Would you like to help teenagers and young adults who are not in education, employment or training, gain the skills and qualities they need to find employment or go back to school? Maybe you'd like to work alongside people with disabilities or learning differences to help them gain knowledge and skills outside of the traditional classroom environment? Then take a look at the Life Hack Equine Assisted Education program for life, work and study skills. It was specifically designed to support the development of pro-social behaviours and delivers a comprehensive curriculum of animal care, life, work, and social skills. Each session consists of two parts:
1. Groundwork curriculum: Horsemanship sessions involving hands on practice, arena demonstrations and review workshops that teach gentle and appropriate horse handling skills. Learning how to safely and empathetically interact with horses and how to use proper body mechanics to effectively command a horse improves physical, cognitive and social abilities, enabling people to transfer these abilities to other aspects of their life, such as a classroom environment and/or work situation. Each week’s lesson has a specific theme including:
· Responsibility
· Respect
· Communication
· Motivation
· Adaptability
· Positive attitude
· Managing emotions
2. Horse care lessons: Instructors teach a new skill each week, building on the learning from the previous week. Lessons are taught from a social or work skills perspective. For instance, to tack up the horse (saddling) requires planning and responsibility, as a person must know in advance what equipment is needed and what needs to be done with the equipment, position it in a specific order and check their work for safety and completeness. Lessons regularly provide an opportunity to learn how to handle problems and come up with creative solutions.
The Life Hack course can be used for groups or individuals. It was developed when it became clear that there was a gap in provision for NEET young adults to gain work and social skills, re-enter education or find employment. The curriculum and teaching strategies focus on helping students learn skills that are transferrable to their lives outside of a riding arena including how to:
• Plan ahead –think about task analysis, problem solving, planning for the future and being prepared for challenges that they will encounter.
• Be flexible and willing to adapt.
• Keep their mind on the task at hand.
• Be confident and engaged.
• Be aware of their environment and the feedback it provides.
• Accept correction and criticism constructively.
• Use horsemanship as an opportunity to socialise appropriately with peers, volunteers and facilitators.
• Understand how they learn best.
If you're interested in becoming a Life Hack certified practitioner, the first step is to buy the book. Then sign up for the online course and work through it online in your own time. This online certification course will train you to use the Life Hack Curriculum so that you can work alongside horses to help people gain life, work and study skills in your own setting.