Life Skill Development
“Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
Proverbs 22:29
What are some ways you’d like to be better prepared for life?
We live in an age where information and how-to videos are more available than ever before. But that doesn’t mean that we are all more competent and confident for life.
A key component to your year at Planted will be growing in valuable, practical skills that will better equip you to flourish as adults, get more comfortable working with your hands, and serve rather than be served. You'll develop these skills through working shoulder to shoulder with instructors who have gained mastery over years of practice.
The life skills you’ll learn, fall into five categories:
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Farm work – You’ll learn about sustainable gardening, food preservation, animal care, farm maintenance, and aquaponics. See Hands-On Farming.
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Outdoor excursions – You’ll gain skill prepping for trips, using outdoor gear correctly and appropriately, understanding basic wilderness safety, and experience using the outdoors for ministry. See Outdoor Adventure.
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Daily chores – Living on your own comes with a lot of work. You’ll serve each other by sharing in the daily and weekly responsibilities of living together in community like preparing meals, cleaning and maintaining facilities, and splitting firewood.
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Life skill electives – In addition to the general life skills that everyone will learn and practice, you’ll also choose from a list of practical electives that will run throughout the year. These will include…
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hands-on skills, like cooking/baking, carpentry, or auto maintenance
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farm-related skills, like canning, butchering, or aquaponics set-up
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interpersonal skills, like conflict resolution and peer-to-peer counseling
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other general life skills, like personal finance & budgeting, job searching, or first aid
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Ministry in the local church – God’s plan to grow and mature his people is
integrally connected to his church. And so we want you to be serving and learning in
the local church while you’re at Planted. This is a key piece to being prepared for life!
All of these opportunities for skill development are also contexts for discipleship. Our staff
and instructors don’t just want you to learn how to complete a particular task. They want
you to be better equipped to flourish as citizens of God’s Kingdom who love God and love
others with the gifts and skills with which you’ve been entrusted.