In order to maximise the impact of the Multiplier Event, QUEST chose to hold the YEAT multiplier event within a yearly training organised by NGO “Les Rennes de la Vie” in La Hulpe, near Brussels, Belgium.
The crowd consisted of around 45 external participants who are all professionals in different fields such as Physiotherapy, Social workers, Youth organisations, Hospital personnel, Retirement home staff, who have all expressed interest, or are already involving EAT in their practices, or combining it for their beneficiaries.
The object of this yearly training is to familiarise them with the EAT practices, giving them first hand experience with the therapy horses, and giving them technical information about the benefits of it.
Rennes de la Vie had already contributed to the YEAT project during the data collection phase, and also provided us 2 or the 3 participants for the LEA exchange in Bulgaria.
For all these reasons, our intentions aligned and we decided to collaborate for the Multiplier Event. QUEST and Rennes de la Vie saw the huge benefit of spreading awareness about the YEAT project to their collaborators.
QUEST structured the event as follows:
- the morning program was entirely organised with hand’s on work outdoor with the horses
- QUEST presented the QUEST and the YEAT project with a presentation projected on the wall, and presented the QUEST websites’ project page and posts.
- An explanation of the project result: the guidelines and for who it was intended (the 3 groups: youth workers, people with disabilities and their families, and equine therapy professionals). The QUEST staff stated clearly that she wasn’t a professional in the field here to teach them anything, but that we wanted to provide them with a tool that could support their practice by being able to hand the guidelines out to anyone who wants to navigate all the facets of EAT as beneficiaries, or as future professionals, etc…
The guidelines were shown on the video projector and the participants were taken through the page of contents to show them the 3 big parts.
- The QUEST staff then explained our research methodology (described how we worked together at the LTT in Bulgaria)
- The QUEST staff quickly explained the importance of them all signing all the necessary documents (the grid form, the declaration and the permission for media sharing) and that the papers would be passed during the screening the 6 min movie about the LTT
- Screening of the LTT movie created by QUEST
- Question and answer session
- Distribution of Flyers with the link to the guideline document.
Reception and feedback from the participants of the Multiplier Event:
Many participants expressed enthusiasm and gratitude about finally being able to have a tool in order to capacitate their patients, clients, colleagues, family members and friends about how to navigate the landscape of EAT. Some were expressing this from the viewpoint of receiving therapy, but quite a few were approaching this from the viewpoint of helping colleagues, friends or family members in different fields including youth workers, about how to navigate the different possibilities and avenues of working in the field of EAT.
This abundant feedback received during exchanges during the document signing phase was evidence of how the project result is indeed really filling an existent need felt by all those involved in one or another way in EAT.
