Only EQUUS Foundation Guardian charities that conduct Equine Assisted Services (EAS) are eligible to receive the Leonard I. Gilman Horses & Humans Grant conditional upon their meeting the following guidelines:
1. The organization will be responsible for completing and submitting the online request to be considered as a recipient of the Leonard I. Gilman Horses & Humans Grant. As part of the grant request, your organization will be asked to:
a. Describe in detail how your organization plans to provide immersive, interactive and experiential community service aimed at fostering lifelong advocacy for the vital role of horses now and in the future through onsite education and interactions with horses – to include a description of each session where your interns will be introduced to your herd and learn basic horse care, observe and/or volunteer for the equine assisted services at your organization, either on-site at your center, or off-site such as an outreach program, and actively participate to appreciate the impact of the horse-human bond.
b. Provide the name, title, email, phone, and qualifications of the overall coordinator who will manage the internship.
c. Provide the names, titles, and qualifications of personnel who will teach or lead on-site sessions, serve as mentors to your interns and who may also need to participate in program follow-up, such as your director, professionals from your facilitating or treatment team, program coordinator and equine care manager.
d. Describe the process by which you plan to recruit and select participants.
2. The organization will be responsible for establishing the dates for each of the required sessions and obtaining approval of the EQUUS Foundation before proceeding.
3. The organization will be responsible for recruiting at least five (5) individuals who have not previously volunteered for the organization to participate in the program as interns - the majority of which should be either high school juniors or seniors, or college-aged individuals.
4. The organization will be responsible for providing requested information on each participating intern and center personnel, including the coordinator, to the EQUUS Foundation at least two weeks prior to the Kickoff Session; the EQUUS Foundation will create an online record for each intern and center personnel, including the coordinator, and provide the coordinator with the login instructions.
5. The organization will be responsible for ensuring that the interns complete the virtual learning experience, the on-site educational sessions, the hands-on human-horse interactions, and the wrap-up activities.
6. The organization will be responsible for and required to take photos/videos of the sessions to submit to the EQUUS Foundation as part of the grant report on the use of the funds. The photos/videos are for internal use and will not be made public without the expressed written consent of the organization and the participants.
7. The organization will be responsible for providing a written report to the EQUUS Foundation following the completion of the wrap-up activities on the use of the funds and the impact of the internship program.
DEFINITIONS:
Equine Assisted Services (EAS): Activities that incorporate equine interactions and/or the equine environment, mounted or unmounted, and are provided to people with special needs by credentialed service providers, that involve one or more of the following services: 1) psychotherapy and/or mental health counseling aimed at achieving goals set forth by the licensed mental health professional and the client, 2) occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology treatment strategies utilizing equine movement set forth by the licensed therapist and the client, 3) horsemanship instruction adapted to the ability/disability of those receiving services conducted by a certified professional for the purpose of contributing positively to their cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being, and 4) experiential learning approaches that promote the development of life skills to achieve educational, professional and personal goals conducted by a licensed educator, mental health professional and/or certified professional. These services are further defined in the EQUUS Foundation
Guidelines for Conducting Equine Assisted Services.
Special Needs: Any difficulty or difficulties (such as a physical, emotional, behavioral, or cognitive disability or impairment) that require or benefit from instructors, specialists, counselors, trainers and/or facilitators who have certified training for their scope of practice applicable to the people participating in the programs and specific to the program offerings. The difficulty may not be limited to a health issue but may result from the interaction between the individual and the society in which he or she lives arising from an abusive or unhealthy environment or situation and/or a lack of resources, including economic resources, placing them at risk of a future with less than optimal outcomes.
At-Risk: Refers to being at-risk of a future with less than optimal outcomes. Youth are considered at-risk for a number of reasons, such as if they are homeless or transient, involved in drugs or alcohol, abused sexually, physically or emotionally, mentally ill, neglected at home or live in stressful family environments, lacking social or emotional supports, and involved with delinquent peers. At-Risk youth are likely to be involved in a number of risky behaviors, such as running away, skipping school, drinking underage, engaging in sexual behavior, displaying disruptive behavior, bullying/harassment, fighting, and committing acts of vandalism.
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