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Nova's Ark

Nova's Ark is an organization located in Brooklin, Ontario, on Cedarbrook Trail, which promotes inclusion and acceptance for children, youth and adults with special needs. With ten acres of land, this farm is quite unique in many ways. In May 2005, Mary-Ann Nova, president and founder of Nova's Ark, had her dream come to life, when her organization became a registered charity. Nova's Ark houses over 200 animals which are able to introduce Animal-assisted therapy to families with many emotional, cognitive and social issues. The animals on the farm, not only provide animal therapy, but also promote communication, social interaction, comfort, provide life lessons and responsibility, and lastly teach that all life is important.

When Nova's Ark first opened there were only 50 therapy animals, 4 special needs children and 5 youth volunteers which ran for one week of summer camp . To this day there are not only more animals, but more programs and opportunities as well. The organization now runs year round and is supported by private, corporate and service donations.

The programs are run with the help of youth volunteers, who are ages 12 and up. These volunteers can also collect their hours of service and use them towards their high school diploma or collect them for Nova's Ark awards which can lead to different coloured shirts, representing different aspects of the volunteer team. Volunteers who are under 18 must attend a volunteer meeting with a parent or guardian, in order to begin this new adventure to help others. Mary-Ann Nova proposed the idea of a "circle of friends" which is the group of children, youth and adults, who may attend or be volunteering on the farm for many of the different programs that Nova's Ark offers. The therapy animals may also be considered part of the circle of friends which all contribute to a unique learning experience and a chance to create unforgettable friendships.

Programs

There are several different programs that provide great opportunities to children and adults with varying abilities but also programs that can assist college students, and schools/classes. The programs range from many different times, seasons and sessions. The volunteers are a large part of this organization and help greatly when facilitating activities, group games and animal therapy with and for all of the children, youth and adults who attend Nova's Ark.

Summer Camp Program

The summer camp begins in July and goes until the end of August, each camper and their family can select the week or weeks they would like to attend. Each week in the summer consists of many different activities such as creek activities, craft making and creating, animal therapy, work experience, group games, and much more. Many of these activities being lead by the volunteers, creating an unstructured environment for campers to select which activities they would like to complete for the day. The campers can do so from a chart which they are given, that allows them to check off different activities they have completed.

Week Day Sessions- "Out of the Box"

The program is the weekday programming which beings in September and goes until the end of June. During this program children, youth, and adults with different abilities can attend this program as many days as they would like. Similar to the summer camp program, those who attend are able to complete many different unstructured activities throughout the day, though the volunteers or mentors consist of Social Service Workers, Child and Youth Workers, Occupational Therapists, and Nursing students. These students come from colleges and universities all over Ontario.

Education Placement Programs

This program provides a hands on experience to those in the following programs; Social Service Workers, Child and Youth Workers, Occupational Therapists, and Nursing students. These college and university students have the opportunity to learn new skills in their field, create and implement activities, learn about different needs and so much more.

High school students also have the opportunity to complete their cooperative education program at Nova's Ark. They are able to achieve the required credits for a class or more than one class while learning many different skills, such as gaining work place experience.

Work Experience

This programs allows secondary schools or other groups/individuals to develop work experience skills to assist them both in the classroom and in the community. These individuals can participate in building new things, cleaning stalls, feeding animals and much more. Working together as team will contribute to communication skills and social skills.

Therapy Animals

The 200 therapy animals consist of many different species, breeds, sizes, and colours. Some of the animals have their own enclosures outside similar to a barn where the horses may stay, or the enclosure for the kangaroos and wallabies, which is a barn like building that is fenced, with an outside field to roam. Some animals such as the snakes, lizards, and turtles live inside the main house in tanks and other enclosures. There is even a nursery room for all new members of the animal family, or young animals who are being introduced to the new environment. There are also several rodents such as many guinea pigs, and rabbits. Therapy animals can be so much more than just dogs and cats, they consist of exotic animals, farm animals, amphibians, and even reptiles and at Nova's Ark these animals provide a unique experience.