Outreach Grounds and Buildings
Appearance
Care and maintenance of the physical structures is a priority both for safety and appearance. Buildings and rooms should be redecorated (such as brighter colors and decorations) to make a child friendly area. It should feel more like a home and less like an institution. Long term, the local outreaches should convert existing dorms into buildings with private bathrooms and working heat. One possibility is painting murals with a scriptural theme on the outside walls.
The physical remodeling and restructuring and remodeling of existing buildings may be needed for a more comfortable environment and for multi-family living arrangements. Remodeling should include a dining room, individual bathrooms, and a sizable kitchen possibly with double appliances and wash areas in kitchen. If resources are available add a porch and deck in front and back of buildings.
Large Multi-Level Buildings
If a large building has more than one level, each of these levels will be treated as a housing flat. Each flat will have a host family which is in charge of their flat. There will also be up to a few guest families staying on that flat as guests of the host family. In this way, the hosts are limited to how many people they must care for and a closer process of mentoring and helping the individual under their care can be taken. Each flat should be like a small house with kitchen, dining room, living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry room.
Long-term, at least the first floors should be handicapped accessible including: a low counter possibly half of the kitchen table, sliding shelves, a stove with the dials up front, kitchen space for a wheelchair to fit, bars in the bathroom and shower with bench and with plenty of space, and a decent ramp to enter building.
Education Center
A primary goal is making educational materials available for children and their parents. A full size campus should have an Education Center as well as a Kitchen/Dining Room. The Center should include a small visitor center where supplies are available and a classroom area as well.
Library
A good library resource for all ages emphasizing a non-fiction collection should be made available.
Non-Fictional Resources
Since this mission is based on teaching reality to parents and children, a special effort will be made staff and volunteers to avoid displaying items that are fake or fictional. This includes such things as flowers, statues, and dolls. Visitors and guests will be allowed their own possessions in their private rooms. Fictional materials would also include books and movies.
Playground
In keeping with the focus of a children's outreach, a good playground for various ages should be set-up. Also, any available activity centers such as tennis courts, bowling alleys, and gymnasiums should be kept as an option. Games and activities are preferably non-competitive.
Clear Responsibilities
When there is a mixture of families, some more responsible than others, it quickly becomes obvious when one is not doing their share of the work. To keep things clear, probably each family in a host flat should have their campus provided materials color coded so it is obvious whose is whose. For example, purple plates and dishes can be assigned to one family while blue ones are assigned to another. This will minimize disputes about whose is whose. Similarly, room doors, and even cabinet or locker doors can all be color coded so everyone knows clearly where their stuff does and does not belong.
Grounds Keeping
Long term planning and implementation of flower beds and pots, garden(s), and fruit and nut trees should be encouraged and can give opportunity for children to help.
Animals And Pets
Animals can be a big help in getting children to relax or have responsibilities like feeding and watering. The addition of cats, dogs, chickens, goats, or other reasonably sized outdoor pets should be encouraged. Indoor pets will not be generally allowed. However, the campus itself may provide an area for animals the children can care for such as fish tanks or an enclosed aviary.
Garden Resources
An organic garden may be made and maintained. Again, this can a a tool for teaching responsibility, health, and other lessons to children. Those who work on the garden should benefit by being able to eat from it.
Outdoor Training
If space is available, it could allow for a small tent campground to be placed with a space for tents, a few fire grills, and picnic tables. This could provide excellent opportunities for teaching children basic camping skills as well as providing camping related activities once in a while.
| Encouraging Life Children's Mission Summary | |
|---|---|
| Poverty | |
| Mission |
Motto, Goals, Vision, Mission, Outreaches, Statement of Faith, Partners |
| Outreaches |
Objectives, Operations, Buildings, Training, Staff, Volunteers, World, |
| Services | |
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