Something we are very proud of at The Bridge Youth and Family Services and in the Healthy Together Program is our ability to be flexible and creative when it comes to serving the different needs of our community. Meeting the exceptional challenges of this unprecedented year is no exception. There is truly no one size fits all treatment, and we have had to be creative and receptive as we learn and grow to support clients and organizations.
When we are presented with individuals who are seeking support, we use many different opportunities and programs to find the right fit for them. Recently, The Bridge Youth and Family Services had the unique opportunity to offer one of our client groups a Therapeutic Equine Program. Right away, we realized that the program participants would further benefit from participating in a healthy snack or meal together and a learning session that would support the clients to understand how healthy eating and a physical activity could make a positive impact in their lives. The Healthy Together Program was a perfect fit to add in an additional evidenced-based fun and engaging component to the Therapeutic Equine Program. Between the participants love of animals, some good food and a strong community, we had a winning combination for everyone involved!
“The aim of this program is to provide youth with a healthy activity that might otherwise be inaccessible, as well as information to encourage healthy habits. Horses have a great capacity to help with healing and overall wellness” shares Bree Cocquyt, Youth Outreach Counsellor with The Bridge Youth and Family Services. By using the equine portion of the group to support physical wellness of participants, conversations and opportunities are then opened up for learning about other healthy behaviors such as choosing healthy snacks and discussions about nutrition and meal planning.
Sarada Eastham, Program Coordinator with Healthy Together reiterates how Healthy Together can be utilized within existing programming to enrich participant learning and opportunity. “Healthy Together is incredibly flexible! With over 30 pre-prepared sessions to choose from, facilitators can adapt and adjust to meet program and participant need. Healthy Together can fit well into a closed or open group context, and can merge seamlessly with creative programming as it has done in our Healthy Together/Therapeutic Equine Program. If you are looking for a way to add value to any of your current programs – Healthy Together can help!” Online training in Healthy Together facilitation is currently available on our website at healthytogether.ca and discounted rates are available for non-profit organizations.
