Celestine Picking Pepper's Hoof

Forward Stride is offering a mentoring program specifically for youth ages 6-18 in the foster care system or those who have been adopted. This program, called Working in Tandem, is offered free of charge and runs through the school year, wrapping up by mid June 2023.

Youth are paired with specially trained adult volunteer mentors and one of our fantastic horses to meet weekly in one-hour sessions. Our mentors are thoroughly vetted and trained, and all mentorship sessions are supervised by a mental health professional to ensure all participants have the support they need and that everyone is safe.

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.