We are very grateful to The Pixel Fund for funding to support Animal-Assisted and Nature-Based sessions at Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship to vulnerable young people who are in desperate need of our provision to support their mental health and well-being; with enquires to our charity having increased by 62% over the past year.
Sirona provides equine and animal-based therapeutic and educational activities within a holistic, person and animal-centred approach, to vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in order to increase their health and well-being and guide them towards more positive life outcomes. Many of the young people who attend Sirona have experienced severe trauma in their lives and are in foster care or adoption, others have referrals of ADHD, Autism Spectrum or struggle in a traditional school environment. During 2021-22 we have noticed an increase in referrals for young people who are isolated, not able to attend school and self-harming. These young people benefit from the small, therapeutic, non-judgmental setting provided at Sirona.
Due to the huge continuing demand for our service, over the past year we have introduced new animals to the Sirona herd; two rescue Toggenburg/Angola goats and three chickens. This is in order to provide further sessions alongside our equine-based provision, so increasing the number of young people we can support, without compromising the welfare of our horses.
The grant from The Pixel Fund will provide funding for up to 3 young people to attend a weekly session at Sirona each term - supporting 18 new young people in total over the year.
Benefits from attending our equine and animal-assisted sessions include: improved mental health and well-being; increased calmness and ability to regulate behaviour; improved communication skills and relationships, increased self-awareness and empathy to others; increased ability to focus and stick at tasks; better physical health, and learning new skills leading to employment and further education opportunities.