Model for animal assisted and nature-based activity in Kuopio 4H-association
Hevosvoimia Luonnosta -hanke
Keywords:
social pedagogical equine-assisted activity, animal assisted and naturebased activitiesAbstract
This text presents a project that aimed at developing animal assisted and naturebased activities in the framework of social pedagogical equine assisted activity for young people in economically vulnerable situations. The goal was to develop a model for this kind of activity based on the experiences from the project. There were both long-term and short-term activities developed. The long-term activities took
place during spring 2019, autumn and winter 2019–2020 and summer 2020. There were 30 participants altogether. The short-term activities consisted of three separate activity moments, which gathered about 50 participants. The project provided pony and other animal and nature-based activities for young people in the framework of social pedagogical equine assisted activity. These activities can support young people in learning social, emotional and interactional skills and support their overall wellbeing.