We couldn’t do this work alone. Below are just some of the amazing community organizations, professional groups, academic institutions and funding agencies we work with to deliver EcoWisdom’s programs and services.
The Individualized Funding Resource Centre (IFRC) is our primary community partner. They promote disabled people living independently in the community with personal support. Together, we have offered numerous programs and services to disability community members.
Technology For Living (TFL) provides assistive devices for individuals living with physical disabilities. They support EcoWisdom by providing technical support for our virtual programming.
Ecospark is a Canadian charity that connects people to their local natural environment. EcoWisdom has worked with Ecospark to develop certification training for the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) in Health and
Wellness referencing nature therapy and mindfulness.
Forest Therapy Hub (FTHub) is an international organization specializing in nature therapy guide training and research. EcoWisdom’s co-founder, Kari Krogh, is an FTHub lecturer.
The Canadian Ecology Centre is an outdoor environmental education centre in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. Here, EcoWisdom has led training on accessible forest bathing for Ontario’s Nature and Forest Therapy Guides.
EcoWisdom has trained Recreation Therapy students at Canadore College in how to offer accessible and virtual nature therapy programs. This was part of the Outdoor and Adventure Recreation course.
EcoWisdom collaborates with Dr. Kristen McEwan of the University of Derby’s School of Health, Psychology and Social Care who has led quantitative and qualitative research studies to investigate the impacts of EcoWisdom’s Accessible Nature Wellbeing Program on participants with mobility impairment and/or low energy.
EcoWisdom collaborated with clinical psychologist Dr. Karolina Balciunaite, who led a study of EcoWisdom’s Accessible Nature Wellbeing Program participants as a doctoral student at the University of Hertfordshire (supervisor: Stephen Pack). Her study investigated changes in connectedness at the level of self, other and nature.
In collaboration with EcoWisdom and under the supervision of Dr. Kirsten McEwan, Jacob Van Haaften, has undertaken data analysis and research dissemination related
to the study of EcoWisdom program impacts on disabled participants. Jacob is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program at Dalhousie University.
EcoWisdom is incredibly grateful to partner with the IFRC to receive grants from the New Horizons for Seniors Program, Government of Canada, to offer a range of community-based nature mindfulness trainings and programs to seniors with disabilities to promote their wellbeing.
EcoWisdom is very pleased to have partnered with both the IFRC and TFL, to receive a highly competitive Healthy Communities Initiative grant, Government of Canada, to promote wellbeing through community-based nature connection programming for
disabled people.