We’re thrilled to announce that the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre (KSAC) has received an extension of $158,000 in contribution funds until March 31, 2021 from the Public Health Agency of Canada to support resilience-building community initiatives including the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses program. This additional funding builds upon the Centre’s initial successful 2016 application and receipt of $464,983 in contribution funds from The Public Health Agency of Canada.
Working together with The Mane Intent and Trent University, the Centre was one of over 150 agencies from across Canada to apply for the funding and one of 17 organizations to successfully receive funding. The funding is part of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Innovation Strategy supporting the Health of Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse through Community Programs.
This additional investment will provide continued support for the delivery of Building Internal Resilience Through Horses at The Mane Intent. This program is designed to promote resilience and life skills in young women aged 13 – 18 years living in the City and County of Peterborough and surrounding areas impacted by childhood adversity and interpersonal trauma and/or young women exposed to intimate partner violence. This innovative project is led by the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in partnership with The Mane Intent Inc. and researchers from Trent University’s Emotion and Health Research Laboratory.
The initiative is founded on the premise that, through the hands on experience of equine-assisted learning combined with expressive and psychoeducational workshops, young women will reduce post-traumatic symptoms, improve mental health, enhance personal coping skills and resilience, while reducing post-traumatic symptoms and their risk of harm in the future. It will further existing research on the benefits of equine-assisted learning for survivors of child maltreatment and for young women exposed to intimate partner violence.
Additionally, funding supporting this initiative is being invested in community initiatives intended to build resilience within the broader community and build capacity for trauma-informed practice within Peterborough and the broader Ontario region for service practitioners who are working with young people and adults who have experienced trauma.
The newest initiative is the Inviting Resilience Conference at Trent University on May 21 & May 22, 2019. This conference will combine academic and experiential learning to provide meaningful opportunities in community-building capacity for the newest evidence-based practices; community-driven, multi-sectoral initiatives; and trauma-informed programming focused on building resilience in youth and adults impacted by childhood adversity and interpersonal trauma over the lifetime. Learn more at www.invitingresilience.ca
For more information about the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses program or the Inviting Resilience Conference, please contact the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre at 705-748-5901 and ask for Katie.
The Building Internal Resilience Through Horses project is also a participant in the Knowledge Hub. The Knowledge Hub connects and enhances trauma-informed health promotion projects funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s investment to support victims of family violence. The Hub is led by Western University’s Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children.
