Delivery Furries Bring Joy to New York City Children
In Title 1 schools, where students often face compounded challenges related to poverty and community stressors, therapy dogs are proving to be invaluable partners in promoting healing and skill-building.
For over 15 years, the New York City organization Fair Shake for Youth has been using therapy dogs to help middle school students build stronger social and emotional skills. Founded and led by Audrey Hendler, the organization has assisted nearly 4,000 students, providing them with affection, comfort, and emotional support that contribute to their emotional healing and skill development.
The dogs, trained to be calm, social, and adaptable, are effective in school settings where children may experience stress, anxiety, and trauma. They help reduce stress and anxiety, encourage social interaction, support emotional healing, and improve communication and cognitive goals.
In small group settings, dogs act as emotional "foils," mirroring students' emotions to help them develop compassion and resilience. They also serve as a foil for discussing personal issues, such as the need for space or time out.
Fair Shake for Youth's model offers students a safe space to heal through challenges with the help of registered therapy dogs. The organization runs two ten-week cycles in the fall and spring, during which students can participate in various activities designed to help them develop their social and emotional skills.
The therapy dogs are not just limited to school settings. Audrey Hendler started her work with therapy dogs by helping inmates train them through programs like Puppies behind Bars. She observed the positive impact of puppies on inmates' social emotional skills and decided to extend this service to adolescents in low-income communities.
The organization initially focused on an alternative detention program for teens involved in the juvenile justice system but has since expanded its focus to middle school students. The speaker has noticed an increase in students who are behind, not only academically but socially, due to the impact of COVID-19.
Fair Shake for Youth is always looking for registered furry volunteers and humans to join their team. They are committed to providing these essential services at no cost to the schools and communities they serve.
In addition to helping students manage their emotions and develop social skills, the therapy dogs also help students understand and discuss pre-judging others based on their appearance. This is a crucial aspect of social-emotional learning, especially in diverse school communities.
In conclusion, therapy dogs are proving to be valuable partners in trauma-informed care and social-emotional learning initiatives in low-income school settings. They offer a nonjudgmental presence that helps address emotional and social needs in a supportive way, promoting healing and skill-building effectively and compassionately.
- In their home-and-garden, therapy dogs from Fair Shake for Youth also provide comfort and emotional support to students during personal development and self-growth activities.
- To further enhance their lifestyle, students participating in the program may find books on education-and-self-development relating to mental health, resilience, and empathy to pair with their therapy dog experiences.
- In some instances, it is essential for students to have a quiet, peaceful environment to care for their pets during moments of stress or anxiety, as this helps promote emotional healing and personal growth.
