An Overview

Our Programs & Services

Whom We Serve

Founded on the care-farm model in Europe, we provide transitional residence, skills programs, vocational assistance and community connections for adults from the Maritime region who require support to improve their quality of life. We especially welcome young adults between the age of 19 – 30 who face barriers due to social disabilities and mental health challenges. We believe that foundations for well being can be built through living in community and sharing in meaningful work. We foster local, sustainable agriculture and social enterprise with a view to having a positive transformative effect on our community, our land, on business models, on services and on the ideals and expectations of the wider world.

Living Well & Independently

  • Life Skills

    Living well and independently requires a wide variety of skills that an individual may learn better if their learning style or mental health challenge is accommodated. Open Sky’s Functional Skills Assessment process identifies where the strengths and gaps are, then designs an individualized program to meet the necessary learning goals. Open Sky provides structured teaching for such skills in experiential settings, e.g. in the kitchen, laundry, bathroom; in the gardens and farm; in the community. As initial skills are accomplished, new skills are added on, until the individual has achieved their personal goals.

  • Social Skills

    For many autistic people, their ability to manage social situations is the ‘make or break’ factor for success in social or workplace situations. Open Sky utilizes best practices for teaching social skills, including providing a wide variety of situations in which to practice. Interestingly, poor social skills may be related to other challenges of autism, such as interoception. Open Sky is fortunate to have the skilled support of a Speech-Language Pathologist to inform social skills programming.

  • Employability

    Getting and keeping a job can be a challenge, so Open Sky offers a healthy mix of mental health, social and functional skills-building to prepare participants for employment.

Functional Skill Assessment

We work with an accredited Speech-Language Pathologist to review an individual’s life experiences and prior assessments and reports, to assess real-life and communications skills, and compile the results into one comprehensive report.

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Transitional Residence

We welcome up to two adults in our farmhouse, providing a comfortable atmosphere for community living. Each person has their own bedroom and participates in all aspects of living in the historic home. With support from our staff.

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Day Program

We welcome adults for weekday programming, part-time or full-time, to achieve skills that help them toward their own goals of independent living, relationships and employment. Activities include farming, gardening, cooking, self-care and more.

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Social Enterprise

Open Sky sometimes creates work experiences through small enterprise—such as the Open Sky CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)—in which participants can learn about how small businesses are developed and managed.

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Community Outreach

Open Sky Co-operative offers educational support to our community about the causes and effects of, and treatments for, social, developmental or mental health challenges. We enable understandings about barriers that prevent the participation of persons with disabilities in their community life, and about the support services available to persons suffering from such disabilities.

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