Join-Up International is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1997, that helps Veterans, first responders, at-risk youth and other vulnerable populations find healing through the experience of Monty Roberts’ globally acclaimed Join-Up® and other equine-assisted activities.
What we aim to solve?
Recent data has shown, one in five military personnel (22%) returning from conflict zones has post-traumatic stress. 34% suffer from other mental concerns. Nearly one in four women reported sexual assault while in the military. 22 Veterans in the United States commit suicide each day. They are three times as likely to be under 30. These statistics highlight the importance of the work we do to help Veterans better manage their PTSD/PTSI. Our first responder community suffers equally. Research shows 20% of fire service personnel, and other first responders, pass the diagnostic threshold for PTSD/PTSI at some point in their career. Rates in the general population are around one third of this (6.8%). Additionally, suicide has overtaken line-of-duty deaths for both fire service personnel and law enforcement officers. Police officers are at higher risk of suicide than any other profession. Our programs work to help our service personnel recover from their stress injuries.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Join-Up International goal is to promote gentle, more effective alternatives to violence and force through programs that teach Monty Roberts’ concepts of non-violent, trust-building communication. Horses are used as examples and vehicles for this learning process. It is our intention to leave the world a better place for both horses and humans. Our programs are dedicated to removing violence as a way of coping with stress, and instilling the ability to trust again in persons who have been traumatized and suffer from PTSD/PTSI and other behavioral wellness issues. This is achieved through the deeply healing power of establishing a trusting relationship with horses, without the use of force or violence. It is our intention to return these individuals to their families and communities far better able to function in their everyday lives.
What are the organization’s key strategies for making this happen?
The three-year science trial conducted on the Horse Sense & Healing program has shown the method’s effectiveness in relieving symptoms of post-traumatic stress and increasing quality of life scores. We work with local and national first responder peer-support teams, Veterans organizations, counselors and psychologists to provide our retreats to participants most in need of our help. Our retreats provide effective, lasting solutions for service personnel dealing with post-traumatic stress and other behavioral wellness issues – decreasing symptoms, improving communication skills and relationships, and reducing stress. With your help, we can increase the number of service personnel served by our programs each year, helping to positively impact the brave men and women who sacrifice for our country.
One Response
It is important to support violence-free training, trauma recovery, youth empathy education, global instructor education, and research credibility.
Join-Up International lets us invest in the philosophy itself. It protects the teaching from dilution.
This one matters most long-term.
Every successful method eventually gets: simplified, branded by others, commercialized, and partially misunderstood.
This mission-based organization becomes the reference standard — the keeper of “what Monty actually meant.”