touchpoint with the same staff team who are delivering programming in schools. While many outdoor programs are not financially accessible to lower or middle class midcoast families, Hearty Roots prides itself on inclusive and accessible programming where caregivers can choose the registration fee that works best for their family’s budget.

Ask a student what they love most about the in school programs, and their answer almost always comes back to the same theme: getting a much needed break from the pressure of school to spend time exploring the woods with trusted mentors. Whether they’re building fires, carving spoons, or journaling down their thoughts from the day, these shared experiences foster genuine camaraderie and a sense of community. In this space, kids and teens are able to slow down, pay attention, and truly be present in the natural world.

Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are relationships or environments that make a child feel nurtured, valued, and supported. Hearty Roots’  team of youth development professionals thoughtfully curate each experience so that kids feel seen, heard, and understood. Research has found that the presence of PCEs is more significant than the absence of adverse childhood experiences. Adults with positive childhood experiences are more likely to build healthy relationships and effectively cope with life’s ups and downs, as well as model behavior and emotional support to the next generation, creating a cycle of positive growth. Hearty Roots’ work seeks to reinforce that positive cycle, and the support of the John T. Gorman Foundation is a boost to proactively uplifting youth mental health.