ACES: Online Community for Staying
Active, Connected, Engaged and Stimulated  

ACES has been developed by a group of Recreation Therapy students from Concordia University under the supervision of Recreotherapy in response to the significant social isolation and lack of stimulation many people are experiences due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The purpose of the project is to create an online community and offer free online sessions for individuals of all ages and abilities, as part of the pilot project.
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This summer, we are offering paid 1:1 recreational therapy services with our contractors (sliding scale available, details below), as well as free online group sessions (depending on COVID guidelines, we might organise outdoor sessions too) that would help keep you moving, learning, creating, connecting and recharging from home. 1:1 session activities will be personalized and based on your needs, interests and strengths in order to meet your goals, improve your overall well-being and have fun!

Based on the Pillars of Brain Health

Pricing:

• 1:1 in person: $40/h (flexible start date; semi-private option available)​​

• 1:1 online: $30/h (flexible start date; semi-private option available) 

• ACES Program: FREE/by donation on Daana (6 weeks starting June 7)

Sliding Scale Guidelines:​

The ACES Summer Program will employ a sliding scale fee to adapt to your financial situation and needs for a limited number of participants. This pricing is available for 1:1 online sessions only:

• Full price ($30/h)- This is the actual cost of the program. By paying full price, you are acknowledging your relative economic privilege in this world and can help make this program more accessible for others.

• 50% discount ($15/h) - This price is for those who are able to meet their basic needs but have little-to-no expendable income. Paying for this program may qualify as a sacrifice but it would not create hardship. This is available for up to 3 participants.

• Pay-What-You-Can ($0-$15) - This price is available for those who struggle to meet basic needs and paying for this program would create significant hardship. This is available for up to 3 new participants.

Diane Dupuis leading daily GROOVE dance lessons through our ACES program, open to 14+, any abilities, on Zoom.

Our interns Alice and Leah leading the Virtual Travel and Museum Visit activity for the ACES program on Zoom.

Program Testimonials

A written testimonial by Véronique Graton:

"... it is largely through your activities that I finally found the motivation and the tools to find a way to express myself and to set short and long term goals in order to restore balance in my life. At first glance, I do not have a disability, and I am not identified as someone with special needs. But in a pandemic context, it seems obvious to me that all individuals have special needs. Through the mindful art activity, I learned to express myself through the arts, and I also learned to do it without concern for performance. Being able to express myself in a different way has made a huge difference for me over the past few months. Through the Learn to rise activity, I learn to set goals for myself to grow, while putting emphasis on my strengths and talents. I can also mention the fact that my mother, whom we welcomed into our home for several months, also benefited from your activities and she still does now, even though she is not living with us anymore.

The advantages of Recreotherapy are numerous: being able to participate virtually if desired; many activities are free, and it is possible to contribute voluntarily; the activities promote inclusiveness, which is extremely rewarding; TRs (Therapeutic Recreation Specialists) are caring and we give them an opportunity to develop professionally and personally, which is important for the community.

This type of social resource is infinitely beneficial and valuable for the communities. I find it essential to promote it in such a way that people can benefit from it. This must be done with the help and support of government programs. I also think that it would be important for it to be accessible to a French-speaking clientele, although I found that the specialists showed flexibility.  As I have often mentioned to Alice, who did one of her internships at the school where I teach, I find that the university therapeutic recreation program is not well known in the French-speaking school environment and I see how valuable this  resource is. If you would like to use part of this sharing  (or the entire message),do not hesitate to do so.

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I would like to thank all the specialists, TR students and collaborators who have made a big difference in my life over the past few months. I also want to thank you personally for setting up this program, I am sincerely very grateful.