One of the most horrific shocks of my life was the moment I realized that most of my at-risk high school students lacked a core concept of empathy. Ten+ years later, can still feel the chill & horror. No sense of empathy, paired with a fierce distrust of anyone who showed it. I wondered, "How could anyone get through to these kids, show them the value of empathy?" And coming up with no answers.
Praise be, someone did! K9 Connection is part of the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC). OPCC has been going strong since 1963, when it was founded as a community resource center for low-income families in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica. Fifty years ago, homelessness, domestic abuse & mental illness were largely invisible in America - not so in Ocean Park. Today, OPCC has been equally creative & forward-thinking in building empathy in distrusting teens as it has in bringing other social challenges front & center.
K9 connection is one of eleven OPCC projects. Unlike the other programs, k9 connection is responsible for its own funding, raised through individual donations, small grants & sponsorships. 2015 marks k9 Connection's 10th anniversary. Katherine Beattie, Pat Sinclair (lower right) & Lynn Medlin deserve a loud WOOF! & tail wag of appreciation for the program, inspired by Portland OR's Project Pooch, developed in 1993 by Joan Dalton (lower left).
Project Pooch & K9 Connection bring together damaged dogs & young people. In many cases, it's the first time either has experienced unconditional love, helping them connect to & nurture self-confidence & - so essential - trust. Through their interactions, animal & human learn and master tools needed for healthy future relationships.
How do you develop & nurture empathy in teens? Through unconventional means. Bravo for Katherine, Pat, Lynn & Joan for their innovative success!
Similar innovation is needed to develop programs designed to revitalize & boost adult empathy levels. Perhaps the studies are true & as people age, they experience less & less empathy toward others, need a personal connection or stake in order to empathize.
If so, then we've got to be beating the bushes for ways to turn that around, because that's a sure road to unhappiness.
Dogs are natural fits with oldsters, even the very elderly. Hang around a place like Rydal Park, where a grannie client lives, and feel the energy level change when a resident walks through with a pooch.
In my mind's eye, am seeing the different dogs I've come to know, from the very tiny to the fairly large. Am looking around at the faces of my older friends as they first spot the pup being walked by a proud human. The softness of the faces, the warmth & welcome of their bodies. It is remarkable. Praise be to Presby Inspired Life, for making their senior residence animal friendly!
Hard to image a group of people that can use a boost of self-esteem, a stronger sense of self-determination & healthy empathy than my older friends. Like my at-risk students, they experience so much loss - of friends, of freedom, of cherished life style - it would be terrific to conjure up a way to help them regain their footing. Perhaps at the end of a leash? That's a pawsibility!
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