Working In Tandem: Equine Mentoring Program
We are offering an Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) program for youth in foster and adoptive care that pairs a volunteer mentor with a youth from the community. The goal of the program is to help promote positive attachment between the youth and the mentor while assisting in emotional growth through equine-assisted activities. Our volunteer mentors are specifically trained and supervised by a licensed therapist. The youth and mentor will meet for a weekly, hour long session for nine months over the school year. This program will have openings for up to five youth and is FREE of charge! The youth must be currently in, or adopted from DHS care and able to commit to a 9 month program with minimal absences.
What Does a Session Look Like?
An adult mentor will greet their mentee when they arrive and together they will gather the tools and materials they will need for the day. Then they will get the horse that the mentee is paired with and they will start their activities. Activities during sessions include games, grooming and caring for the horse, and some more emotionally in depth activities that foster healthy relationship building and expression of feelings. Each activity is geared towards specific life skills such as self-esteem, responsibility, self-regulation, and emotional awareness.
