"Inclusive Paths


Objectives
Implementation: What activities are you going to implement?
We will implement activities including the development of a training curriculum for professionals and volunteers, stakeholder consultations, pilot testing of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), and creating a digital platform for sharing best practices and resources. Additionally, we will organize workshops and dissemination events to promote the project outcomes and ensure broad accessibility and sustainability.
Results: What project results and other outcomes do you expect your project to have?
We expect our project to deliver a validated training curriculum for Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), documented best practices, and an accessible digital platform. These outcomes will enhance the skills of professionals and volunteers, support the mental health and educational engagement of vulnerable adolescents, and provide sustainable resources that can be used across different educational and therapeutic settings.
Please select the most relevant priority according to the objectives of your project.
HORIZONTAL: Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth and sport
If relevant, please select up to two additional priorities according to the objectives of your project.
YOUTH: Reinforcing links between policy, research and practice
YOUTH: Strengthening the employability of young people
Please select up to three topics addressed by your project
Inclusion of marginalised young people
Physical and mental health, well-being
Creating new, innovative or joint curricula or courses
Please describe the motivation for your project and explain why it should be funded.
This project, Inclusive Paths: Animal-Assisted Interventions for Wellbeing, responds to the urgent need to support vulnerable adolescents struggling with mental health issues and low school attendance, challenges that have worsened in recent years due to global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Conventional support systems often fail to address these complex needs, leaving many adolescents isolated and at risk of long-term social and academic failure.
Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) offer a novel, engaging alternative for adolescents who do not respond to traditional therapies. Research, including studies by O’Haire (2017) and Nimer and Lundahl (2007), has demonstrated that AAIs are particularly effective in reducing stress, improving emotional resilience, and creating a safe, non-judgmental space for engagement. By integrating animals for example horses and donkeys into the educational, therapeutic process, vulnerable youth, can talk and finally discover how they are experiencing emotions starting from the bodies. Embodied education tour the experience. with emotional healing in a way that feels accessible and inclusive.
Furthermore, the program is designed to be adaptable to the diverse needs of participants, including those with physical or neurodevelopmental challenges. The project not only promotes emotional well-being but also improves school attendance and social participation, contributing to better academic performance and social inclusion.
Engaging local schools, communities, and organizations ensures the project’s long-term sustainability, allowing successful strategies to be replicated in other regions. By aligning with the Erasmus+ priority of “Inclusion and Diversity,” the project provides an innovative and scalable solution to the challenges faced by vulnerable adolescents today.
What are the objectives you would like to achieve and concrete results you would like to produce? How are these objectives linked to the priorities you have selected?
The project sets out to achieve several key objectives:
– Improve Mental Health and Well-Being: By implementing Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), the project aims to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress among vulnerable adolescents by 30% within the first year. This approach leverages the therapeutic benefits of interactions with horses and donkeys to enhance emotional resilience and create a supportive environment.
– Increase School Attendance and Engagement: Targeting adolescents with historically low attendance rates due to mental health challenges, the project seeks to increase regular school attendance by 20% and improve participation in extracurricular activities by 50%. This objective aims to foster a sense of belonging and academic achievement among participants.
– Build Social Skills and Peer Relationships: Through structured group activities and peer interactions facilitated by AAIs, the project aims to enhance social skills and promote meaningful relationships among participants. This objective is critical for reducing feelings of isolation and promoting inclusive social environments.
– Develop a Sustainable AAI Model: The project will develop a comprehensive toolkit and training curriculum based on best practices identified through research and stakeholder consultations. By the end of the project, the toolkit will be disseminated to at least 50 organizations across Europe, ensuring the sustainability and scalability of AAIs in diverse settings
Needs analysis
What needs do you want to address by implementing your project?
This project addresses the critical need to support vulnerable adolescents struggling with mental health challenges, as highlighted by the WHO report on adolescent mental health (2021). The report states that one in seven adolescents worldwide faces mental health issues, with anxiety and depression being common. These challenges often lead to poor school attendance, resulting in academic underachievement and social exclusion.
One key objective of this project is to improve school attendance and foster social inclusion. Mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem are significant barriers to regular attendance. Chronic absenteeism leads to disengagement, lower academic engagement and increased risks of isolation and future disadvantages, including limited employment opportunities (Kearney, 2016). This project aims to bring students closer to regular attendance by addressing the root causes of absenteeism.
The project introduces Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) as a therapeutic approach to re-engage adolescents. AAIs and embodied education provide a supportive environment where young people can address mental health challenges in a safe and accessible way. Research shows that animals can reduce stress and promote emotional regulation (Beetz et al., 2012), helping students reconnect with school and consider returning.
The project also focuses on building social skills and fostering belonging. Adolescents frequently absent from school often feel isolated and disconnected, which further discourages attendance. AAIs help develop peer relationships and integrate adolescents into a listening supportive community, promoting social inclusion. A strong sense of belonging improves academic engagement and outcomes (Osterman, 2000).
AAIs also offer an alternative therapeutic approach for those who may not connect with traditional therapies. The experiential, non-verbal nature of AAIs helps participants feel more comfortable in the therapeutic process.
Finally, by involving local schools, communities, and organizations, the project ensures long-term sustainability. This collaborative effort provides ongoing support, helping students maintain progress and stay engaged in their educational journey. Research shows that community involvement in educational and mental health initiatives enhances their long-term success (Bickman, 2016)
What are the target groups of the project?
- Young People Aged 11-16 with Low School Attendance: This group struggles with school attendance due to underlying mental health challenges or personal circumstances. It is crucial to provide support to help them overcome barriers to education and improve their mental well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that mental health is essential for educational success, and targeted interventions can enhance school participation (WHO, 2021).
- Adolescents with Mental Health Challenges: Issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress impact their ability to engage in school and social activities. Access to effective therapeutic interventions is vital for helping them manage these conditions, as supported by academic research (Kessler et al., 2005). Such interventions can help restore a sense of control and purpose in their lives.
- Socially Isolated Adolescents: Many young people feel disconnected from their peers, experience loneliness, and have limited social networks. This isolation often exacerbates their mental health challenges, leading to further disengagement from school. Recent studies show that social isolation is linked to increased depression (Cohen & Wills, 1985). It is essential to provide opportunities for developing social skills and building peer relationships to promote inclusion.
- Adolescents Resistant to Traditional Therapies: Some young people require alternative methods that better resonate with them. Innovative interventions, such as Animal-Assisted Activities (AAAs), can offer effective pathways for improving mental health and encouraging school re-engagement (Kellert, 2005).
- Youth Workers: Professionals and volunteers who work directly with children in school or at animal facilities often have backgrounds in animal training or pedagogy. They need specialized skills to integrate this training effectively within specific groups. Training in innovative methods, like AAAs, is crucial for enhancing their effectiveness.
How will this project address these needs?
This project provides specialized training in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) for educators, mental health professionals, and volunteers, equipping them to implement these interventions effectively. To ensure high-quality support for vulnerable adolescents, this training will be delivered by qualified professionals with expertise in AAIs and mental health.
The project establishes communication channels and platforms for sharing resources and best practices among partners, fostering a collaborative environment where professionals can learn from one another, adapt successful strategies, and maintain consistency in delivering AAIs.
By integrating AAIs into existing educational and mental health frameworks, the project offers a unique, non-judgmental approach that reduces stress, builds resilience, and encourages school re-engagement, particularly for adolescents who are disengaged or socially isolated.
Additionally, standardized tools will be utilized to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, ensuring responsiveness to adolescents’ needs and facilitating continuous improvement. Parents and caregivers will be actively involved, receiving guidance and resources to support their children’s participation in AAIs, thereby reinforcing positive effects at home.
Moreover, the project will train volunteers and community workers to implement AAIs, broadening engagement efforts beyond schools and providing consistent support within local communities. The formation of collaborative working groups will further enhance the effectiveness of the training and and support initiatives, ensuring a comprehensive and professional approach to addressing the needs of all stakeholders.

Title: Inclusive Paths: Animal-Assisted Interventions for Wellbeing
Running dates: January 2025 – December 2026
Programme: Erasmus+ KA220-YOU – Cooperation partnerships in Youth
ID number: 2024-2-SE02-KA220-YOU-000295253
We aim to improve the mental health and social inclusion of vulnerable adolescents through Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), increase school attendance and social engagement, and enhance the capacity of youth workers and volunteers to support these adolescents effectively. By providing innovative, non-traditional therapeutic embodied educational methods, we seek to reduce isolation, foster social skills, and build a supportive environment for better educational and social outcomes