A collaboration between students and dogs

Great initiative.

An innovative program aimed at combating young people dropping out of school has emerged. The Atelier Relais du Lot, a National Education system, has joined forces with the “Person & Bête” structure based in Dégagnac, and run by Marion Colombi, specialized educator and canine mediator. Thanks to funding from the “Adrienne and Pierre Sommer” foundation, more than twenty middle school students have been able to benefit from canine mediation sessions since October 2022.

The sessions have very varied objectives, taking into account everyone’s needs: strengthening self-confidence, improving relationships with supervisors to promote the success of educational support, creating moments of success, making people understand the importance of respecting the rules and framework or even encourage non-violent communication.

These canine mediation sessions took place in different locations, sometimes even within educational establishments, as was recently the case at Salviac college. A group of five middle school students took part in a cycle of five sessions, which ended with a cani-hike through the village.

During this outing, the young people applied the knowledge acquired during the previous sessions: understanding the different characters of dogs while taking into account the new environment, they put to the test the learning linked to dog education covered during the course. of the 4 previous sessions, their concentration, their tenacity, their ability to take it upon themselves to overcome difficulties while ensuring the safety of the dog for which they were responsible. The villagers of Salviac welcomed this initiative with great interest and curiosity, asking the group many questions. These moments of interaction were very rewarding for the students, who were able to show their involvement and seriousness in this project.

Led by Marion Colombi from the “Person & Bête” structure and the Atelier Relais du Lot team made up of Cyril Alagnou and Élodie Goetghebeur, these sessions demonstrated the effectiveness of alternative educational methods to support students in difficulty.