Our Story

The TerraShare Story

In 1993, Founders Jo-El Wadsworth and Paul Winter met Scottie. Scottie was eight years old and living with his parents and baby brother in a van in a national forest. He and his family were homeless; his father worked as a day laborer in nearby towns. Scottie owned one book, which he clung to – a children’s bible that he could not read.

At that time, Jo-El and Paul were unaware that children were experiencing homelessness in the United States. They found that while many organizations and public figures were working to end homelessness, few efforts addressed the special needs of the children. The National Coalition for the Homeless states that, “Homelessness today is not just a housing issue, it is an education issue, a children’s issue and a family issue. Attempts to break the cycle that do not address these facts are destined to fail.”

In 1999, Jo-El and Paul opened TerraShare with the mission to empower and educate the most vulnerable children in our communities. TerraShare was the first year-round, special-needs camp in the United States for children affected by homelessness. Since it’s inception, the camp has served over five hundred children from homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and impoverished families, providing residential and day programs to children in five states and Washington, DC. It has become a local and national resource for children in need and has brought hope and healing to hundreds of children in crisis.

In 2012, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) TerraShare launched the Leadership Education & Empowerment Program (LEEP), a global initiative that takes best practices from its work with highly disadvantaged children in the US and applies this knowledge and experience to leadership and education programs for refugee youth living in displaced communities, worldwide. The mission of the LEEP is to bring transformative change into the lives of children and adults by assisting those living under highly disadvantaged conditions to attain a large measure of their potential in personal development and life achievement.

By partnering with refugee youth and the community, LEEP ensures that participants have the skills and support necessary to play a leading role in the reconstruction and peace building of their host and home communities.

Paul Winter

Founding Director

Paul is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in social work. He has over three decades of experience with children and adults with a wide range of special needs. In 1999, Paul co-founded TerraShare with his wife Jo-El Wadsworth. In 2010, they began research on refugee education and laid the groundwork for the Leadership Education & Empowerment Program (LEEP) by fostering partnerships with international and non-governmental organizations. In 2012, Paul and then Co-Director, Matthew Vincent, were hosted by UNHCR and Windle Trust on a two-month fact finding mission to refugee camps in Rwanda, Kenya and Botswana. Paul co-directed LEEP in Botswana from 2013-2015 and is currently developing programs for students from immigrant and refugee families in the US.

Jo-El Wadsworth

Founding Director

Jo-El is a graduate of Wells College with a degree in theology and psychology. In 1999, she co-founded TerraShare with her husband Paul Winter. Her wilderness retreat programs for women and children during the 1990s served as the inspiration and model for the therapeutic programs offered at TerraShare. In addition to designing and leading adventure programs for homeless and at-risk youth, from 2007-2012 Jo-El implemented and directed the TerraShare academic programs, including the Leadership Academy, an initiative for children failing in mainstream classrooms. Jo-El home-birthed three of her four children and, along with her husband, home-schooled them into their teenage years. She is a Hospice volunteer and is working toward certification as a spiritual director.

Matt Vincent

Program Design Advisor

Matt is a graduate from the George Washington University with degrees in political science and social policy. He joined TerraShare in 2012 to help design the Leadership Education & Empowerment Program (LEEP). Alongside Paul, he visited five refugee camps in southern and east Africa to better understand the needs of refugee students and the ways in which TerraShare could support them. From 2013 - 2015, Matt guided the implementation of LEEP in the Dukwi refugee camp in Botswana, in partnership with refugee youth, the community, and the UN Refugee Agency. Currently, Matt is working alongside Paul and Jo-El to design programs for children of immigrant and refugee families in the US.

1993

Founders Jo-El Wadsworth and Paul Winter meet Scottie.

1999

Jo-El and Paul open TerraShare with the mission to empower and educate children affected by homelessness.

2008

TerraShare expands its mission to include local, at-risk children.

2009

Jo-El launches the Leadership Academy, an alternative school for local, at-risk students.

2012

Paul and Matt visit five refugee camps in Africa to learn more about the challenges facing refugee students and how TerraShare can help.

2013

LEEP is officially launched in the Dukwi refugee camp in Botswana, bringing academic enrichment and leadership development to refugee youth.