Wilderness Programs

The structure and lifestyle of a working farm is simple, accessible and reflects a normal school or work schedule. We believe that this normal working day is the best way in which to reinforce routine and provide a solid foundation for growth.

Every day we engage each student physically, mentally and emotionally. The various farm and camp roles provide a majority of the structure for our participants. As they move through each role, they experience leadership, teamwork, decision-making, problem solving, successes, failures and everything else that comes with living and working on an organic farm and in a family.

Horticulture, health and nutrition, Hawaiian culture and history, earth and physical sciences, communication and problem-solving skills, and more are all integrated into the program curriculum and provide a solid foundation for success.

The program is divided in to four basic phases: Reflection (Nalu), Personal Responsibility (Kuleana), Family (Ohana), and Community Service (Malama)

At the Nalu camp, the goal is to ensure our participants’ health and hygiene. They must demonstrate good self-care and other basics such as food preparation and cleaning skills. For many, this is the first time to spend alone getting to know themselves without distractions, family or friends. Reflecting on the past may be difficult but it provides insight and perspective helping to refocus and assume personal responsibility.

The Kuleana camp emphasizes four basic concepts: Self-Care, Reflection, Awareness and Expression. Participants begin to look at the world differently as their Awareness grows. They learn about different perspectives as they share more with staff and peers and participate in groups and exercises. They learn how their choices and actions have shaped who they are and the people around them.

The next phase is the Ohana camp, which is the Hawaiian word for family.  This camp consists of a small and closely monitored and facilitated group of about 10 students who are invested in taking personal responsibility, creating goals, working hard, and challenging themselves and each other. These relationships change and evolve from mentored to mentor as each student works his or her way through the program. This provides a great opportunity to develop healthy friends, learn valuable life tools and practice healthy relationship skills. Each student is responsible for an important role in health and hygiene, menu planning, food preparation, cooking, dishes, laundry and clean-up.

The students are also in charge of the management and assessment of students’ duties and assignments. This is all in addition to their increased participation in the farm and its responsibilities. Students eat an 80% organic diet with about 20% coming from our own organic farm. The PQ menu has been reviewed and approved by a certified Holistic Health Counselor. Students eat fresh fruits and vegetables (greens, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, herbs, papaya, banana, pineapple, avocado, etc) and grains (rice, pita, beans, etc) and proteins (fish, beef, cheese, nut butters, etc) and drink water as well as some teas and juices. Our students take pride in their cooking ability and make great use of our island, our farm and all of their ingredients. Most importantly, the Ohana provides a safe and supportive place for students to share their feelings, fears, hopes, goals and passions within facilitated groups of their own peers. Our students provide excellent feedback and credibility to each other as they address specific issues, transitions, successes and failures.

After successfully completing Kuleana and Ohana, our students enter into Malama (which means to care for, to serve, support), a place for transition, community service and leadership. Here they will begin to incorporate new and newly discovered skills and awareness into a more community-based atmosphere. The camp is located closer to town, and focuses on community service, leadership and giving back.  Students provide support and wisdom to newer PQ students in the Kuleana and Ohana camps, and perform community service such as beach clean-up, visits to local retirement homes and restoring native habitats. In Malama, we witness more depth of growth and a better understanding of how to use the important skills learned at PQ in a more “normalized” setting.  The Malama environment enhances our sustainable growth philosophy and the lasting success of our students.