A Focus on Youth Mental Health takes a group of New Canadian Girls to the Mane Intent

As the weather cooled and we ushered in fall, a group of three new Canadian girls spent a Saturday at the Mane Intent participating in the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses program. The program, offered by the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre with Trent University and The Mane Intent focuses on expression through the heart and art for young women. The equine-assisted learning program provides girls with an opportunity to learn about and interact with horses as a means of hands on learning about resilience, connection, and self-esteem.

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The group, accompanied by Abeer AlSalihi, a Youth Worker at the NCC, learned about the body’s nervous system; how we make connections through feelings, thoughts, intuition and senses; and dealing with emotions in safe and happy ways. They were also introduced to horses and had an opportunity for hands on interaction with them as a means of forming connections.

“This was the most exciting thing I’ve done since coming to Canada!’ says one of the new Canadian teens that participated in the program.

This program is one of the many ways we have pivoted over the past year to focus on supporting the mental health and wellness of newcomer youth in Peterborough. These opportunities provide youth a chance to reflect on their experiences, engage with peers, and learn healthy life and coping skills in safe and welcoming environments.

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Thank you to Jordanne McLaren of KSAC and Jennifer Garland, President/Owner of The Mane Intent for facilitating this full day of learning.