Students referred to Urban Stable often experience feelings of stress and isolation as they struggle with social, emotional, neurological, or learning difficulties such as anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, loss, or trauma.
We don’t judge or label our students, so they are free to create their success without any past failures getting in their way. We offer them a new way to view themselves and their world with skills and perspectives that follow them back to school, home, and community. The students become empowered and more optimistic about working harder in school by communicating with peers and trying new challenges.
Urban Stable students are identified and referred by their classroom teachers (through our in-school contacts or our youth-focused community organization partners) and attend program with others from their school, School Division or community group. Students come from all walks of life, backgrounds, and equity-diverse groups.
Our programs offer social development that promote competence in horsemanship, riding, social skills, teamwork, communication, and leadership. Urban Stable focuses on creating deeper horse-human connections, and giving students time to create those bonds and learning. This opportunity for youth to develop critical life skills and a sense of normalcy through the commonalities and differences expressed amongst their program classmates provides a proven, unique, real-life platform that nurtures growth and well-being.
There’s no magic formula to identify students who may benefit from the program, but the youth we serve benefit from the safe, caring, supportive, yet challenging environment at Urban Stable. Students are empowered to find personal success, and feel safe to step outside their comfort zone to try new and difficult tasks.
This may be a student with neurological conditions, mental health or social challenges, and/or academic disabilities, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, foster care, newcomers, trauma, or family difficulties (e.g., loss, divorce). The reasons for student referral are limitless.
Urban Stable focuses on improving the lives of youth-in-need in grades 5-12 across all our programs (from all walks of life, ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, equity diverse groups etc.) by providing them with the educational, social, and emotional support and skills they need to reach their fullest potential.