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A great UBC Okanagan program will help local youth over the next couple of weeks.
For the next two Tuesdays, 22 of these kids, between the ages of five and 12, will take over the foyer of the school’s EME building.
They’ll be joined by 10 UBCO students and seven dogs from the Building Academic Retention Through K9s (BARK) program, along with their handlers.
During the visits, the kids take the BARK dogs into the EME building to meet and interact with university students, helping build their leadership and social skills.
“I never knew practicing handshakes with a dog could help you shake hands with a human,” says Jack, a nine-year-old participant from the Boys and Girls Club.
BARK director, John-Tyler Binfet, says it’s a pilot program with the potential to expand regionally, provincially and even nationally.
The BARK program takes over UBCO from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 and 27, with students receiving graduation certificates at the end.
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