Youth programs at Beautiful Together Animal Sanctuary are designed to nurture empathy and connection through meaningful experiences with animals. Our programs support children through academic enrichment, creative learning, and opportunities to build emotional awareness and self-regulation in a calm, supportive environment.
By spending time with animals, children develop compassion, confidence, and a deeper understanding of care and responsibility. At the same time, our animals benefit from positive socialization and enrichment.
Beautiful Together was formed in 2014 as a non-profit organization focused on supporting the vulnerable and the voiceless, with an initial emphasis on improving the lives of children waiting for families around the world.
Our mission has evolved locally to support – and to create more opportunities for – children living in Chapel Hill and the broader Triangle Community of North Carolina.
Today we bring animals in need of refuge together with children as a way to connect two vulnerable populations in a way that is meaningful for both – and benefits us all.
Research backs up what most people already know: Children turn to animals when experiencing stress, anxiety, depression or loneliness. Connecting homeless pets who need socialization and affection with children who experience joy and comfort by spending time with them is the manifestation how we can all be more Beautiful Together.
We started hosting these no-fee programs out at our sanctuary’s lush farmland and forest in 2021 in partnership with Hargraves Community Center. What we have learned along the way has been plentiful, but one thing stands out the most: bringing rescue pets and children together in a peaceful and natural setting has only served to amplify this curative connection.
These small-group sessions, fully subsidized thanks to The Katie Baker Scholarship, are designed for youth ages 6-15. Organized by age and offered in girls’, boys’, and co-ed groups, each 45-minute session offers guided discussions in a supportive setting,
followed by an optional 30 minutes of hands-on animal care: feeding, brushing, playing, or simply spending quiet time with puppies, kittens, and cats at the sanctuary.
Programs take place across our Welcome Center, Cat Cafe, and outdoor spaces on our expansive sanctuary property. Each age group focuses on meaningful themes, such as building friendships and self-awareness, navigating peer dynamics, and recognizing emotional self-regulation.
Our sessions are facilitated by graduate students in UNC’s dual Master’s/PhD Social Work program. These facilitators bring experience in group work, therapeutic programming, and animal–assisted youth engagement – ensuring a safe, supportive, and meaningful experience for every participant.
