Thistle Farms: Women's Social Enterprise takes Prostitutes off the Streets

The Wild Goose Festival is proud to partner with Thistle Farms, a women-run social entrepreneurial endeavor facilitated by Episcopal priest and sex-abuse survivor Becca Stevens in Nashville. Thistle Farms and their Magdalene program form a  comprehensive relational network that restores and rehabilitates prostitutes seeking change. And yet, that’s not all they aim to change:

Magdalene was founded not only to help a subculture of women, but also to help change the culture itself. We stand in solidarity with women who are recovering from abuse, addiction, and life on the streets, and who have paid dearly for a culture that still buys and sells women.

This week, Thistle farms has received some much-deserved coverage from NPR and the Huffington Post. Please check out these videos, audio, & stories to get to know the remarkable women involved in this endeavor.

Jacki Lyden’s three-part story for NPR:

For Prostitutes, An Alternative To The Streets

Relapse And Recovery: A Tale Of Two Prostitutes

A Business That Helps Prostitutes Bloom In Recovery

…and a bonus feature, Reflections On Reporting On Nashville Prostitution

Magdalene And Thistle Farms Offer Prostitutes A Chance For Regrowth by Melinda Clark in the Huffington Post

Initiatives like Magdalene and Thistle Farms are changing lives and changing policy, a dual emphasis that resonates with our 2011 justice emphasis. Make it a point to meet Becca and the other Thistle Farms women at Shakori Hills this June. If you haven’t already done so already, please purchase your tickets today.