When you walk through our gate onto the grounds of Sage Programs, one of the things you might notice is that the grounds are bursting with all kinds of growing things, and that they are all jumbled together. The mint is cozily coming up next to the nettles which shelter under the pokey branches of the plums; snapdragons mingle with corn, while calendula and clematis find their way all over the grounds.

Just like there is diversity and a mixing together of the plant life on our property, we embrace diversity in our staff, in our students, and in the parent body. We welcome people from all different backgrounds, ideologies, identities, and orientations. Just as we believe that our land is thriving with all of the different species mixed together here, we believe our program and community will thrive when all types of people are mixed together. We are committed to acknowledging and caring for one another with respect and to leaning into connection while striving for understanding. Our goal is for every being, plant, animal, and human, who find themselves on this land to thrive and flourish.

It is such a normal part of being in community to feel a rub or dissonance with someone.  When this happens, we are committed to facilitating a process that allows everyone to return to a feeling of peace and harmony. That being said, there is a difference between having a disagreement and someone being actively and purposefully non-inclusive.  If there is anyone, adult or child, who threatens the inner or outer peace of another being in the program with their words, ideas, or actions, we will be swift and sure to seek out a resolution. We will strive to restore harmony through connection and conversation, seeking to understand and repair. If we are not able to come to a peaceful resolution or the threatening behavior continues, then we will ask those individuals to leave the program.