Inclusive Programs Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Nature: Accessible for All

In this video members of the Adult Program from Kingsway Learning Center in Moorsetwon, NJ participate in Field Day at Rancocas Creek Farm to learn garden skills and build on community engagement.

This video features a short interview with Ivette is the founder and CEO of Allies In Caring, Inc., a Hammonton-based nonprofit organization providing mental health counseling and educational services to Latino, deaf and other undeserved populations. As a Mexican-born child of deaf parents, Guillermo-McGahee has a deep understanding of the abilities and strengths in people rather than their deficits or illnesses. Ivette is also on the Board of Trustees at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.

New Jersey’s natural waters from the shore to the Pinelands are a central part of outdoor community, recreation and sport, and for over twelve years Ocean Positive’s Blue Journey Unified program has been ensuring that those with and without physical challenges have ongoing opportunities to come together in, on and by the waters we love. Ocean Positive’s Bruckner Chase has developed adaptive aquatic sports programs from Australia to South Jersey and in this Access Nature Forum he will share his experiences in developing operational plans, safety protocols, outreach initiatives, and equipment resources to allow everyone to realize the fitness, health, and well-being benefits of being outdoors on and in the water together.

Check out the amazing work our Nature Accessible for All partner – Ocean Positive is undertaking with the launch of a new collaboration with Jefferson University.

Ocean Positive creates programs and opportunities for sustainable positive impacts on the health, well-being, safety and strength of our oceans and communities.

Blue Journey Unified Programs (BJUP) offers adults living with Spinal Cord Injuries, Disorders and Movement Challenges (SCI/D/MC) the opportunities to play, train and compete year around in open water sport disciplines of paddle-boarding, swimming and kayak. The program offers pool training (swimming and prone paddle-boarding) in the winter and open-water prone paddle-boarding, kayak and swimming programming in the summer.

Blue Journey Unified innovative program:
– Brings together a community of adult athletes and professionals in sustainable partnerships
– Provides people with SCI/D/MC the opportunity to train, play or compete alongside non-SCI/D/MC or Challenged friends and family to take part in both adaptive and non-adaptive community aquatic sports events
– Provides an activity that increases flexibility as a result of the unique prone position, sense of balance from the work involved in staying on the board, and endurance, cardiovascular health, strength, and resulting mobility from the regular physical activity.

Measurable goals for BJUP include:
– Increased physical capacity and well-being measured by flexibility, endurance, strength, mobility, and sense of balance
– Increased community participation measured by attendance at or participation in BJUP practice sessions, multi-discipline aquatic events, and other non-aquatic activities with BJUP team members
– Increased Quality of life measured by Spinal Cord Injury–Quality of Life (SCI-QOL)
– Reach out about pop-up paddles and other sessions in some new waters.

Want to host a session in waters closer to your home for a team or community? Contact Ocean Positive via email and they will work with you about setting up sessions.