Project GO brings nature-based therapy to youth in southeast Minnesota

A corps of guides are now trained to bring nature-based therapy to youth experiencing trauma in southeast Minnesota. The eleven guides participated in The Healing Forest project sponsored by Project Get Outdoors (Project GO), a Wabasha-based nonprofit working to connect underrepresented youth to nature.
In 2021, Project GO Program Coordinator, Sara Holger, had a transformational experience during her participation in the Nature and Forest Therapy Guide certification training. Wanting to find a way to support other youth-serving professionals in getting this training, Sara worked with trainers at the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides to adapt their certification program for a region-specific cohort. Local youth-serving organizations were then invited to participate in forest therapy walks and learn about the practice of nature-based therapy. Organizations who responded were encouraged to designate a staff member to participate in a year-long cohort to receive nature and forest therapy guide certification.
After securing funds from various regional funders, the cohort kicked off in October 2023 with a six-month, on-line training course followed by a 4-day in-person immersion experience. Over the summer and fall of 2024, cohort members began practicing their guiding skills by leading walks for friends, family and clients and exploring ways to adapt the practice for youth. A final graduation ceremony was held for cohort members during a retreat in September 2024.
Now Project GO is working to connect community organizations across the region to these trained guides. The roster includes Winona guides Gloria Alatorre, Angela Boozhoo, and Alexa Shapiro; Rochester guides Bucky Flores, Laura Lenz, Jade Miles, and Nicole Pokorney; Lanesboro guide Mary Junko-Isle; and Twin Cities guides Madeline McNeil and Luisana Mendez. Another guide from Rochester, Eyita Gaga, moved to Hawaii after the training wrapped up and is working to incorporate forest therapy into her midwife practice.
In addition, Project GO is offering forest therapy presentations and walks for area health care providers and local employers who are interested in nature-based therapy for employee wellbeing. And the organization is working with Winona area partners to pilot a nature-based mindfulness workshop for youth mental health workers who serve students in the Winona Public School District.
The Healing Forest project was made possible with funding provided by Mayo Clinic, the Rochester Area Foundation, Olmsted County Public Health, the Minnesota Department of Health, Gundersen Health System, Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation, Olmsted Medical Center, Bluff Country Co-op, and mi-energy Cooperative.
To learn more, visit the Project Get Outdoors website at www.mnprojectgo.org.