Blanche Ranch
Where Your Truth is Power
The Blanche Ranch helps you share your story in whatever manner feels right. Whether you want to write your memoir, a screenplay, a multimedia project, or even fiction based on your experiences, we are here to help. Plus, you can do it all from your phone!
We Help You Help Yourself
Our trauma-informed instructors provide writing and life-skill tutoring in addition to our Survival Stories advising. Schedule a consultation appointment to see what we can do for you!
Our Courses
Manuscript
Advising
Work one-on-one with a creative writing professor. Whether you are starting from square one or want help editing your book, we offer free advising to sex workers and trauma survivors.
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Survivor Stories
Record an interview of yourself for our Survivor Stories series, use it as the basis of your memoir, or simply keep it for yourself. All recordings are your intellectual property and we will never share them without permission.
High School Diploma Tutoring, All Subjects
This is a series of one-on-one tutoring sessions for any high school subject you may be working on as given by another Adult Education Organization. You can use this space as additional instruction, encouragement, and refocusing while you're in the last leg of the race to a diploma!
How do I get started?
How do I get started?
After sending your initial interest email you will:
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Enroll
Schedule an onboarding session during which you will enroll in the course or courses that best suit your needs.
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Support 1:1
Additional support is available between sessions by request.
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Initial Assesment
GED and ESL students will complete short assessments in order to maximize their potential for success.
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Pass the test
GED students will be given vouchers to take the practice and official tests once they're ready. Other students can receive help preparing for various tests as needed.
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Study
Once enrolled, you will receive your study materials and join the online classes according to your set schedule.
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Move to the next section!
Once you have completed a course, you can move on to the next in the series, or maybe start a whole new track. All roads at the Blanche Ranch lead to healing and growth!
Founder's Note
They say, “you become the person who would have saved you when no one did,” but I’ve tried to save enough people, (and pulled myself out of enough toxic situations), in my life to know that it doesn’t quite work that way. When it comes to trauma, survival, and the coping mechanisms we develop around those wounds, the only person who can save you is yourself.
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I founded Blanche Ranch because I wanted to create a space where people felt safe and supported in their healing journeys. A space that would have helped me avoid a lot of the trauma I endured on my own. I wanted our students to be able to work with instructors who can relate to the unique obstacles they face, and to confidently transition into whatever career paths they choose, at their own pace, and without feeling like they have to silence their voices or hide their pasts. While it isn’t always practical to try to save others, it is absolutely vital that we provide spaces in which they can thrive, grow, and transform their dreams into their realities.
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What is "Blanche Ranch"?For now, Blanche Ranch is an agnostic online hub where trauma survivors can access a variety of educational and writing resources that will help them on their journey toward healing and growth. We offer GED and HiSET tutoring, manuscript advising, and conduct interviews for our podcast/audiobook series, "Survivor Stories."
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Are you an anti-trafficking organization?Absolutely! We stand against all forms of human trafficking, abuse, addiction, and exploitation. However, we define ourselves less an anti-trafficking organization and more as a trauma-informed educational service provider. We aim to serve as many clients as possible, regardless of their background. We provide our services as a form of harm reduction by opening up the life and career paths that may have seemed previously impossible to folks living with complex trauma.
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Why the silly name?Most nonprofits are very serious, if not overly sentimental. We knew that many trauma survivors actually tend to have well-developed senses of humor, and so do we. We named our organization after a sexy, mature, and beloved character from the TV show "Golden Girls." Blanche Devereaux knew who she was, and she took no shit. We believe that you can heal and grow without conforming to the aesthetic of the white-savior industrial complex, and that's the vibe we aim to cultivate.
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Can anyone enroll?Anyone who has survived trauma and desires our services is free to enroll. If you seek the safety of a community of like-minded individuals, if you are focused on growth, and you are capable of behaving in a respectful manner, we welcome you.
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How do I get started?Send us an email indicating the course(s) you are interested in joining. Together, we will arrange an initial onboarding session, get you enrolled, and then you're all set! Every course we offer is online and free of charge, so all you need is a phone with video meeting capabilities and you'll be ready to rock!