Algonquin Professor Tania Silletta receives Minister’s Award

Posted on Monday, September 28th, 2020

Algonquin College Professor, Tania Silletta, has been selected to receive a Minister’s Award of Excellence for her work in the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) graduate certificate program.

The announcement was made today (September 28) by Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities, Ross Romano. Criterion for the award is based on, among other things, transition to online delivery, community impact and research.

“It’s actions like (Silletta’s) that contribute to our world-class postsecondary sector,” said Romano.

When then pandemic struck this spring, Silletta along with program coordinator Patricia Robson, developed virtual placements for Algonquin TR students. The volunteer pilot program was ground-breaking and overwhelmingly successful.

The project needed 80 to 100 participants, and only two weeks after launching the registration page, the placement pilot had reached its capacity. More than 75 diverse participants, some from around the world, were willing to participate. When the program was launched, myAC spoke with Silletta.

“A good number of community organizations, retirement homes and group homes have reached out and asked to collaborate with us to offer more programming to their groups of clients who are currently experiencing high levels of boredom and mental health effects due to isolation. This goes to show how much a virtual service like this one is needed in the community during these times,” said Silletta this spring.

Silletta and Robson recently published an article on this pilot project in the Therapeutic Recreation: Practice and Research Journal. Silletta is also the owner of a private TR practice in Ottawa

TR is a relatively new profession that dates back to the late 1970s. It primarily uses recreation and leisure activities to help people be happy and healthy, improve cognitive function, and maintain community connection. Fitness programs, interactive games that stimulate the brain, arts and crafts, goal-setting exercises, diary writing, and community outings are only some of the activities Recreational Therapists use to help clients meet their objectives.

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