These Sask youth say leading an activity program for people with disabilities is pure joy

“I love coming here and I really like hiding underwater like this!”

Twelve-year-old Nash Jacobi takes a giant breath in the University of Saskatchewan’s PAC swimming pool and plunges deep underwater. He’s among the many smiling kids splashing and swimming at the University of Saskatchewan’s Physical Activity for Active Living (PAAL) program.

The program provides people of all ages with physical and/or intellectual disabilities the chance to engage in physical activity, focus on fun and skill development, and make friends. Nash has cerebral palsy and is part of the child and teen group that met once a week at the university throughout the summer.

A smiling dark-hair boy holds onto the edge while swimming at an indoor pool. — Nash Jacobi, 12, counts down the days between the next time he can go to the PAAL program, according to his mother. (Rona Andreas)

Several factors contribute to PAAL’s success, but what stands out to Nash’s mother, Allie Jacobi, is how the program is run entirely by university and high school students.

“It’s great,” she said. “What I love is that it’s getting younger adults involved in learning to work with these kids, and a lot of them are getting into careers like teaching, physiotherapy or speech language pathology.”

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Care and empathy 101

Grade 12 student Kate Hidlebaugh is feeling the joy and exuberance of the kids as they run and jump on obstacles in the gymnastics room of the PAC building. She’s one of several PAAL supervisors making sure everyone is having a good time. She says the experience sparks good memories.

“[I’m] going back into my childhood, like one of the kids,” she said.

A group of kids play in an indoor pool. — Supervisors help support kids as they take part in physical and social activity with the PAAL program. (Rona Andreas)

Joy is a common theme among the young adults supervising the children. Olive Watts graduated from Evan Hardy Collegiate in June and has been with PAAL for two years. She says she loves how the kids can truly be themselves on these nights.

“There’s just something so special about making a kid happy who maybe goes to school and doesn’t always get treated the way they should be,” Watts said.

She recalled a time when the kindness and empathy of the children had a profound impact on her. A boy was hit by a ball during an exercise, and although he was fine, he would not let any volunteers or supervisors near him.

“Then one of his best friends approached him with half of his sandwich and it broke the ice. They started talking and laughing. I actually cried when I saw this. To be able to just see this moment of these two boys, just sitting down talking like there’s not another care in the world, just to really be able to have that connection, was really moving to me,” Watts said.

Stacks of blue and red gym mats are seen in a gym. Atop each stack sit three young woman smiling at the camera. — Kate Hidlebaugh, Olive Watts and Willow Chow are supervisors with the PAAL program. (Rona Andreas)

Willow Chow is in her first year of working with PAAL. The University of Saskatchewan kinesiology student says she feels lucky to connect with the children in meaningful ways.

“I’ve had this happen two times from two kids just coming up and giving me a big hug that makes my day,” Chow said. “I will say that these kids give the biggest bear hugs; like they’re not letting go of you. It makes my day coming here.”

Small victories

Marloes McLeod is one of many parents dropping their children off for PAAL this evening in the gymnastics room. Her 10-year-old son, Carter, quickly says goodbye and runs to see the two volunteers who will spend the evening with him.

A blonde woman in a striped shirt talks to a man wearing headphones and holding a mic, whose back is to the camera. — Marloes McLeod’s son Carter is enrolled in the PAAL program, with McLeod seeing the benefits to him over time. (Rona Andreas)

Carter was born with autism and has a moderate to severe intellectual disability. He is also epileptic. McLeod admits to being a little skeptical about high school and university students running the program, but says they have done an outstanding job of connecting with her son.

“I know in Carter’s first year with PAAL, one of the students was disappointed that he wasn’t progressing as much as they thought he would in the pool. We just talked about small victories, right? When you’re a parent of a child with a disability, it’s all about the wins. Now, Carter can go under the water and grab rings from the bottom. I told the students that this is amazing,” McLeod said.

A black and white photo shows a man with a microphone and a headset interviewing a blonde woman. — Allie Jacobi talks to podcaster Eric Anderson about her son’s involvement in the PAAL program. (Rona Andreas)

Jacobi says the program has been a game-changer for her son and their family, since he joined three years ago. She says she only wishes she had known about the program sooner, as parents of kids with disabilities — particularly those with higher-needs — can often get turned away from programming opportunities.

“They are the ones who kind of need that little break and would love for their kids to enjoy something this.”

Jacobi is grateful for all that PAAL offers her son, and says Nash is not shy about sharing his love for the program and the young adults who facilitate it.

“He talks about PAAL a lot and will ask me, ‘How many days left until PAAL?’ And then once we’re done, he says, ‘I can’t wait to get back here, Mom.'”

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