Thousands of youth, alumni and supporters across the United States know Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch as a safe, healing place for children who need a helping hand or a second chance at life.
What some miss, however, is that Boys Ranch is a cutting-edge learning environment, too.
“We believe our students have the ability to do great things, they just need a chance to explore their interests and discover new talents. This is exactly what we do in our Experiential Learning Program,” explained Keely Miller, the program’s director.
Cal Farley’s Experiential Learning Program exposes our youth to their choice of more than 20 vocational fields, including traditional trades like woodworking or horticulture as well as technological fields such as robotics and rocketry. Merging intentional classroom education with individualized learning, E.L.P. fosters a young person’s innovation and raises awareness of the near-limitless number of career paths available to them.
“We provide our youth with opportunities for hands-on experiences in a variety of real-world learning environments,” Miller said.
Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch Monday shared a glimpse of this exciting hands-on learning program with a science and technology open house at its technology learning labs from 4 to 5 p.m. Media and program supporters were invited to meet the young people who participate in these programs, the mentors who inspire them to expand their own horizons through technology and view some of the projects Boys Ranch youth have designed and created.
Making the skills Boys Ranch youth learn even more valuable, E.L.P. participants may receive certifications that reflect their achievements in their chosen areas of study. These industry certifications can make Boys Ranch youth more desirable to post-secondary educational programs and potential employers after they leave Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch.
Like other Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch programs, Cal Farley’s seeks no state or federal funding for the technological training it provides youth in E.L.P. Generous donor support allows Cal Farley’s to provide the best education and training available for our youth. Additionally, grants from Xcel Energy Foundation, The Dallas Foundation and Tess P. White Foundation make possible innovative Cal Farley’s programs like E.L.P
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