Therapeutic Horse Riding - Excellent therapy for children with special needs

  Venezuela

Santa Elena de Uiaren

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months and 1-2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Throughout the year

Description: If you enjoy working with children, horses and being outdoors then this is a project that you would find very rewarding. Horses are incredible animals. They seem to sense when people have special needs and they try their best to adapt to meet those needs. These gentle giants are unbelievably understanding, compassionate and completely non-judgmental. Unless one is deliberately brutal, they continually excuse us for our mistakes. Horses truly give their hearts and souls for the people that love them. It is no wonder then that horses make such wonderful therapists.

Therapeutic riding and horse interaction is a powerful tool for many as they strive toward wholeness. Special needs that therapeutic horse riding with Peace Villages meet, include emotional and behavioral issues, at risk youth, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and vision, speech and hearing impairments. The horses movements are smooth, and for those who are not able to walk on their own, the riding experience can help to exercise muscles that are used in walking and for balance.

For individuals with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis, the smooth motion of the horse can help to improve balance, overall gross motor function, as well as trunk, pelvic and hip motion.3,4 In fact, miracles occasionally occur! Therapeutic riding can also be helpful for children with developmental disabilities and learning disabilities. Stevens (2007) discusses how horse interaction and therapeutic riding are particularly helpful for children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This type of therapeutic setting may help children to improve their listening skills and the ability to follow multi-step directions, communication skills, social skills, self-esteem, left to right orientation and direction (start at the front, move to the back, move left to right), sequencing (step one, step two, step three, etc. in order). Horse interaction and therapeutic riding can also help the child diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to allow others to enter their world and eventually to join, at least to some degree, the world outside of themselves. We feel certain that you will enjoy, as much as we have, the opportunity to work with children in our Therapeutic Horseback Program!

Our Therapeutic Riding Program depends on the dedication of our volunteers. Volunteering is a rewarding and educational experience. We offer volunteer training sessions to help you learn more about our students and horses. No horse experience needed. Learn to be a side walker or horse leader to allow special needs students to enjoy a safe and educational riding lesson.

NOTE: Volunteers must be at least 14 years old. Assist with the feeding, grooming and cleaning of the horses and stables. We have a crew of volunteers that assist each morning and afternoon.

Highlights:
ACTIVITIES CAN INCLUDE:
* Daily maintenance and care of horses
* Assisting with therapeutic riding classes
* Maintenance of the paddock, arena and field shelter
* Assisting with horse care and management classes for children
* Maintenance of the saddlery and equipment
* Maintaining photographic and written records of the children's progress on a weekly basis
* Helping with the collection of grasses to feed the horses
* Opportunity to ride on weekends (lessons can be provided if inexperienced)
* Train horses (experience required)

LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
The town of Santa Elena de Uairen is the headquarters of the Peace Villages Foundation in Venezuela and the heart of La Gran Sabana National Park. The town has about 15.000 inhabitants and is at an altitude of 900m - 1000m (3000f - 3250f) with a nearly perfect climate (16°C / 45°F - 28°C / 79°F all year round). The town was founded in 1922 as a Capuchin mission, and grew in the 1930s with the establishment of gold and diamond mines in the region. Santa Elena is surrounded by breathtaking scenery, and a wealth of nature.

The region is one of the oldest geological sites on the planet where prehistoric flat topped mountains are like ecological islands with endemic species such as carnivorous plants and lots of other natural treasures.

You will find good shopping opportunities, restaurants, internet cafes, postal and telephone services, clubs, pool halls and nightlife opportunities, as well as a wide variety of tourist travel destinations. Santa Elena is also a good place to arrange adventure tours into La Gran Sabana and Mount Roraima in particular.

The area known as La Gran Sabana, "the Great Savannah" is located in the south-eastern corner of Venezuela, at the border with Brazil and Guyana. It is a high plateau, a land of wide open spaces (75,000 square kilometers), tropical forest, spectacular tepuys (flat-topped mountains), rivers and gorgeous waterfalls. It is also home to the Pemon aboriginals. It is unknown when La Gran Sabana was first occupied, but there are artifacts that demonstrate that indigenous peoples were occupying the Orinoco Delta at least 2 to 3 thousand years ago.

At the time of the arrival of the first Europeans. La Gran Sabana was inhabited primarily by Pemon aboriginals. The Guayana shield, located in La Gran Sabana, is the earth's oldest surface. It is estimated to be 2 billion years old, and was formed when South America and Africa were still part of the super continent Gondwana.

Besides flat plains, La Gran Sabana also features tropical regions, jungle and cloud forests, rich in palm trees, fern trees, orchids, bromelias and also animals including tapirs, jaguars, pumas, deer, anteaters, snakes, are all native to the different ecosystems of La Gran Sabana.

TREKS/TOURS
While Peace Villages is a volunteer based NGO, we recognize the importance of seeing other parts of La Gran Sabana and having a well rounded experience while you are here. Some trips can be done on weekends, otherwise we will help you to schedule tours so that you can see everything you want to in Venezuela, while still achieving your volunteer commitments with us.

It is always best to plan to be here for a longer period of time so you can fit in a tour and still feel satisfied with the impact of your volunteer work. Peace Villages Foundation is not a tour operator but a volunteer charity!

The Adventure Tours are organized and offered by local tour operators. If interested, we will help you to make contact with companies which use ecological criteria for enjoyable nature-based Adventure Tours throughout the beautiful and diverse Gran Sabana region, here in south-eastern Venezuela. Peace Villages also assists volunteers to self-organize their trip.

A cheaper method than booking organized tours is to organize a trip yourself. When volunteers are interested in this option, we can assist them to make the necessary arrangements. Volunteers then share the direct costs of a guide, porter, food and transport, instead of buying a complete package. Costs depend on the number of group participants to share with.

Hiring indigenous guides, drivers, boat operators, and hosts directly benefits local economies and, at the same time, adds an intimate and connected feeling to your adventure. Indigenous guides will enrich your Gran Sabana adventure tour experience with their knowledge, their kindness and their dedication and enthusiasm for these places.

Qualifications:
REQUIREMENTS:
Anyone with an interest in working with horses and children can apply. None to little experience is necessary as training will be given by our staff horse therapist. Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn is a must!
However, Volunteers with experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

AVAILABILITY:
The program and the facility runs throughout the year

VOLUNTEERING WITH PEACE VILLAGES
Volunteering is a great way to experience another culture, make new friends and learn new skills. The beauty in volunteering lies in the fact that you are not simply passing through as a tourist. You are interacting with the community, building relationships and making a positive impact. It is an experience that may well change your life! Volunteers are the driving force of Peace Villages' work, both through their volunteering and through their financial contributions.

We have various programs currently underway and run by volunteers, as well as the long term expectation of opening a large multi-faceted Therapy Center. Volunteers, through their donations and through volunteer work done on the Foundations grounds are helping us to create this center.

We encourage volunteers to form schedules which work for them, and to work in any combination of programs. Volunteers decide how many hours they want to work.

We recommend a minimum of 4 hours daily for 4 days a week. You may work as many days/hours you wish. We emphasize that we focus on excellence and not on quantity! All travel costs to Santa Elena, Venezuela must be covered by the volunteer.

Budget at least 35 ¬ Euro for in-country travel (including meals along the way) on top of whatever your plane ticket costs (likely at least 330 ¬ Euro depending on where you´re coming from).

Cost in US$: There are three accommodation options and prices depend on length of stay

Most volunteers will spend less than Euro ¬ 60 a month on other personal expenses while here, but this depends on how you like to live.

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: A typical volunteer/intern needs to be enthusiastic, willing to learn, ready for a challenge and have a desire to take initiative. Friendliness, care, commitment and patience are among important qualities. We welcome individual volunteers, families and groups regardless of age, experience or background. You don't have to speak fluent Spanish as we provide full support and 24 hour back-up from our local staff. Volunteers and interns are the driving force of Peace Villages' work, both through their volunteering and through their financial contributions. Volunteering with us is a great opportunity to work side by side with locals, learn new skills, study Spanish, and immerse oneself in the Latin and indigenous culture. The beauty in volunteering lies in the fact that you are not simply passing through as a tourist. You are interacting with the community, building relationships and making a positive impact. It is an experience that may well change your life!

Age Range: 10 years old and up

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Venezuela Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 2 - 4

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Resume

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Peace Villages Foundation's Mission Statement: Peace Villages Foundation support disadvantaged communities and their members in the process of achieving sustainable development, social justice and peace and promotes Culture of Peace through enriching cross-cultural exchange and voluntary community service for people of all ages, races and nationalities. We provide additional opportunities in humanitarian, educational, recreational and environmental fields and assist our beneficiaries to develop their potential and improve their own lives. Our vision is to share the values of peace, justice and tolerance, fundamentally focusing on the preservation of indigenous cultures and the empowerment of young people while valuing local knowledge and working with cultural sensitivity. Because local people know and understand what is appropriate for their own communities, we assist them in carrying out the objectives they deem important. Our Volunteer opportunities are truly the microcosm of a world where people join together giving priority to improving life for humanity and promoting a Culture of Peace as a practical way to both prevent and resolve conflict.

Year Founded: 2000