provinding a sense of purpose for the participants

Participation in the workshops provided participants with a sense of purpose, as the activities in which they engaged were meaningful and reflective of their contributions to both society and nature. In particular, caregiving activities involving plants and animals fostered reciprocal relationships in which participants cared for nature and, in return, experienced personal growth. Forexample, caring for farm animals helped participants feel calmer and more comfortable, improving their social skills and helping them manage anxiety. The visible positive outcomes of their efforts further enhanced their sense of accomplishment. One participant said: "And then it’s given me plenty of these feelings of success when I’ve planted and potted some plants, and they’ve turned out nice looking…when I managed to use oats to guide the animals hundreds of meters to the other side of their area. Or helped a baby animal back to its mother or won the trust of some skittish animal. I felt like I succeeded there, too" (Interviewee 7).