The Bella Coola Community Support Society (BCSS) is pleased to announce that it is among the 189 recipients of a 2024 Civil Forfeiture Grant from the Government of British Columbia.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth, made the announcement that the Civil Forfeiture Program will fund “Iixsanaw wa Alhxapaliikw (Horses are Medicine): for Strengthening & Healing Young Women.”
Joy MacKay, who will be leading the project, has worked in community services for the last seven years in the Bella Coola Valley and has also been doing equine assisted learning since 2016.
“It’s really good news,” MacKay said
“The project will provide a culturally relevant, culturally safe and trauma informed equine assisted learning program that addresses intimate partner violence and sexual assault against young women.”
The central feature of the project will be eight to 10 EAL sessions, facilitated by trauma specialists and supported by cultural leaders, focusing on self-esteem, safety planning, boundary setting, personal sovereignty and land-based healing from trauma.
MacKay noted the project goals are to provide information and education, and increase capacity, with respect to personal boundaries, safety, and consent, and to “denormalize” the status quo where interpersonal violence is considered the norm; to build on local efforts to incorporate traditional and land-based healing practices, in an effort to interrupt the cycle of abuse-trauma-substance abuse/addiction; and to contribute to a community-wide response to sexual assault.
Building on previous EAL stepping stone projects, the project aims to stream survivors of gender-based violence and sexual assault into a unique land-based healing program, where survivors themselves lead in changing the narrative around sexual violence in their community.
Equine assisted learning/wellness is an experiential, therapeutic form of learning, where horses participate as co-counsellors, teachers, and wise healers, MacKay explained.
The model uses a combination of the concepts of natural horsemanship, play therapy, story-telling, reflective opportunities, and problem-solving exercises, facilitated within a group format.
A learner-based educational experience with horses, EAL focuses on ground activities, rather than horseback riding.
This interactive program is specifically designed to ensure the learning and retention of life skills to aid in personal growth.
As they build solid skills, working with their unique teachers, EAL offers the participant experiences to draw from, when they are faced with choices in everyday life.
“The Bella Coola Community Support Society is looking forward to working with our many community partners, including Nuxalk Health and Wellness, Liberty Equine Connections, and Acwsalcta School, as we bring this project to fruition,” MacKay said.
MacKay said horses have the ability to interact, particularly with people who have experienced trauma.
“More research has to be done on what we call equine polyvagal theory and the whole idea that horses are high drive flight animals.”
Horses behave more like a person who has experienced trauma does when they are triggered and there sympathetic nervous system takes over.
“The difference with horses is, they have a very strong herd bond and that activates the social engagement system that we now know benefits trauma survivors in our day-to-day social interaction. If they have a safe reliable predictable social network, that will be the best support for trauma and PTSD survivors.”
Through the sessions she provides the participants with a little bit of information but not a lot.
“It is based on horses’ non-verbal communication,” she said. “Horses read body language all the time. Kids will work in teams of three and I will give them a challenge with a horse.”
Providing an example, she explained the clients will be instructed to bring the horse to a square marked in arena.
At the square they are to remove the horse’s halter without the horse running off and they put another halter on.
They will then lead the horse or get it to back up or step on a glove.
Other instructions might be to have one person working with the right hand only or the left hand only and work together as a team.
“Some of the different activities are based on body language and non-verbal communication,” MacKay said. “Sometimes it’s a bit like charades. They will have to demonstrate what they want the teammates to do and the teammates have to do it with the horse.”
One of the many benefits is the fact the horses react to every single thing the clients do.
“If they are not showing some leadership qualities, horses will tend to take on leadership roles and start to push into their space.”
During the introductory sessions the participants will learn about grooming and the flight drive and a bit about the polyvagal theory.
“Horses have incredibly astute senses. They can feel the heart rate change of a predator from 75 yards. They have extremely astute hearing and sense of smell and eye sight,” she said, adding horses can startle and run because of a perceived threat and 30 seconds later be head down eating grass with the herd.
Genuine caring and interaction supports trauma survivors best and that is something horses can offer.
BCSS successfully received a three-year contract from the province to provide sexual assault services a year ago to address sexualized violence.
“Our agency has an Indigenous-focused sexual assault program for the first time in the Bella Coola Valley,” MacKay said, adding it was the intent to build on the program by applying for funding to offer equine assisted learning and specifically on sexualized violence and its effects.
The project will not be for Indigenous girls and women only and is open to anyone based on referrals from the schools, health and wellness and regional programs.
MacKay has one person who she has worked with previously who will participate in a peer leadership role and another who won’t participate in the group who is a male, but will help MacKay in preparation work.
With files from the Bella Coola Community Society.
