Initiatives

Developing with S&S Friendly Ranch | Growing in motion

These initiatives represent AZILI's long-term vision for land-rooted community programming.

Grant Funding Partnership

We're pursuing grant funding via fiscal sponsorship with S&S Friendly Ranch, who will host much of this work and serve as our community-based partner.

Already In Motion

•Cultivation at S&S Friendly Ranch
•Seed Keeping
•Apothecary
•Community Education & Workshops

① Respiratory Relief Initiative

Focus: Developing our living apothecary through cultivation with the land as the foundation for respiratory relief education and wellness products.

What it includes:

•Herbal wellness kits with teas, steams, salves & guides
•Education on natural respiratory care
•Partnerships with apprentices and volunteers to help prepare & distribute kits
•Occasional pickups or pop-ups in the community

This work is especially meaningful in the TRV, where cross-border pollution and systemic neglect have created chronic respiratory challenges — particularly for Black, Brown, and Indigenous families.

Goal: To address air quality and water pollution in the Tijuana River Valley through herbal education and healing.

② Seasonal Healing Gatherings

Frequency: Seasonal to honor our equinoxes and solistices

Location: S&S Friendly Ranch

These seasonal events are immersive wellness days that celebrate nature's rhythm and bring our community together through healing, plants, food, and joy. They're designed to feel sacred, soft, and sensory-rich.

Elements:

•Fresh herbal tea & juice tastings
•Garden tours, tea blending & land-based workshops
•Organic plant pigments
•Seasonal cultural practices (music, storytelling, rituals)
•Product offerings & apothecary booths
•Volunteer & planting activities to engage the land

③ Living Learning Circles

Coming soon!

Structure: Seasonal rhythm of educational offerings (virtual + IRL)

Focus: Healing knowledge, body literacy, and herbal wisdom for our community

A flexible and soulful learning rhythm that follows the seasons and prioritizes integration over intensity.

Topics May Include:

• Herbalism & plant-based wellness
• Ancestral ecology & Earth stewardship
• Body literacy, womb care & somatics
• Cultural wellness practices & land rituals
• Mini-apprenticeships (tea blending, respiratory relief, etc.)

Apprentice & Volunteer Integration

This structure lives under the Living Learning Circles. It's our way of building leadership, inviting reciprocity, and creating continuity without burnout.

Apprentices (2–5 per season) will:

○Be trained through the Living Learning Circles
○Support all three initiatives (esp. tea prep, events, land care)
○Help lead volunteer days at S&S Friendly Ranch
○Serve as peer educators, wellness guides, and land stewards

Volunteers may join as part of apprentice-guided days or at events, offering labor and care in return for plant-based learning and wellness experiences.

Building the Vision Together

The tone remains rooted, rhythmic, and community-focused—sharing our commitment to healing and impact. We're already selling teas and educating about respiratory relief needed in Tijuana River Valley but don't have the funding or infrastructure to distribute to the community yet. This framework helps us make the connections to do so.

Interested in supporting these initiatives through partnership, volunteering, or funding?