Sam has been immersed in guiding rites of passage wilderness trips for 8 years. He has trained and worked within the lineage of the School of Lost Borders, and facilitates wilderness solo experiences for both youth and adults. He is passionate about offering mentorship and support to young people in the transitions of adolescents and early adulthood, and helping them feel a deep sense of place and belonging through connection to the Earth, to community, and to themself.
Sam is also a somatic experiencing practitioner, and has a trauma healing practice seeing clients on their land in Occidental, CA. He is a life-long dancer and performer, cultural explorer, and outdoor adventurer of all kinds! He is a queer gender expansive gay man, and loves to deepen into the practice of their ancestors through Earth- Based Jewish spirituality.
Kerrick was raised in the Hill Country of Austin, Texas where he studied at the University of Texas. After some travel, he moved to the Rogue Valley of Oregon with a vision to farm and support youth. He completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Cultural Anthropology with Honors in 2004 at Southern Oregon University, and devoted over a decade supporting youth and their families navigate local and state social service programs. During this time, he and his partner cultivated a food forest at their home and founded Verdant Phoenix as an educational mini-farm in 2016.
Verdant Phoenix Farm became an expression of a way of life for Kerrick. He is interested in the relationships between humans, soil, microbes, plants/trees/shrubs, food, culture, time, and the web of life. As these elements inform his horticultural practice, Kerrick enjoys supporting landscapes, gardens, farms, and their people who are interested in belonging to the land.