Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Recreation and Graduate Certificate in Environmental Visual Communication (Bundle Program) Fleming College - Sutherland Campus (Peterborough), Canada

Therapeutic Recreation
Therapeutic Recreation professionals use a variety of techniques to help their clients enjoy greater independence, improve their health and well-being, and reduce or eliminate the effects of their illness or disability.

Program Highlights
This three-semester program prepares graduates for work in recreation, health or social service delivery settings. The program is offered in a combination of on-campus and online courses. During the first two semesters, you are required to be on campus two days of each week for the on-campus courses. The remainder of the courses are taken online. The program structure of combined class time and online learning provides you with the flexibility to participate in volunteer activities and to maintain family/work balance. This style of program delivery allows for practitioners currently working in the field to return to school and upgrade their skills without having to leave their job.

On the days you are on not on campus for courses, you’ll have the time to explore a variety of volunteer roles within the profession. This experience will enhance your learning and you will develop valuable industry connections and relationships for placements and possible future employment.

The third semester is a supervised field placement which can take place in the work setting and geographic location of your choice. Assistance to obtain the placement that best suits your goals will be provided.

You will learn specialized skills and how to utilize a wide range of interventions and techniques to improve the physical, cognitive, emotional, social and leisure needs of clients. You will learn to:

• Complete client assessments, working closely with patients/clients/residents and their family members
• Develop and evaluate group and individualized programs
• Use a variety of facilitative techniques, such as arts and crafts, animals, sports, games, dance and movement, drama, and music to assist individuals to participate in meaningful recreational activities
• Help people with disabilities to integrate into the community by teaching them how to use community resources and recreational activities, to foster independence, successful community living and integration

This program is built on strong community links with partners that provide health and wellness services and aligns with current regulating professional standards and competencies. At the heart of the program is the idea that play, recreation and leisure activities benefit people of all ages and abilities.

Environmental Visual Communication
Develop visual communication skills and strategies to inspire environmental awareness and advocacy in this new program offered on-site at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Program Highlights
There is no other program like this in Canada. Positioned at the convergence of science and art, the Environmental Visual Communication program is designed to fill a recognized need for individuals who are passionate about environmental issues and storytelling and who want to effectively engage people to foster change.

With a focus on strategic messaging and technical savvy, you will learn to use photography, videography, multimedia and design principles to bridge environmental competencies with thoughtful communication through diverse media channels. The program takes place in a truly unique learning environment - at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in downtown Toronto.

Throughout the Environmental Visual Communication (EVC) program, you will learn how to identify strategies to inform and educate, garner engagement and support, and build and share campaigns to address conservation issues.

Equipped with hybrid skills and a sense of active environmental stewardship, graduates of this innovative, integrated, and applied program will be able to connect ideas among diverse groups and tell compelling stories with fluency.

Solutions to long-term sustainability are not found solely in the realm of science. Environmental visual communication is an emerging field and its practitioners are key leaders who, through collaboration and deliverables, can build bridges between science and society. The ultimate goal is to motivate the public to care about and become active participants in sustaining our ever-changing world.

Program Learning Outcomes
As a graduate of this program, you will be able to:

• Evaluate global environmental issues, and articulate the relevance of such issues to various stakeholder groups and the general public
• Interpret information and underlying meaning presented in the form and content of a visual image using knowledge of symbols and semantics of visual literacy
• Create innovative photographs, videos, and multimedia pieces that convey a compelling conservation message across a variety of platforms
• Direct and influence marketing and branding strategy in conservation campaigns that bridge gaps between collaborators to strengthen alliances with scientists, NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions
• Manage and disseminate image and video files, including facilitation of online presence using knowledge of digital workflow techniques
• Distill and translate essential messages from scientific and legal documents to public audiences
• Analyze, select and negotiate the psychological factors that motivate people to take action on social issues within a real world experience
• Implement integrated social media management plans that convey strategic messaging through appraisal of social media platforms and selection optimal channels
• Produce and disseminate effective deliverables to meet identified needs and to provide leadership in environmental visual communication