Exploring Life & Business with Kasey Schelling of The Kiva Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kasey Schelling.

Hi Kasey, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In my early 20s, I was struck by the looming threats of ecosystem collapse, climate change, and dwindling natural resources. Despite these concerns, I found solace in my work as an English teacher, cherishing the connections with my students and the vibrancy they brought. Yet, a sense of sorrow lingered for the future they might inherit and the responsibility we adults held to leave a better world for them.

While teaching, I often gazed out the window, pondering our disconnection from the land. It felt like there were missed opportunities as we spent our days indoors, absorbed in books and screens.

Just before relocating to Colorado and accepting a position as a bilingual teacher, I delved into nature-based education. Despite my initial commitment to public schooling, a sudden realization dawned on me during orientation in August 2014. With a heavy heart, I declined the job, grappling with the fear of disappointing the school and my own sense of shame.

Sharing my decision with my new housemate, Ashley, serendipitously led to the creation of The Kiva Center. The very same day that I declined the job, Ashley welcomed two children to plan a backyard camp, so I tagged along, allowing nature and the joy of children to guide us. And from that simple gathering, The Kiva Center was born.

That day was exactly 10 years ago now! Since then, The Kiva Center has grown into a nonprofit that serves hundreds of children and their families annually.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say that the road has had its bumps, yet we have been blessed with some spirit of grace that has always supported things unfolding to provide the organization with everything that’s needed. Our biggest consistent challenge has been related to having a site to operate at. Since we began 10 years ago, we have operated at four different sites. As a small, bootstrapped nonprofit that prioritizes community and connection over profit, access to land that is safe and conducive to our programs can be a hurdle. Yet somehow, things have always worked out, one way or another.

Another challenge is keeping up with inflation to pay our employees a living wage. In a service-based industry that is rooted in human connection, no level of AI technology can replace the work that we do. Yet companies like ours somehow need to keep up with the increased cost of living related to a booming tech industry, exacerbating pay inequality. When companies can automate and export so many of their operations to a tech program or AI, it drives their costs down and allows their profits to grow exponentially. This drives up wages and housing prices at a rate that is very hard to keep up with for other industries. It is clear that the work of The Kiva Center is essential for the wellbeing of our communities, yet at the end of the day, we are needing to rely more and more on donors and grants to cover increased costs to pay livable wages to our staff members.

We’ve been impressed with The Kiva Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Kiva Center is a non-profit in Colorado that offers immersive outdoor experiences focused on experiential learning, socio-emotional wellbeing, and environmental stewardship for Front Range youth and families. Our mission is to build inner-strength and compassion in youth through transformational nature connection experiences.

In a society that constantly encourages productivity, infinite growth, and busyness, we are a safe haven where people can slow down and feel connected to something that is much larger than themselves.

We value supporting youth to discover their unique strengths in service to the larger web of life. Since its inception, The Kiva Center has worked with underserved K-12 students and families in various settings, including classroom workshops, seasonal family gatherings, teacher trainings, after-school programs, summer camps, and an enrichment program for homeschoolers.

If you were to visit one of our programs, you might see giddy kids discovering colonies of insects under a log, playing in the creek, engaging in service learning, playing collaborative games in nature, or learning survival and ancestral arts.
Or perhaps you might find them entranced as they listen to a compelling story told orally by one of our charismatic mentors.

If you were to arrive in the late afternoon, it’s possible that you would have to search to find anyone, as they could be sitting quietly in their special “sit spots”, engaging in quiet contemplation as they marvel in awe of the world around them. If you were to show up to one of our family events, you just might see people in their 40s and up laughing and playing like children.

The Kiva Center has grown to serve over 1,500 students in Colorado. We cater to students of all ages and their families, offering outdoor-based experiences that deepen their relationship with themselves, each other, and the Earth.

What are your plans for the future?
We are excited about some new offerings that we have for the community!

On August 1st and 2nd, we are offering a professional development training called Rooted in Wonder. This is an opportunity for parents, educators, and mental health professionals to come together and learn about how to be catalysts for cultural transformation centered in nature connection. This training will occur at the site where Kiva currently resides- a stunning 80-acre property that features towering rock formations, dense pine forests, and the calming flow of the Lefthand Creek. The area offers a pristine and wild expanse, providing a picturesque backdrop for outdoor adventures and exploration. We still have a few spots available!

This Fall, we are also going to be launching a series of family learning experiences where several generations can come together and be nourished by the feeling of a village as we learn ancestral crafts and awareness skills while engaging in talks centered around cultural transformation amidst the challenges of modernity. Children will be cared for onsite so that the adults can play too! We have not yet put this information up on our website, so please subscribe to our newsletter on our website if you would like to get involved.

Pricing:

• Rooted in Wonder 2-Day Training: $350 (scholarships available)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thekivacenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekivacenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekivacenter/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-kiva-center
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnCIh1FUEUqp_wi-a8_uNpQ