What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Reason to Thrive

Home
Australia
Chelmer, QLD
Reason to Thrive

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Reason to Thrive, Nonprofit Organization, 2 Parker St, Chelmer.

We are a registered charity providing life skills and personal development programs for disengaged/disadvantaged young people, as well as women and their families who have survived family violence, with horses as the teachers.

04/09/2026

What do you think they’re chatting about?

(Side note: this was a couple of weeks ago, sadly the green is fading fast! The recent hot days here in Brisbane have made sure of that)

31/08/2026

What can a 4-day hike in the Australian bush with a horse teach you about life? A lot more than you might think!

This week we hypothetically took the horses on a 4 day survival trek! And when you’re heading out on a 4-day hike with a horse, you quickly realise you can’t take everything with you!

Our teams were only allowed to take 12 items with them (apart from basic food, clothing and water) so, what makes the cut?

What do you need?
What would be nice to have?
What can you leave behind?

It’s a simple activity, but it involves some pretty important life skills:

🔹 Decision making – weighing up what is important and making a choice.
🔹 Prioritising – identifying what is essential and what isn’t.
🔹 Problem solving – thinking ahead about what you might need and what could go wrong.
🔹 Planning and organisation – preparing for the journey rather than simply reacting along the way.
🔹 Teamwork and communication – working together to decide what gets packed and who is responsible for what.
🔹 Managing limited resources – understanding that you can't always have everything you want.
🔹 Adaptability – being prepared to change your plan when circumstances change.
🔹 Responsibility – recognising that your choices affect not only you, but your horse and the rest of your team.

And perhaps one of the biggest lessons…

Sometimes, having less means you have to think more.

This is one of the things we love about Equine Assisted Learning. The horses and the practical activities create real situations where young people can practice skills that are relevant far beyond the arena — skills they can take back into the classroom, their relationships, their families and everyday life.

Because learning doesn't always have to happen sitting at a desk.

Sometimes, it happens while you're standing beside a horse, trying to work out whether you really needed to pack that extra pair of socks or in our facilitator Deb's case....the chocolate! 😉

Tell us what your most essential piece of equipment is for camping in the great Australian bush!

22/08/2026

🌸 Stop and Smell the Flowers 🌸

It’s been a few very busy months here at Reason to Thrive, with lots happening behind the scenes and it's only going to get busier.

Sometimes, in the middle of all the planning, programs and reporting deadlines, you just have to stop for a moment, take a breath and smell the flowers.

A little reminder that amongst the busy days, there are always beautiful moments worth slowing down to notice.

Take the time. You deserve it. 💕🐴

20/08/2026

This week in our Equine Assisted Learning programs, our focus is on communication—particularly active listening and articulation.

When working with horses, participants quickly learn that communication isn't just about the words we use. Horses respond to our tone of voice, body language, energy and how clearly we communicate what we are asking.

Through activities with the horses, participants are learning to active listening—paying attention, taking the time to understand what someone is saying and responding appropriately. They are also working on articulation—being able to clearly express what they are thinking, feeling or asking for.

The horses provide honest, immediate and non-judgmental feedback. If our communication isn't clear, they may not respond in the way we expect. This gives participants the opportunity to stop, think, try a different approach to communicate more clearly.

These are skills that can make a real difference beyond the arena—at school, at home and in friendships and relationships.

Because good communication isn't just about speaking.
It's about listening, understanding and being able to make yourself heard.

31/07/2026

Today we celebrate the beautiful horses who work alongside us each day, changing lives in ways that words often can't express.

Thank you for your patience, your kindness and your remarkable ability to meet every person exactly where they are. You ask for nothing in return, yet you give so much.

Your gentle presence helps create a safe space where young people, women and families can grow, heal and discover strengths they never knew they had.

Thank you for the countless moments you share with us and for the extraordinary role you play in every Reason to Thrive program.

Happy Birthday to each and every one of you. May your day be filled with extra carrots, scratches, treats and all the love you so richly deserve.

As if our wonderful horses weren't enough to celebrate today, they also share their birthday with someone incredibly special to Reason to Thrive—our Business Development Manager, Julie Tom.

Julie, thank you for your unwavering dedication, determination and wonderful sense of humour. Your passion, vision and tireless commitment have been instrumental in helping Reason to Thrive grow into the organisation it is today.

Wishing you a very happy birthday, Julie, and thank you for everything you do. We hope you have a truly wonderful day celebrating! 🎉🎂💜

30/07/2026

Getting some steps in between groups this morning!

25/07/2026

We've been a little quiet on social media lately—our apologies! We'll be trying to keep you up to date with our news more regularly this term.

We have been busy for a good reason. Thanks to the Queensland Government's Early Intervention funding, demand for our programs has been exceptionally strong.

Our focus over the past two terms has been on building new partnerships and delivering our programs, making it a busy but incredibly rewarding time. We've been delighted to welcome three new schools and several new support agencies to Reason to Thrive and are looking forward to providing even more schools and community organisations across Brisbane, Ipswich, the Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba with the opportunity to experience our Equine Assisted Learning programs next term.

As always, the privacy of our participants comes first. While we'd love to share more of what happens at Reason to Thrive, we can only post photos where we have consent. We hope you enjoy this small snapshot of some of the participants from our Maverick programs and Women's Workshops so far this term.

We're looking forward to another full term of incredible learnings thanks to our very special four-legged teachers. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the work we do.

23/06/2026

Our outdoor classroom today under the beautiful clear Gatton winter skies. We are having such a special week up there working with a local school.

22/06/2026

Best time ever undercover and in the sand at Gatton! Our office for the next few days!
More tomorrow.

16/06/2026

SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!

This term, a group of young men from Milpera State High School achieved something no other group has achieved in any of our programs to date....100% attendance. Every participant. Every session, every week for 8 weeks!

While attendance may seem like a simple statistic, for many young people facing challenges in life, consistently showing up can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.

What made this achievement even more special was that these young men didn't just turn up—they engaged. They challenged themselves, supported one another, stepped outside their comfort zones, and embraced every opportunity to learn and grow alongside our horses.

Week after week, we watched confidence build, communication improve, leadership emerge, and friendships strengthen. Most importantly, we saw a group of young men choose to invest in themselves and their futures.

To the boys from Milpera, thank you for your commitment and your willingness to have a go. We are incredibly proud of every one of you and can't wait to see where your journey takes you next.

A huge thank you also to the staff at Milpera State High School for their ongoing support and belief in the power of experiential learning and a special thank you to our uni student Bridget for being such a wonderful support in this program.

Sometimes success starts with something as simple as showing up. This group showed up every single time.

Address

2 Parker St
Chelmer, QLD
4068

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://reasontothrive.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Reason to Thrive posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Reason to Thrive:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Chelmer?