Press conference
New asset for PEGAZ
On Thursday, 22.09.2011, the Foundation »Ustanova Fundacija Nazaj na konja« has prepared a press conference, where the project PEDO TOUR was presented.
At the presentation of the PEDO TOUR project, the Society Pegaz from Rijeka had a gala opening of the new riding place.
Nr. 01 / Year 2011 Distributed free of charge Issued by: Foundation »Ustanova - Fundacija Nazaj na konja« Society PEGAZ within the project “PEDO TOUR” www.ho-pe-tour.com
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Newsletter 2011
European project
WHAT IS EQUINE ASSISTED THERAPY AND ACTIVITY?
Project “PEDOTOUR” was chosen at the second call of the »Operational Program IPA Slovenia-Croatia 2007-2013, which is managed by the Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy (SVLR). logo of the operation
183 applications were received by the 16th of April 2010, of which 22 were chosen and confirmed for granting. The approved project have been chosen on the 3rd of March 2011, at the 4th Session of the monitoring committee, which consists of the representatives of both participating countries - Slovenia and Croatia and a representative of the EU.
Project PEDO TOUR in full swing
WEATHER
As we found out from reliable sources, the project PEDO TOUR, performed by Foundation »Ustanova Fundacija Nazaj na konja« and Society »Udruga Pegaz«, is in full development. Project partners are from the 1 st. of April 2011 fully occupied with implementation of project activities and have achieved quiet a few project goals. As we were able to find out, the project received positive responses in the direct environment at the beginning, both in Slovenia and Croatia, so that performers got even greater momentum. Performing Equine assisted activities as a part of preparations for the project PEDO TOUR (Symbolic image)
Newsletter 2011
The weather in the project performing time will have a positive impact on all participants.
Equine assisted therapies and activities are an exceptional opportunity for comprehensive treatment of children and adults with special needs. By moving, a horse has a positive effect on the development of sensomotoric skills and competency, because of personal characteristics and the way of its behaviour, a horse as an assistant and member of the therapeutic team contributes to achieving positive changes on an individuals psychosocial, communicative-social and cognitive-educational area.
Where is Nina going? After eight months of collaboration, colleague Nina Heric is saying goodbye from being the Head of marketing and coordinator of touristic programs. After she got back from a South America trip, infected with hot salsa rhythms of Latin Americans and beautiful corners of Columbia, Equador and Venesuela, she succumbed to the temptation and decided to return back to travel challenges indefinitely. First she decided to go to Bolivia, where she will join the group of volunteers, working with socially disadvantaged population. You never know, maybe the foundation »Ustanova - Fundacija Nazaj na konja« gets a branch in Bolivia next year!? More about her adventures you may read in the next issue of e-brochure. Good luck Nina! ho-pe NEWS
In the preparation and implementation public authorities are also involved In the project implementation participate municipality Kidrièevo, city Rijeka and Primorsko Goranska municipality. Their tasks inside the project are related to public promotion of project activities. ho-pe NEWS
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Ustanova Fundacija Nazaj na konja presents se predstavi itself
For the seventh consecutive year, the Foundation »Ustanova – Fundacija Nazaj na konja« performs a specific role - Equine assistance contributes to higher level of childrens, adolescents and adults with special needs life quality. Their basic guidance is to provide friendship with the horse to many sick, lonely, frightened, sad and different people that are searching their place under the sun.
What reason was the Foundation »Ustanova – Fundacija Nazaj na konja« founded for? The concrete idea of establishing the Organisation was born as a result of a true life story of a girl, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Before she became aware of the diagnose, she was very active in riding sport, show jumping with her mare Nobless. Her illness temporarily disabled that, but the point is, that precisely Nobless contributed to her recovery. The mare was brought directly to the parking place of the Clinical Centre of Ljubljana, where Urska was staying. Their encounter was so charged with emotions and a wish to get back on a horse back, that she only than actually began to fight for her life. We knew, that it is possible with horses and their movement to achieve different goals, however this experience brought us to the awareness, that until this moment we only read about it in books.
confidence and will to live... A horse is not only a tool for achieving listed goals, in many cases users find a friend or an ally in it.
Is the special name of your organisation –» Back on the horse« also related to that story?
Who are your most common users for Equine assisted activities?
The name was not chosen by chance and is definitely related to Urska's story, as with any other story, written by life. »Back on a horse« even in folks tradition means something good. To help somebody to get »back on a horse« means willingness to offer a hand to a person in trouble, to help that person to get to new hope, new strength and desire to live. We wish to contribute to higher level of life quality for children, adolescents and adults with special needs and troubles in mental health. We almost couldn't chose a better name for the activity inside the Foundation.
These activities are mostly chosen by users or users parents, suffering from cerebral paralysis, Down's syndrome, Multiple sclerosis, there are many children, suffering from hyperactivity, concentration and attention disturbances. Socializing with horses and riding has also beneficial effect on persons with easier and moderate mental development disorder, autism range disorder, on persons that are recovering after a stroke and many more. Riding has beneficial and relaxing effect also on people with common troubles such as stress, pain in the back and headaches.
What effect does a horse have on a human and how can we achieve a higher quality of life for people with diverse problems by Equine assisted activities?
Are Equine assisted activities (A/TPK) the only area covered at your Foundation or are you operating in a wider range?
The Foundation »Fundacija Nazaj na konja« is in fact the first Slovenian nongovernmental organization, whose key task is the development of Equine assisted activities. With this kind of activities and therapies we can achieve much more: from improvements in sensor motor functioning area and strengthening of self confidence, to sensibility learning, taking and giving help, perseverance, motivation, Newsletter 2011
Equine assisted activities are only a part of our offer and goals that we have set to ourselves. Our vision is realization of comprehensive and systematic development of this area, there for we went into establishment of education system for professional staff for A/TPK, therapeutic horses raise and education, developing different programs based on professional reasonable work methods for all forms and subcategories of recognition achievement of this area and to ho-pe NEWS
»PEDO TOUR« is an international project, which purpose is to base adventurous-pedagogical and therapeutic touristic programs for children, adolescents and disabled, and to establish innovative cross-border touristic destination and services based on Equine assisted activities and therapies.
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increase accessibility of this kind of services to wider range of users. In this approach we are integrating and exchanging good practice with other related organizations in Slovenia and abroad. Have you in all those years achieved any results, you are especially proud on? There have been many of such results and we expect them even more in the future. Primarily, we wanted to achieve that the method of Equine assisted therapies and activities start to represent scientifically based approach also in Slovenia. According to the fact that over 50 users weekly participate in our programs, there is no doubt we have achieved that goal. From day to day the demand is constantly rising. The educational program »Therapists and therapists assistants training for EAT« in which pedagogues, special pedagogues, psychologists, working therapists and doctors can participate, is also being actively performed. In the fist six months of 2012, the third generation of participants will complete education. But there has also just recently been published a call for a new generation, the fourth. It should be mentioned, we regularly register to different public calls and successfully gain funds for project ideas by which we develop our activity area. V.S.
Society »Pegaz« presents itself
Society »Pegaz« is at its tenth anniversary very proud to participate at the implementation of the PEDOTOUR project.
of the society, in Primorsko-goranski municipality in Equine assisted therapies participate over 200 children and adults with special needs. The society has in cooperation with the Croatian association for therapeutic riding organized the first seminar in Croatia on therapeutic riding involving international lecturers and with the goal to transfer knowledge and experiences from European countries (Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Austria). Through quality Društvo Pegaz je ob desetletnici d development of the Societies program, dressage riding for people with special needs was developed. The Society with its riders is present both in home competitions such as in international competitions. One of the Societies rider is a categorized FEI rider. For Primorsko-goranska municipality where horse sport is still not enough developed and recognizable, the start of quality Equine assisted therapeutic and sports program for persons with special needs is of great importance. Where does the Society perform its activities? Society „Pegaz“ Rijeka performs its activities only 5 km from the center of the town Rijeka on a 15.000 m2 surface owned by the city Rijeka. The Society got this surface in 2009 in purpose of long-established period of use and performance of therapeutic procedures in nature. To that purpose, space arrangement for animals and future users acceptance works have started, by 2011 were already built horse-stay facilities with 5 closed horse boxes and the biggest sandy riding place for EAT in Primorsko-goranska municipality, with dimensions
When was society for therapeutic riding »Udruga za terapevtsko jahanje „Pegaz“« in Rijeka founded and what does it do? Society for therapeutic riding »Pegaz« was founded in 2001 as the first society in the Primorsko-goranska municipality performing and developing all activities related to Equine assisted therapies. The founder of society is Mrs. Mirjana Stojnoviæ, professor of special pedagogy, and a group of parents whose children have special needs with the goal to offer new recreational-rehabilitation services for the users – riders with special needs.
What are distinctive successes of your society, achieved by today? In the past 11 years, more precisely from the establishment Newsletter 2011
30m x 70m. The riding place was build according to international sports and service quality standards of social services for persons with special needs (there is also a ramp for users in wheelchair). ho-pe NEWS
The horse history beginning goes 60 millions years back, in the beginning of Cenozoic. The development began in some areas of the southern part of North America (today's Mexican gulf). The first horse, named Eohippus, was the size of a fox. It migrated from America over the Bering strait to Asia that was not under the ocean in that time, but at the end of the last ice age (around 10.000 b.c.) the bridge between America and Asia disappeared and the horse population was separated. Horses in America were extincted, as in Asia they were developing into today's modern horse. ho-pe NEWS
Who supports the work and program of the Society „Pegaz“?
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Vanja Stermšek, who has by informal sources always been a great horse fan, also participates on the project as a coworker.
Great help by performing all activities society got from the Office for Local and Regional Policy of the city Rijeka and the Primorsko-goranska municipality. The program of the Society is financially supported by the »Ministry of health«, by today the Societies projects were also supported by »Ministry for family affairs«, »Ministry for science and education« and »National fund for civil development«. Business sector donations in form of construction material, machines and work helped a lot in space arrangement for activities performance and the Society is sincerely thankful for that. Precious society-volunteers work, who participated in many cleaning and space arranging working actions needs to be mentioned as well.
How does collaboration between the society and the foundation »Nazaj na konja« work? Since its founding Society for therapeutic riding »Pegaz« seeks national and international cooperation with related societies and institutions. Cooperation with the foundation »Nazaj na konja« started a few years ago since the Society »Pegaz« noticed the quality work of the foundation. Pegaz wanted to include this kind of work (with users, therapeutic horses, educational programs) into its program with the goal of raising therapists-performances quality and knowledge of the Society »Pegaz« and in Croatia. Interest for common application for calls from European funds appeared at that time, which resulted in a partner project with the acronym »PEDO TOUR« that was chosen at the second call »Operational Program IPA Slovenia-Croatia 2007-2013«.
What role does society »Pegaz« have in the »PEDO TOUR« project and what are societies expectations from the project? Society »Pegaz« is the Croatian partner in mentioned project, which will gain important experience on EU projectpreparation and performance by performing the project and acquire new precious knowledge and experiences from the lead partner which will also contribute to rising the quality of Societies common work and program. Projects activities will have direct impact on Societies »Pegaz« continued space arrangement; abandoned orchard and garden will be cleaned and ordered, there will be investments in the sanitary knot, common areas, accommodation capacities, didactic children's playground will also be arranged. All that will contribute to concrete social service-development and quality that are accessible to Slovenian and Croatian users. N.S.
Newsletter 2011
Eohhipus
Vanja Stermšek was employed at the foundation »Ustanova – Fundacija Nazaj na konja« as professional associate in Equine assisted program activities (TPK) in May 2011. Within her workplace, she began to attend therapies and started introducing her as a horse guide and therapists assistant. At the moment she is on practical training for a TPK therapists. She is gaining theoretical and practical knowledge from that wide and interesting area also inside educational program performed by foundation »Ustanova – Fundacija Nazaj na konja«. Her goal within education is to gain the title TPK therapist. Daily she meets children, adolescents and adults with different health problems (cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, attentions and concentrations disturbance, autistic spectrum disturbances, mental and physical development disadvantage ... ). Their response when touching, saddling and finally riding the horse are filled with special emotions that are hard to describe. She also gets filled with these emotions when working with those people, so it is no wonder that after every encounter she feels great too . V.S.
a bit of fun... CHINESE HOROSCOPE The project PEDO TOUR was born in year 2011, the year of cat. The year of the cat: good year, unexpected money and promotion FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN IN THE YEAR OF CAT Orson Welles Ingrid Bergman Fidel Castro Harry Belafonte
Editor: Alexander S. Goljevšèek no. of copies: ho-pe NEWS