Infrastructure for Multigenerational Healing & Land Connection

Join us in creating a farm-based sanctuary where BIPOC families can reconnect with the land and with each other!

Generations Retreat & Grow Farm (GRGF), formerly known as Racial Equity and Justice, is a BIPOC founded and led nonprofit in Wabanaki Territory in Maine. Our mission is to empower low income, rural, BIPOC, and other underrepresented families to rejuvenate their mind, body, and spirit by connecting with nature, engaging in meaningful education and outdoor activities, and cultivating transformative wellness practices. Through sustainable nature based education, recreation, family development, and community health, we envision intergenerational trauma dissolving and new systems of support emerging. Our retreat space nurtures the holistic well being of youth and families while we protect the earth together.

After a decade of advocacy, education, outdoor access, food cultivation, and systemic change work, we have centered multigenerational healing as the foundation for racial equity and community resilience. Our community includes families impacted by racial battle fatigue, limited access to healthy local foods, land displacement, and ongoing economic hardship. Rather than continually reacting to oppressive systems, we are reclaiming space for restoration, cultural resilience, and collective care. This is not disengagement, but a strategic refusal to be consumed by systems designed to exhaust us. 

Our liberation lives in healing and reconnecting with the earth and our health.

While Maine is celebrated for its natural beauty, many underrepresented families face barriers to accessing safe and culturally relevant outdoor spaces. Families are often excluded from opportunities for:

• Land connection
• Community engagement
• Wellness and healing resources
• Nature based educational programs

We aim to change this by creating a nature based sanctuary where families can thrive. Our focus is Kennebec County, where our farm is located in Avon, with additional outreach serving the greater Portland area, urban families, rural families, and tribal communities.

Our new home is a 24 acre farm in Avon that may have historical ties to the Underground Railroad. This land based healing space is the result of years of collaboration with Land in Common. We are committed to caring for the earth in Wabanaki Territory and building relationships across identities through family support.

Our funding ask is for construction and contracting that will make the space safe, accessible, and welcoming for families across the region. These upgrades include:

• Essential building improvements
• Structural repairs and inclusive renovations
• Renovating the barn into a community gathering space
• Rejuvenating the apple orchard
• Creating 2 miles of forest hiking trails
• Trail work for walking, hiking, and biking
• Creating workshop and program spaces
• Setting up electricity, water, plumbing, internet, and security

While our vision is long term, these construction needs are the next crucial step in opening the doors to build a strong foundation for community. Once complete, the center will host programs for youth and families that include:

• Cultural knowledge keeping
• Outdoor recreation and wilderness skills
• Hunting and fishing
• Youth mental health support
• Family development and education
• Art therapy and creative healing
• Children’s play pods
• Gardening and food cultivation

These improvements will allow us to serve 50–100 families annually in a safe, nature centered environment. Estimated costs are $369,400 for core infrastructure needs including all contractor labor, building renovations, orchard work, trail creation, and utility setup.

We believe GRGF is a powerful step toward land justice, cultural restoration, and health equity. This work is especially vital in the face of ongoing systemic oppression, environmental instability, and widespread mental health challenges in our communities.

Thank you for your support.