Strengthening Youth Mental Wellness Through School and Community Partnerships
We Believe That the Downward Trend in Youth Mental Wellness Can be Reversed. We All Need to Play Our Part.
It’s why we choose to partner with schools and community organizations and collaborate to support youth in our community. Together, our impact is multiplied, and we can ignite real change.
All of our programs are customizable and flexible, allowing us to work together to meet your students' needs, support staff, and enhance Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
Learn About Our
Youth Mental Wellness Programs
PAWS Wellness Support Program
We support student wellness by providing middle school and high school students with an opportunity to interact with registered wellness support dogs during school or extracurricular activities. These student-dog interactions can reduce stress, enhance social interactions, provide motivation for learning, and bring joy and comfort to students, teachers, counselors, and staff to create a more nurturing school environment.
Alpaca Farm Experience
Our Alpaca Farm Experience gives teens and pre-teens the space to slow down and reconnect—with nature, with animals, and with each other. Led by Kathleen Ford, a school psychologist and PATH-certified Equine Specialist, this experience combines the calming presence of alpacas with nature-based activities that nurture mindfulness, reduce stress, spark creativity, and foster meaningful connection.
Mindful Arts Program
Middle and high school students are invited to take part in nature exploration and creative art making in a curriculum developed and facilitated by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Registered Art Therapist. The program aims to teach mindfulness practices, emphasize the healing power of nature, and enhance students’ sense of connection, collaboration, and confidence in creative expression.
“The average student spends 50% of the school year (August - May) in school learning, which is about 1,300 hours a year in education. The average student spends 1,700 hours a year engaged in social media platforms. That is about 5 hours a day, which is about 500 more hours a year than they are getting in school… As educators, I firmly believe that if we have access to our kids–we have them for 1,300 hours in a school year, and we understand the crisis that we’re in…it’s unacceptable not to take care of their mental wellness during the school day.”
- Amy, School Counselor
Research-Informed Programs Designed to Support Mental Wellness and Develop Social-Emotional Skills
We don’t just incorporate animal-assisted activities or creative expression because they’re engaging (though our animals are adorable, and art is undeniably fun). Each of our programs is thoughtfully designed using research-informed practices that support youth mental wellness and strengthen social-emotional learning (SEL) skills.
Our Mindful Arts Program and Alpaca Farm Experience are facilitated by trained professionals who use nature, art, and animal-assisted techniques to foster mindfulness, empathy, and emotional regulation—key components of SEL.
To ensure that our PAWS Wellness Support Program is grounded in evidence and best practices, we’ve partnered with Purdue University’s Dr. Leanne Nieforth, a researcher specializing in human-animal interaction. Through this collaboration, we’ve developed:
Volunteer Training: Evidence-based instruction for PAWS handlers on mental wellness and the benefits of human-animal interaction
Educator Resources: A toolkit for schools and community partners explaining how the PAWS Program supports student mental health and key SEL skills like self-awareness, empathy, and decision-making.
Begin Your Partnership With Kindling Minds
Whatever type of support you’re looking for as a school or community organization, we’d love to chat with you. We can offer a range of options from one-time visits to weekly sessions, big groups of children or smaller groups, access to mental wellness education resources, staff support, and more. Arrange a chat so we can discuss your specific situation and how we can best support you.
We’ll Work Well Together If…
You have a point person we can coordinate with.
You’re willing to share our training and resources with your staff.
You’re willing to give us regular feedback.
You’re willing to partner with us to apply for grants, raise awareness, and encourage donations so we can keep our PAWS Wellness Support Program sessions free of charge.
“Kindling Minds has been an amazing organization to work with. Each week, a therapy dog and their handler attend one of our Mindsight small group sessions. The therapy dog is a great asset to the group and serves as a greeter when the students enter the room and a support to each student as they talk and share. Kindling Minds is organized and is in constant communication with our school. We plan to extend our small group and continue this program throughout the school year.”
- Melissa, High School Counselor
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A growing body of research supports the positive effects of animal-assisted, nature-based, and mindful art experiences on mental wellness. Below are a few key studies and articles that inform and inspire our work:
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Yes and no.
At Kindling Minds, we refer to our registered dogs as wellness support dogs rather than using the term “therapy dogs”.
While these dogs are often called therapy dogs in other programs, we chose the term wellness support dog to more accurately reflect the nature of our work. Our dogs provide emotional support, comfort, and connection, but our visits are not clinical, and our volunteer handlers are not licensed mental health professionals.
We like to say that our PAWS Teams are therapeutic, but not therapy. The impact they have is real and powerful, offering calm, confidence, and joy to the youth we serve as part of a broader approach to building mental wellness.
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We’re committed to making our programs as accessible as possible while honoring the time and expertise of our facilitators. Here’s a breakdown of what each program costs — and how your support helps us serve more students:
PAWS Wellness Support Program
We offer this program at no cost to schools and community organizations because we believe every student deserves access to the powerful benefits of human-animal connection. While our handlers are volunteers, this is our most resource-intensive program — each visit costs Kindling Minds approximately $250 to operate. Visit our Give page to help keep PAWS free for the students who need it most.Alpaca Farm Experience
$400 per 2-hour session for up to 10 students.
This fee helps cover the cost of our trained facilitators and staff.Mindful Arts Program
$1,500 for a 6-week series.
Led by qualified professionals, this fee supports program design, facilitation, and materials.
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We carry out a number of checks, including:
Interviews
Application forms
Criminal background checks
Training
Shadowing sessions, where new volunteers learn from experienced ones
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We currently work with 4th to 12th-grade students.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank You to Our Partners
School Partners
Crispus Attucks High School
Guerin Catholic High School
IPS Mary Nicholson School #70
Options Noblesville
Options Westfield
Pike High School
St. Maria Goretti
The Orchard School
University High School
Westfield High School
Community Partners
Carmel Clay Public Library
Carmel Youth Assistance Program
Community First Bank of Indiana
Elements Financial
Fishers Youth Assistance Program
Glick Philanthropies
Hamilton County Community Foundation
Healthcare Initiatives, Inc.
Katz, Sapper & Miller
Latham Foundation
Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY)
National Charity League
Old National Bank
Rector Family Foundation
Robbie's Hope
Stone Farm
Toomer Family Foundation
Westfield High School Clubs: Best Buddies