Rockside Ranch: Restoration and Hope for Young Men in Crisis

Life happens. And for some, addiction, homelessness or lack of skills and self-confidence can stand in the way of their life goals and can lead to hopelessness, despair and personal and sometimes family crisis.

Over a dozen years ago, Rockside Ranch founders Jen and Craig Thompson had a shared vision of creating a safe place where young men in crises could come to get back on their feet and learn the work and life skills they need to thrive and succeed in life. From this vision, Rockside Ranch in Etna was born in 2011 and has since expanded to establish Black Hills Ranch in South Dakota and Great Lakes Ranch in Michigan.

Life restoration program

Named for a large rock formation in nearby the Marble Mountains, the Etna ranch is the model for the Black Hills and Great Lakes ranches and offers a residential program for young men 18-24 years of age. At any one time, eight young men and several staff and interns live together on the ranch, raising sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and turkeys. Through this work and classes designed to teach life skills, resumé writing and job skills, young men find the safety and support they need to, as Abby Dahlberg, director of communications and donor care for the Etna ranch, says, “leave behind what is not working for them and make the changes that allow them to thrive in work and life.”

Rockside Ranch is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit and is supported largely through donations, grants and sales of meat and eggs to local grocery stores in Etna and Mount Shasta and to those who purchase ranch memberships through a one-time $25 membership fee. Members can come to a self-serve store on the ranch to purchase organic eggs and pork, lamb and poultry raised using regenerative farming practices.

This life restoration program includes hard work during the week caring for the animals and maintaining the ranch. But on the weekends, staff take ranch students out for fun activities like backpacking, white water rafting, swimming, horse-back riding and, in the winter, snow shoeing and other winter sports.

These activities and the work they do together on the ranch create bonds between the young men. “They learn to help, support and encourage each other,” Abby says. “Through living with seven other guys, they develop really cool relationships with each other.”

Customized programs meet individual needs

“Every student has different needs and are coming from a different crisis,” Abby says. “Our programs are customized to what each man needs.” Staff support students in meeting their individual goals, whether obtaining their GED, achieving sobriety or “whatever goal they are striving to meet.” Andy Harrison, parent of a Rockside graduate, testifies to the effectiveness of Rockside Ranch staff efforts to support each student. “I am amazed at the level of competency, the love, the wisdom of Rockside staff,” he says.

Students are expected to show up sober and ready to work on changing their lives. They give up their cell phones and old, unhealthy connections. “We have found that when a guy is in crisis, he needs to get away from environment he is in,” Abby says. “A change in environment increases the student’s chance of success.”

Connection and support continue after Rockside Ranch graduation

Rockside Ranch’s eight-month program is designed to prepare students to be eminently hirable. “They can show up on time, sober and ready to work,” says Abby. “90% of students graduate and 85% find employment or are in school full time soon after graduating.”

Graduates earn two college certificates from College of the Siskiyous and have the option to join the workforce program and work at the Farmhouse Butcher Shop or Farmhouse Bakery and stay in the workforce house in Etna.

Etna is a small community and the residents recognize the ranch students and graduates and are very supportive of them. “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connection,” Abby says. The Etna community in conjunction with the ranch and the relationships it fosters between the students offers that vital connection for young men who are restoring their lives.

Farmhouse director Jacob Smith strives to create an atmosphere in which employees feel part of a team and their opinions are valued. Ranch graduates can choose to learn to be a barista, to bake bread or to make desserts in the bakery or to clerk at the butcher shop deli. In addition to job skills, they learn to show up on time to work and gain social skills as they team up with co-workers and interface with the public. As Abby says, “If they can learn a good work ethic they can get a job anywhere.” Jacob says his goal is to get the employees Serv-Safe certified. But with over 16 years of culinary experience, Jacob says the most rewarding part of his job is “when the communication happens. When workers are working as a team.”

Generational change; the ripple effect

“It’s really powerful to see the guys who come here,” Abby says with deep emotion. “They are really committed. They give up all the freedoms they have and they want to be here and are committed to change. They figure out who they are and what they want to do next. They can restore hope in themselves, restore relationships with their families. Being able to walk alongside them on this journey is an honor and is so inspiring.”

When one person decides to make changes, it can affect generations. The staff stays in touch with graduates and graduates share their progress with staff through letters and photos. Abby says with evident joy, “It’s so cool to see the ripple effects in their lives and in their families.”

“There is a transience to our life here on the ranch,” say Jen and Craig. “We get to be a stable landing place and a constant launching pad at the same time.” Jen and Craig’s vision is to establish Rockside Ranch in every state. To learn more and support the restorative work of Rockside Ranch, visit rocksideranch.org.