On November 4, 2016, Raising Gentle’men participants from Immokalee visited the Naples Equestrian Challenge (NEC) and had an opportunity to participate in equine-assisted activities. The young men experienced bathing a horse, learned how to understand horse behavior, and rode horses, some for the first time in their lives.
This was a life changing experience for the young men. Many of them tried to be tough and serious, but quickly began smiling and laughing the entire time. One young man was initially afraid of the horses and learned that there was nothing wrong with how he was feeling and that he could overcome his fear. He eventually got the courage to join the others in bathing and eventually riding the horses and was very proud of his accomplishment.
After the visit, the Raising Gentle’men advocate and young men’s teacher noticed that the students could not stop talking about the horses, and one young man approached his teacher to thank him for taking everyone to NEC. The teacher was so impressed with the change in the young men’s behavior, that he wanted to share their story with the Gentle’men Against Domestic Violence (GADV) Committee to let them know that their support of the Raising Gentle’men Program is making a huge impact on the young boys in our community.
Thank you GADV for what you do to help change lives!
With warm regards,
Bill Villafranco
GADV Chair
