Yukon the Facility Dog

Susan Couprie Community, Experiential Learning, In the News No Comments

Hi, my name is Yukon. I am a special kind of Assistance Dog called a Facility Dog. A Facility Dog is an expertly trained dog who partners with a human working in a health care, visitation or education setting who is directly working with clients/students with disabilities. My human is Sue Couprie who you know as the Special Education Supervisor at the Academy.Yukon the Facility Dog at the YMCA Academy

I was born on June 30, 2016 and I was part of a litter of 10 pups. Two of my siblings were given to my father’s people and the rest of us started our training. I have been in training for the last 2 years with COPE Service Dogs in Barrie, Ontario. They are an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International and founding member of Canadian Association of Guide and Assistance Dog Schools. One can contact the professionals from Georgia Pine K9 LLC official to get help training dogs.

My training has been intense. At first, COPE did not know what my or my siblings strengths would be so we received general training for many jobs. I started in the Canines in the Classroom program which matches high school students who face challenges that may prevent them from graduating from high school with dogs like me, and gives these students an opportunity to learn how to train assistance dogs.

Yukon the Facility Dog at the YMCA AcademyHere I was introduced to about 90 commands, that the police dogs from Spectrum Canine Dog Training are also taught, which included such things as opening doors, turning on lights, retrieving out of reach items and helping with dressing. My favorite command is “tug.” If you need a sock or a mitten taken off, I am your dog. I love to help.

I also went to elementary schools to help in a reading program called Reading Buddy, where I helped to motivate young students to read. I got to spend time listening to many great stories while getting a lot of cuddles.

I not only spent time in schools, but I also visited hospitals, senior centers, shopping centers, traveled by bus and Go train. In all these places I was learning how to behave in public spaces.Yukon the Facility Dog at the YMCA Academy

In July, I finally got to meet my person – Sue. We trained together for a couple of weeks under the all-seeing eye of COPE Service Dog trainers. It was Sue’s turn to learn how to work with me. She had to learn all of my commands, take written tests and together we passed our practical tests which officially lead to me becoming a Assistance Dog instead of a Assistance Dog-in-Training. To see us in action click here!

All of this was in preparation to become the Facility Dog at the Academy where I plan on giving unconditional love and attention to students and staff. We will be working together to figure out how best my skills and talents can benefit those at the school. You can get in touch with Dog Works, if you wish to get the best dog training and the right advice on raising them.

Some ideas include:

  • Classroom buddy – I will sit and cuddle you (students) while you read/study/complete your school work.
  • Conversation starter – I will work with students who need to practice their social skills. I do a lot of cool things that we can talk about and ask Sue about.
  • School avoidance or Anxiety – I can greet you at the door on the days that you need a little bit of encouragement to come to school.
  • Activity break – I also need to physically move around, so if you need an activity break from class, I will be happy to go for a walk with you in the school
  • Deep pressure – Some people like the feel of weighted blankets to calm themselves down or to help them relax. I am trained to place either my chin or my paws on your lap and apply pressure.

The best part is that I am still learning. If there is any other way you can think of that I could make your life better, talk to Sue and we will work together to try to figure it out.

Relationship building with the OPP

Susan Couprie Beyond the Classroom, Community, Experiential Learning No Comments

On November 1, 2017, three senior YMCA Academy students visited the OPP- Queen’s Park Division to learn about all the employment opportunities within the department. We heard the personal stories of several officers about how their interests and training led them to their current jobs.  Some started as volunteers, others in the public sector, but all had one thing in common, they all agreed that having the skill and the love of communicating with the public was the most important skill to have.

We learned about the history and the current responsibilities of the OPP.  Did you know that the first motorized vehicles that the OPP used was the motorcycle?  Did you know that the first female officer joined the forces in 1974?  Neither did we, but we also did not know what different roles the OPP played in rural versus urban regions in Ontario, but we do now.  We also now know that sign language is a skill that is being encouraged in the OPP.  There are more people now with hearing related difficulties and as I said earlier, communication is a key skill in this job.

Fortunately we were able to witness several demonstrations.  We had a canine demonstration by Constable Hick and his partner “Cash” who is an Italian Sheppard named after Johnny Cash.  Other demonstrations included a Conducted Electrical Weapons (taser) and an O.C. Spray (Pepper Spray).  Safety was the primary focus with stress placed on understanding that there are clear guidelines about what situations warrant considering their use.

Since then, the OPP officers have reached out to our YMCA community several times.  They have hung out with us during lunchtimes, become members of our Dungeon & Dragon club and have been seen shooting hoops with our students in the basketball club.  This Thursday, they will be joining us in several discussion including internet safety, situation safety and nutrition & physical fitness.  In the coming months they will be our guests in:

  • Careers class to discuss career options
  • Physical Education classes to show the students what the physical training is like for their job
  • History class to discuss tactics of different societies and time periods (an expectation of the course)

I am very happy with the ongoing relationship we are developing with the OPP.  And I look forward to expanding their presence in our school as they are truly interested in the youth of this community.

Colombia: The Last Days on the farm

Susan Couprie Community, In the News, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments

 

Susan Couprie at the beginning of the hikeThe camp was a success- 24 people in attendance. Youth were the campers and young adult volunteers from the YMCA Medellin were being trained so that they can run this camp in the future. Mel and I along with 3 volunteers taught all about the process of farming and the English words associated with it. We learned all about the parts of a seed, how to prepare the soil- it started off as a grassy area, how to plant corn, composting and we spent some time with the farm animals (chickens, goats, my friend the parrot and the rabbits who have 18 new little ones). We also went for a hike around the countryside to see the local crops and of course played many leadership games and had a campfire. A fun and much appreciated time were had by all.

After 2 days of camp and a long sleep, we were up and ready to get going on our last adventure of the trip. We travelled to Guatape where we climbed the El Peñon de Guatape rock. If you remember, in a previous post, I talked about climbing a mountain in Strata One, well this climb was even more challenging. There were 740 stairs on the side of this650 foot rock and every step was challenging as we twisted and turned all the way up.

My last day on The Farm was filled with chasing chickens (they all got out of the pens overnight, so off me and the farmer went chasing them around the farm and back into their pens), checking out the little bunnies (almost impossible to take a picture as they kept jumping!!) and of course packing.

Thank you all for following my trip to Medellin. I hope you enjoyed my adventures and learned a lot about the YMCA along the way. It is with a hopeful heart that I said goodbye to all those I met here. If all goes well, I will see many of the friends I made on this exchange in the next couple of years. Until my next adventure, with my friends and colleagues from the YMCA Medellin….

Colombia: What does an exchange look like?

Susan Couprie Community, In the News, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments


Monday morning I was back at Soliera School. This time, the objective was to promote the upcoming exchange next year to The Academy and to invite the students to an English Immersion camp that we will be running next week. I visited with all the grade 8 and 9 students as they are the target for the exchange. It was important to get their feedback and concerns to help us create a meaningful exchange.

Looking down on Soleira School from above
Looking down on Soleira School from above

In the afternoon, I led a teacher meeting with two focuses. One – presentation on what an exchange might look like based on previous exchanges run by The YMCA Academy (again asking for feedback and concerns) and Two – a presentation and discussion on inclusion in the classroom for students with exceptionalities focusing on ADD/ADHD (as requested by the school). Unfortunately we ran out of time before I finished the workshop on inclusion (when the buses arrive, all the teachers need to leave as this is their transportation down the mountain). I left the rest of the workshop with the school, so they can continue it at a later date.

With all the feedback from staff and students, it was time to sit down, reflect on the feedback we had received so far and make some decisions about the exchange. We agreed upon:

• The objectives of the exchange
• The criteria for participating
• The possible dates
• The student/staff ratio
• A list of tasks to do before, during and after the exchange.

We were well on our way!!

At 6am on April 5, I was back on the road to visit the Catholic University (1 ½ hours away) to present a sample exchange to interested parents. Although we ran into some traffic issues and ended up being late, we had a warm and welcoming meeting.

We were kindly invited for lunch at Diego’s home (volunteer at the YMCA and one of my interpreters) with his father (YMCA Board Member) and back on the road we went to arrive in time for me to participate in three evening classes. All three were English classes. The first was a children’s class and the other two were adult classes. Every class is run by a volunteer. What a wonderful wealth of dedication I see every day in the volunteers here.

Diego
Diego

It was now time to solidify the exchange, so Carlos (Director of the YMCA) and I sat down and discussed options of activities that would fall under the objectives of the exchange which included:

• English immersion
• Environmental theme
• Cultural exchange
• Tour around Canada’s largest city and surrounding areas
• Experience the life of a student at The YMCA Academy
• Experience YMCA Camp
• Become actively engaged in the Toronto and surrounding community

We presented our exchange to the Director of the Soliera School the next day. We ended that meeting with my first “high five” from Carlos and a celebratory ice cream snack. All ends well as this was the closing of the allotted time for organizing the exchange. Although there is a lot of work left to be done, we have the groundwork of a great exchange. I anticipate changes to the work we have done here as a lot can change in the next 12 months and I am sure that there will be feedback from staff in Toronto. The important thing is the relationship building that I have been a part of and the dedication and interest of all.

 

Colombia: Travelling to Rionegro Town

Susan Couprie Community, Events, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments

Sunday, April 2 was my day off of work, but by no means was I idly sitting in my room. To my delight, we travelled to a small town called Carmen which is known for ceramics. As many of you know I am a potter and as you can imagine, this town was the perfect place for me to spend some time. Everywhere you looked, pottery is used.

Lampposts
Lamp Posts
Yes, there are plates, tiles and even bowls decorating the buildings
Yes, there are plates, tiles and even bowls decorating the buildings

If you take a close look at the pillar in the middle of the town square, you will see from bottom to top the history of ceramics.
If you take a close look at the pillar in the middle of the town square, you will see from bottom to top the history of ceramics.  The brown at the bottom represents the earth all the way to the blue at the top which represent the sky.  If you look closely, you will also see plates embedded into the structure.

I also travelled to Rionegro Town. We visited the house called Casa de la Convención, where the constitution of 1863 was signed, and we were allowed to touch the table that was used.   We learned about the culture that was emerging at the time and how the people used printing presses to communicate.

Cabinet that held the letters and numbers for the printing press
Cabinet that held the letters and numbers for the printing press
Close up of one of the drawers with letters in them
Close up of one of the drawers with letters in them
The table at the far end of the room was used to sign the constitution
The table at the far end of the room was used to sign the constitution

This is the box that carried the constitution and all the notes that were taken during the writing of it.

This is the box that carried the constitution and all the notes that were taken during the writing of it.  Notice that there are 3 key holes.  Three different people each had one key to ensure that nothing was tampered with.

During these times, communicating with your significant other before marriage was carried out through a special window in the homes where one person sat on inside one side of the wall and the other was outside the house.  Only holding hands was allowed!!!

The seat on the inside of the house if you were communicating with your significant other.
The seat on the inside of the house if you were communicating with your significant other.

And we finished up the day at Tutucan which is on the outskirts of Rionegro.  It “is a replica of a typical paisa town with a church, park, mill, taverns, coffee farm and livestock. The site features ‘locals’ who animate the streets. It also has restaurants serving local Antioquia dishes.”

A day at Tutucan which is on the outskirts of Rionegro