Volunteering Ventures: Animals as Natural Therapy aids recovery through farm experiences

A young girl diagnosed with multiple psychological disorders stroked the velvet nose of a 1,000 pound animal.  As she spoke to the horse, she said she knows it does not judge her.  She said it sees her for who she is without her problems.

This is only one of the many stories Lorna Shepardson, mental health therapist for Animals as Natural Therapy, can tell about the ways the organization is changing lives.  There are many stories about children with relationship and anger issues, or cutting and drug habits that chose to change their lives because of what they learn through their relationships with animals and mentors, she said.
The herd of horses, rabbits, chickens, dogs and a llama act as therapists, counselors and friends to the people who visit Windy Acres Farm on Van Wyck Road on the outskirts of Bellingham, Shepardson said.
Western junior Sheila Dashtestani spent more than 120 hours interning with Animals as Natural Therapy, a nonprofit organization that works with a variety of community members in Whatcom County.
During her internship, she said she helped write grants, do office work and volunteer with the after-school care program. She also helped with the teens in recovery program for girls recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.
“The program helped the kids see their value and they don’t need alcohol and drugs to fit in,” she said.
Dashtestani wanted a variety of opportunities as an intern and was willing to take on anything, said Sonja Wingard, executive director and co-founder of Animals as Natural Therapy.
“She possesses a gentle watchfulness when she is with the girls in recovery,” Wingard said.  “She was curious and non-judgmental, which made her a perfect fit for those wounded souls.”
Animals as Natural Therapy has several different programs, which focus on low-income teens. They have an extra-curricular after-school program and an intergenerational program where kids learn to handle the smaller animals in order to take them to retirement homes to visit the elderly. Animals as Natural Therapy also runs summer day camps, and is trying to start up a veterans program for soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The organization began 13 years ago, after Wingard invited a group of troubled kids to the farm to interact with the animals.  She said she slowly realized it was not just a nice petting zoo.
“There is more going on here than what we can see,” she said.
All participants on the farm abide by a three-part contract.
“We promise to keep each other physically and emotionally safe, to give and receive feedback and to work as a team,” Wingard said.  “This helps create a safe environment in which people can be challenged and grow.”   
Horses tend to reflect what is going on internally with a person, said Amanda Martin who has volunteered at the organization for nine years and is now a horse instructor.
“Horses force you to acknowledge what you are feeling by their actions,” she said.
When a horse senses that a person is tense, it might dance around until the person calms down by letting go of whatever is stressing them out.  People discover how to recognize their emotions and deal with them appropriately rather than suppress them, she said.
“The philosophy here is very different than other places that work with animals and horses,” Martin said.  “We ask the horse to be a partner with us rather than demand obedience.”
They take this same approach when working with kids or others who come to the farm, she said. 
Volunteers do not have to know about horses, Wingard said.  They just have to be open to loving children, learn to listen to them and let them accomplish their goals.
She said there are many opportunities to volunteer with people who come to Animals as Natural Therapy, but there are also opportunities to help plan events, work in the office, care for animals and do farm chores.
Through her internship at Animals as Natural Therapy, Dashtestani said she has seen how important it is to have volunteers at this organization.  She said it is rewarding for the kids to have this program in place because they gain confidence and learn to be successful.
She told a story about one girl she helped who was frustrated when her horse wouldn’t let her on to ride.  They finally decided to let the horse roll around the pasture.
“The horse just needed to get its pent up energy out and relax,” Deshtestani said.  “After that it let the girl get on right away.  The girl said that she learned that sometimes you just need to let go and let loose for a little while before you work.”
She said it was inspiring to watch the girl learn that lesson from watching her horse.
“No volunteer who has been here for any length of time can say their life hasn’t been changed,” Wingard said.  “You gain wisdom from a 13-year-old drug addict or a 16-year-old who has been abused.  When you see someone moving from a position of hopelessness to hope, you can’t help but have it rub off on you.”

The Western Front
February 15, 2011

Ending Homelessness One Day at a Time: Volunteer Opportunity for Whatcom County Residents

Imagine never stressing about a college test or worrying about what shirt to wear to work.  Instead imagine wondering where to shower, where to sleep and if there will be any food for dinner.   

“My dad has been homeless and I’ve been trying to help him for years,” said Michelle Lavergne, a volunteer for Project Homeless Connect.  “That’s why I am here.”

Volunteers of all ages are partnering with Whatcom County Volunteer Center to help reduce homelessness in the County during the third annual Project Homeless Connect event on March 3. 

Among the volunteers are Western Juniors Emma Clark and Kari Miller.   

“The whole idea of (Project Homeless Connect) is to bring community members together to help fellow community members who happen to be homeless,” said Miller. 

Sixty-four non-profit organizations, local government agencies and for-profit businesses will be providing a wide range of services during the one day event, said Daniel Hammill, Volunteer Program Director at Whatcom County Volunteer Center. 

Some of the services provided include medical, dental and mental health services, Washington State identification cards, housing information, haircuts, pet care and services for youth. 

During the event, guests will be guided to eight service locations and attend a catered lunch at the YWCA, said Hammill.  

Every year Whatcom Transportation Authority donates free bus service during March 2 and 3 so people can make it to the event.

Clark and Miller said they have been helping plan Homeless Project Connect since the beginning of winter quarter and will be guides during the event. 

“We want guests to feel completely comfortable and not patronized while they are there,” Clark said.  “We are all in this together because reducing homelessness is something that will benefit everyone.  Community members who are on a stable foundation are able to contribute to the community.” 

Clark and Miller have been great to work with, said Hammill. “They are responsive, dedicated and passionate about ending homelessness in Whatcom County,” he said.

He said Whatcom County Volunteer Center wants more Western students, faculty and staff to be guides for the event. 

“Being a guide provides the community the opportunity to interact with people who are experiencing homelessness,” he said.  “It helps educate people about what it is like to be homeless, breaks down stereotypes and teaches people how to look at each other as neighbors.” 

Anyone who wants to volunteer as a guide should e-mail Andrew Connor by Feb. 22, said Hammill.  He said they will also need to attend training on Feb. 24. 

About 1,300 people in Whatcom County are homeless, said Hammill.

  Of that population 39 percent are youth and 46 percent are female, said Andrew Connor Engagement Coordinator for Project Homeless Connect.  He said 39 percent of the veterans living in Whatcom County are homeless.

“We must drop our pre-conceived notions about homelessness,” he said.  “Anyone could be homeless.  These are our neighbors; we are giving them access to services that could play a part in getting them back on track.” 

Project Homeless Connect is part of a ten year plan to eradicate homelessness in Whatcom County, said Connor.  Some of the actions included in the ten year plan include helping the homeless who are unable or unwilling to obtain the social services available and finding more transitional and permanent housing.   

As a result of this 10 year plan, Whatcom County Volunteer Center has housed 400 households in the last 18 months, said Hammill.  He said there has been a 26 percent decrease in homelessness and 46 percent decrease in chronic homelessness during that time period.

But there has also been a 40 percent increase in “doubling up,” which is when two households share one living space, he said. “These people are on the verge of homelessness.”

Hammill said economic indicators are one of the greatest causes of homelessness today.  “It used to be that mental illness and chemical dependency where the leading causes and now losing a job or not being able to pay rent are in the top reasons for becoming homeless.”  He said fleeing domestic violence is also a major cause of homelessness. 

Project Homeless Connect first started in San Francisco in 2004 and has now spread to over 200 locations around the Nation, said Connor. 

The Whatcom County project started in 2009 when a few people who were interested in the issue gathered to work together, said Hammill.

 The first year Project Homeless Connect served 575 people.  Last year they served 679.  They are expecting to serve more this year, he said.  Funding and services for the event come from community donors and the service providers that participate. 

“It’s up to community members to decide to do this for our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness,” Hammill said.    

He said one guest told him they had been waiting nine years for help and finally received what he needed at Project Homeless Connect. 

“Through this event guests are able to obtain services that can change their situation and change their life a little bit,” said Miller.  “I used to think that homelessness happened to people who didn’t make the right decisions. This experience has taught me there are a lot bigger issues at stake.  It isn’t a personal choice; no one ever wants to live on the street.” 

To volunteer as a guide on March 3 during Project Homeless Connect contact Andrew Connor at andrewc@whatcomvolunteer.org by Feb. 22.  Two shifts are available: 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.  A training session will be held Feb. 24.

To get involved with other events, projects and organizations that help the homeless community visit www.whatcomvolunteer.org

To learn more about Whatcom County’s 10 year plan to end homelessness visit www.co.whatcom.wa.us

 

Quotes for the Day

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
-- Melody Beattie

Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.
-- Author Unknown

Tragic Journalism

    Most journalists have to write about tragic events at some point in their career.  Some journalists deal with tragedy almost every day.  How do journalists ethically tell the story of people who are hurting?  How does a journalist remain sensitive to the situation but not get so entangled in the story that they become immobile? 
   I haven't written about any tragic events yet.  I know it will be hard for me because I have strong empathy for people.  I can't say I'm looking forward to it but it is something I have to learn to cope with.  I will be pursuing tragic stories for the rest of my life.  I want to tell the tragic stories in hope that there will be healing.
    "We are ethical story-tellers.  We don't report for the ratings or for the money.  We do this because we have a moral purpose to this world," said Joan Connell, associate director of Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. 
    The Dart Center helps journalists cope with reporting tragic events.  Sometimes it is hard not to get stuck in the hopelessness of the story when you are documenting hardships, she said.  Journalists can develop a kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.    
  
Check it out:

Dart Center Mission Statement

The Dart Center:
Advocates ethical and thorough reporting of trauma; compassionate, professional treatment of victims and survivors by journalists; and greater awareness by media organizations of the impact of trauma coverage on both news professionals and news consumers.
Educates  journalists and journalism students about the science and psychology of trauma and the implications for news coverage.
Provides a professional forum for journalists in all media to analyze issues, share knowledge and ideas, and advance strategies related to the craft of reporting on violence and tragedy.
Creates and sustains interdisciplinary collaboration and communication among news professionals, clinicians, academic researchers and others concerned with violence, conflict and tragedy.
http://dartcenter.org/

Volunteering Ventures: "Big," Alan Luan volunteers his time to mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters

     Every Thursday afternoon, Western sophomore Alan Luan can be found playing kickball, talking about his love of cars and acting like a “goofball” at Happy Valley Elementary School with his “Little Brother” Zach.

     “I get to relive my childhood once a week,” Luan said.
     Luan has been a “Big Brother” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program since he was a freshman.
     “I wanted to do something productive and not just sit around my dorm,” he said.  “I love kids so I looked into the program and thought it was a good fit.”
     Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonprofit mentorship organization that serves children ages 6 to 14.
     “Our goal is to provide kids who may not have a good role model in their lives with a one-to-one relationship with an adult,” said Lynn Dayton, customer relations specialist at Whatcom County Big Brothers Big Sisters.  She said many of the children they serve are from single parent homes where it is hard to give children the attention they need.
     “Mentoring is just spending time with a kid,” said Jayson Radmer, volunteer recruiter at Big Brothers Big Sisters.  “If a kid doesn’t get the attention they are looking for at home, they may look for it somewhere else and get mixed up in the wrong crowds or get involved with drugs.  That is what we are looking to prevent.”
     Luan said he grew up with an older brother who he looked up to as a role model.
     “I realized that is crucial to have as a kid,” he said
     Luan participates in the school-based buddy program, one of the organization’s three mentoring opportunities.  The other programs include community-based mentoring and mentoring children of promise. After being interviewed about his interests, Luan was matched with a Little who he visits for one hour a week during school hours.
     “One of my favorite parts is being able to show up in his class and just see his face light up because he knows, ‘Hey, I get to ditch out of school and hang out with my Big,’ ” Luan said.
     It is easy to get involved with the school buddy program, he said.
     “It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community,” he said.  “There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have the power and the opportunity to lead a Little in the right direction in life. You really are making an impact and at the same time having fun doing volunteer work.”
     During fall quarter 2010, Luan became the president of Western’s Big Brothers Big Sisters club.  
He said the club started about two years ago, but hasn’t been actively involved with the organization. 
     “This year we have definitely revitalized the club,” he said.
     As president he said he has learned how to work with and lead a group of people to reach goals.
     “Under Alan’s leadership the club has exploded in membership and volunteering,” Radmer said.  “They contact me every week asking what they can do.  They have the energy and excitement to do whatever, whether it is a bake sale, setting up for events or finding us more Bigs.”
     Western sophomore Georgia McClaskey, vice president and event coordinator of the club, said Luan “goes all out” when he wants to do something.
     “The ideas he brings to the table are really great, and he is good at delegating tasks,” she said.
     This quarter McClaskey became a Big at Roosevelt Elementary School. “I was fortunate to grow up with a supportive family,” she said. “I wanted to be there for a child who didn’t have that.  The best part is that it’s such a little time commitment but you are doing so much by being a stable person in your Little’s life once a week.”
     Big Brothers Big Sisters’ youth mentoring programs have been shown to have a significant impact on the children involved, according to a study conducted by a Philadelphia-based research organization.
     One in every 32 children in Washington state have a parent who is in jail. Seven out of 10 of those children will also end up incarcerated, the study said. These young people face a higher risk of making unhealthy decisions in their lives, according to the study.
     Children who participate in the mentorship program are 97 percent less likely to become involved with juvenile authorities, 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 52 percent less likely to skip school and 33 percent less likely to use violence as a means of solving problems, according to the study.
     “At first, the impact I was having on the kids didn’t really hit me,” Luan said.  A teacher told him she could see a big difference in the way his Little interacted in the classroom and that he made more friends.
     One of Big Brothers Big Sisters greatest needs is for male Bigs, Radmer said.  He said there are many more male Littles on the waitlist than there are male Bigs volunteering.
     Radmer said they are also in need of more volunteers for their community based program, which requires 6 to 12 hours a month to meet with a Little outside of school.
     Having Luan’s contagious enthusiasm for the program is great, Dayton said.  She said it helps to have him and his male friends passing the word about the need for male Bigs and about how much fun the program is.
McClaskey said she encourages anyone to become a Big.
     “Time is not an issue,” she said.  “It’s only one hour a week for the school buddies program.”
     If students cannot make a commitment to be a Big, there are plenty of other opportunities to help. The biggest help is spreading awareness and educating people about the program and how easy it is to get involved, she said.
     “If you want to make a difference then this is the thing to do,” McClaskey said.  “You can definitely see progress through your volunteering.”
  

This is part one of a four-part series profiling volunteers around Bellingham. See pg. 4 next Tuesday for more volunteers.

The Western Front

February 8, 2011

Research shows students learn better from test taking than study sessions

     Taking a test on learned material is more beneficial than elaborate studying, or “cramming,” according to a study conducted by the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. Released Jan. 20, the research suggests that being forced to recall information for a test improves students’ ability to remember the information.

      The test taking method as a means of learning makes sense, said Susan Gonzalez, who works at Western’s Testing Center.
     “If you take tests on smaller chunks of information at a time you can really remember it,” she said.   
     During the study, four separate groups of students practiced three different learning techniques.  They all studied the same scientific text.
     The first two groups read over the passage in a series of intensive study sessions.  The third group read the text and drew a concept map of the material.  The fourth group took a free recall test, writing any information they remembered immediately after reading the text. The last group then read the material again and took another recall test.
     The students were asked to rate how much they thought they would remember a week later. Students predicted that consistent studying would produce the best long-term retention, and that practicing retrieval would produce the worst retention, even though the opposite was true, the research report said.
     One week later the students returned to take a test that contained questions requiring them to recall details from the text as well as infer information based on what they had learned. The group who had taken the recall tests remembered about 50 percent more information than students who had participated in elaborate studying or concept mapping.
     This result suggested that retrieving information for a test not only measures knowledge but also changes memory and therefore, helps students learn, the report said.
     This learning technique is already in use on Western’s campus, said Barbara Quick, assistant director at Western’s Tutoring Center.
     “Tutoring, when done right, is a kind of self-testing,” she said.  “For this principle to work, I don’t think that it has to be a formal test administered by a professor.”
     Quick said the tutoring center teaches the Cornell System.  This system of studying teaches students to write key words and questions from their notes and then test themselves on the material by recalling links to key words and answering questions.
     “The system tests to see what you have a firm grip on and what you need to spend more time on,” Quick said.  “The idea for note taking is to review your notes not just before an exam but on a daily basis for 10 to 15 minutes each day.”
     Practicing this study technique exercises students’ ability to recall information without the pressure of an in-class test and may improve their ability to take actual tests, she said.
     “Students have to realize that taking a test is a whole new ball of wax than studying in your room or with your pal,” Quick said.  “To have ready access to that information takes practice.”
     The recall test technique may not belogical in the classroom because large class sizes would create large amounts of grading for professors, said Kathy Murray, office manager at the Testing Center.
     “Many big classes just have mid-terms and finals,” she said.  “Personally, when I went to school I benefited more from having a lot of smaller tests.”
     Implementing this method in classrooms would make a lot of sense, Gonzalez said.  It would allow students to learn information in smaller chunks that are easier to remember, she said.
      Tests are nerve-wracking for Western sophomore Brandi Ball. Having more testing in classes might be bad for some students, she said.
     “If a student has bad test anxiety it could freak them out because they are constantly worried about tests,” she said.  “Maybe if there were multiple tests it would be fine because they would be worth less points and there would be less material to remember.”
     Ball said it also might be good for teachers so they could keep up with what material students are struggling with and what they should go over again in class.
     “When I hear about this study, I’m not thinking about classroom practices as much as I’m thinking about what the students can do outside of class to study effectively,” Quick said.

The Western Front
January 28, 2011