Educational Programs
In addition to educating people about how monkeys can assist individuals who live with severe disabilities, Helping Hands also works to prevent spinal cord injuries from happening. Our Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Program (SCIPP) is presented to thousands of school children and young adults across the country every year. SCIPP informs and educates these young people about safety and the prevention of injuries during biking, diving, playground, and other recreational activities.
The SCIPP program highlights spinal cord injury prevention, disability awareness, and human-animal bonding. This safety and prevention information is critical to children at an early age, because most spinal cord injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 26. The program includes community service activities meant to reinforce its learning elements and to encourage students to share their new knowledge with others.
One reason this community service program is so successful in schools, camps, and youth organizations is that the children are helping others while they are benefiting personally from the spinal cord injury prevention information.
If you are interested in hosting or sponsoring a SCIPP program for your classroom or organization, please contact Andrea Rothfelder in our Office of Public Affairs at (617) 787-4419 or at andrear@monkeyhelpers.org.