The Broken Arrow Youth Ranch Program is based on a fourfold strategy leading to our intended goals and outcomes.

 I. Value Strategy
II. Family Strategy
III. Ranch Strategy
IV. Education Strategy
V. Goals & Outcomes
VI. Statement Of Faith

I. Value Strategy

Core values are defined as the essential, enduring tests of an organization or culture.  These very small set of principles are to guide and to have profound influence on how everyone in that organization or culture think and act.  When following these core values, actions require no external justification.  These values have intrinsic value and are of significant importance to members of this organization or culture. In other words, core values provide the glue that hold an organization or culture together (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Broken Arrow Youth Ranch has identified the following core values

Respect:

Youth at Broken Arrow Youth Ranch should respect God, others, and themselves.  We teach this by helping them apply the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) to their behaviour so that they practice and experience the impact of this value to their lives.  Successful application of this value results in increased responsibilities and privileges within the program.

Responsibility:

While at Broken Arrow Youth Ranch youth work toward goals and outcomes, as set out in the Ranch program and its various strategies, and those added as expressed in their individualized personal admission assessment.  We desire to create an environment where youth take on this value and make it part of their life so that the goals and outcomes that they have before them are more easily obtained.

Relationships:

We assume that all children that come to live at Broken Arrow Youth Ranch will have some struggles in the area of relationships.  This would include their relationship to God, others and themselves.  An important core value of our program is to teach, develop, and model a healthy way to relate to God, others and themselves. Matthew 22:37-40

Integrity:

This value is the defining characteristic for each one of us in determining what kind  of person we are and want to be.  At Broken Arrow Youth Ranch, youth will be given the opportunity to develop integrity in all areas of life and take responsibility for their successes and failures.  Youth will also be expected to be honest about those experiences and to support others in their journey toward attaining this value.

II. Family Strategy
 

For those youth who come under our care, we seek to provide a family atmosphere that would foster the development of their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. [1 Thess. 5:23] We will develop ranches where homes will be constructed that will house up to 10 youth and 2 house parents.  In each home there will be a mixture of boys and girls of various ages who will be cared for by a couple who become their surrogate parents.  We believe small ranches will enable young people to learn healthy spiritual and family dynamics.

 We desire youth to discover and experience an increased measure of:

LOVE, PURPOSE and HOPE

Love

• Sense of family

• Affection

• Sense of belonging

• Someone Cares:
  show interest
  develop accountability
  provide food, clothing and shelter

Purpose

• Provide an environment that helps discover strengths and develop self confidence.

• Vocational training [sense of accomplishment, part a team].

• Sense of value: needed.

• Turn negatives into positives.

Hope

Help is available

We are not alone, Christ declared He'd come to:

• proclaim release to the captive

• set free the downtrodden [Luke 4:18]

• He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. [John 10:10]

 Overcoming is possible

We are not doomed because of past, present or perceived problems. 
Christ declared that as we follow Him

• we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free [John 8:31, 32]

• we have not been given a spirit of fear; but of power, and love and a sound mind
  [2 Timothy 1:7]

 Precious are we.

Everyone is so precious to God.

• we are fearfully and wonderfully made [Psalm 139 1-18]

• for I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord.  Plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.  then you will call upon me and come and pray to me - I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me [says the LORD] when you search for Me with all your heart. [Jeremiah 29:11-13]

When we understand that help is available, overcoming is possible and how precious we are - we become Encouragers.

 Encouragers we become.

We become a blessing to our LORD, a blessing to others and we receive His blessing.

• we love God supremely and love our neighbours as ourselves
  [Matthew 22:37-39; Gal. 6:9, 10; Phil. 2:1-11; Hebrews 10:23-25]

 Everyone needs to understand the truth found in God's Word - especially youth in trauma - who's world has collapsed and life seems hopeless.

In Proverbs 12:25  God declares:
"Anxiety in the heart of man [youth] causes depression - but a good word makes it glad.

 What do youth or anyone experiencing failure, trauma, hopelessness need to hear - a good word - they need to hear there is hope and that hope is found in Jesus Christ - eternally in heaven and presently in our daily circumstances. [Matthew 7:24-28; Proverbs 3:5-12]

Parenting

Our desire is to work closely with the parents of the children to strengthen family bonding.  To enable family bonding to occur we will ensure all travel, accommodation and scheduling concerns are addressed.

We do not feel location will be a hindrance to parental involvement.  Parents who are employed would likely be unavailable during weekdays regardless of how close they lived to the ranch.  Meetings would be set up on weekends or arranged days off. Parents who are not employed could come at any time.

Grand Parent Image

We feel it is important for youth to experience as complete a family atmosphere as possible.  We would allow retired couples to live on site and provide a grandparent image.  Land will be set aside where housing could be constructed.

Grandparents could:

• on occasion relieve ranch parents of their responsibilities for a few hours so meetings could be scheduled and personal needs could be attended to

• relieve parents for a day to have for themselves

• take youth to doctor's appointments, dental appointments etc.

• provide youth with an insight into how elderly Christian people handle the twilight years of life, and death.

• assist in ranch life, ie: teach skills to youth

III. Ranch Strategy
 

We will develop small ranches and offer a country lifestyle.  We desire youth to understand how a "working ranch" operates.

Assigned tasks will teach discipline, responsibility and   good vocational habits. Tasks develop life skills that see things through to completion, teach that difficulties can be overcome, build personal confidence and create the satisfaction of a job well done.

Buildings will be constructed and maintained. Gardens planted and livestock cared for. Working with animals has proven to be very beneficial and therapeutic and we want care of animals to be an important part of the ranch experience. [Prov. 12:10]

Broken Arrow Youth Ranch will incorporate a horse program that enables youth to learn  life skills that will initiate change in their relationships with God, others, and themselves. Based on the principles of Equine Facilitated Learning, youth will be exposed to the beneficial therapeutic effects of positive and appropriate interaction with horses.
 

As the young people grow older and mature, we would like to broaden them vocationally by providing work experience in the surrounding community. This would develop life skills that would build their confidence and enable them to enter the adult world. We believe the youth will be an encouragement to neighbours as they work and testify of the Lord's transforming power and grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.
 

We have registered a brand through our government brand inspector.  The brand we will use on all cattle and horses will be "a cross over a quarter circle opening down", located on the left hip.

IV. Education Strategy
 

Many of the youth that will come to the Ranch will have had a negative experience with school. As causes may vary for each individual they have not had success in this area of their life. Therefore, our goal for our education strategy is to provide an education that is Christ  centered, individually paced, and designed for success. We hope the outcome will be that the youth have developed academic skills that enable them to be successful in life. We are also concerned that the ranch not become an island unto itself.  We seek to avoid creating an artificial environment where youth are kept isolated and inoculated from society until they leave our facility and then are thrust into an atmosphere  totally unfamiliar and foreign to them. That is one of the purposes for allowing youth to work in the community; participate on local sports teams; compete in rodeo's, volunteer on community projects, and partake in the local public school system. The youth will attend the local public school and participate in the ranch education program, designed to enhance academic skills. Tutors are available to help with homework and basic learning skills.

V. Goals & Outcomes

Ranch Goals

1. Honour Jesus Christ in our ministry to youth and their families by helping them become and develop as His disciples.

2. Provide a safe, secure family environment, founded upon the principles established in God's Word.

3. Develop healthy personal and family relationships.

4. Facilitate family re-unification by providing counselling between parents and their youth.

5. Provide an education that is Christ centered, individually paced, and designed for success.

6. Incorporate a horse program that enables youth to learn life skills that will initiate change in their relationships with God, others, and themselves.

7. Assist in the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical development of the youth so they can mature into their God-given potential, abilities and interests.

8. For youth to experience and to value partaking in a community through volunteering, working in the community, playing on local teams, attending events and learning to serve others.

9. Provide a working ranch experience in which youth work with and care for animals, learn about discipline, responsibility, and good work habits.

10. Broaden the older youth vocationally by providing work experiences in the surrounding community.

Ranch Outcomes

1. For youth and their families to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

2. For youth to know and desire a Godly family life.

3. For youth to have healthy personal and family relationships.

4. For youth to experience and enjoy family re-unification.

5. For youth to have developed academic skills to enable them to be successful in life.

6. For youth to have life skills that will transform their relationships with God, others, and themselves.

7. For youth to have learned who they truly are and to develop toward their God-given design.

8. For youth to be recognized as valuable members of the community.

9. For youth to be hardworking, responsible, and productive citizens.

10. For youth to have life skills that would build their confidence and enable them to enter the adult world.

1. The Holy Scriptures are originally given by God, are divinely

2. There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son

3. Our Lord Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh: we affirm His

4. The salvation of lost and sinful humanity is possible only through

5. The Holy Spirit enables believers to live a holy life, to witness and

6. The church, the body of Christ, consists of all true believers

7. Ultimately God will judge the living and the dead, those who are

.pdf Statement of Faith