Be You: Teen Empowerment Program with a Twist

Be You
Teen Empowerment Program with a Twist!

Join us for our pilot program and take advantage of our pilot pricing and low student-to-facilitator ratio with a maximum of 8 students.

June 3, 5, & 7
9 am - 12 pm
@ Walk On in Barrington

Ages 14-18 years

 Monday, Wednesday & Friday, registration includes all 3 days.

Empowering your Teen

Navigating being a teenager in today's world is no joke! This unique program will help teens develop their RESILIENCE, find their INNER LEADER, build CONFIDENCE & SELF-ESTEEM while helping them THRIVE rather than just survive their teenage years. And the twist: Our Teachers are HORSES!

Building Life Skills

In this workshop, we partner with our horses to build fundamental life skills. Through work both in the classroom and in our arena, we will discover a myriad of ways that horses can help us understand both ourselves and the people around us!

*All horse activities will be from the ground.*

Wilson

A group participating in an equine assisted learning session.

Each day will integrate and reinforce skills learned in the previous day workshop.

Day 1 - Being Me

• Strengthen their sense of personal identity and identify similarities and differences with others.
• Understand the importance of respect, inclusion, and equality in building healthy relationships.
• Identify when boundaries are needed and practice setting, maintaining, and communicating them effectively.
• Students will strengthen their sense of personal identity and identify similarities and differences with others.
• Students will explore important characteristics of healthy relationships including respect, inclusion, and equality.
• Students will develop a deeper understanding of resilience-enhancing skills such as setting and respecting boundaries & managing conflict.

Day 2 - Being Heard

• Students will investigate the role that effective communication skills play in building inclusive, equitable and respectful relationships.
• Students will examine different types of non-verbal communication and build awareness of their own and others, body language.
• Students will consider the importance and value of positive communication skills such as active listening.

Day 3 - Being Brave

• Students will build a deeper awareness of the characteristics of resilience.
• Students will explore possible life changes, and associated challenges, investigating a range of skills and strategies to manage them.
• Students will deepen their understanding of skills and strategies for resilience.
• Students will consider their strategies for applying new skills in the future.

Meet Your Facilitators!

Kelsey Thacker

-          Successfully facilitated equine assisted therapy and learning programs in London, UK and Dublin, Ireland and Chicago

-          Holds degrees in communications and psychotherapy 

-          PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) and holds several other equestrian certifications, such as EAGALA

Mary Illing

-          Licensed Occupational Therapist

-          Master level Therapeutic Riding Instructor

-          PATH International certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL)

-          PATH International certified Level 1 Driving Instructor and CTRI

Cindy Schwarz

-          Master's degree in organizational development

-          Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation

-          Certified Equine Facilitated Coach

-          Extensive experience in facilitating leadership development programs

Malinda Patterson

-          PATH International CTRI

-          Over 15 years as a Walk On volunteer and equine enthusiast

-          Bachelors in English with a minor in psychology.