About us
At our core, we are a dedicated team of individuals committed to crafting transformative experiences for children who often find themselves overlooked within the conventional education system. Recognizing the unique needs and potential of these young learners, we have pioneered an innovative therapeutic support system that fosters growth through immersive, experiential learning on the land.
Central to our mission is the cultivation of profound connections between animals and humans, recognizing the inherent lessons and healing power found within these relationships. Through hands-on interaction with nature and its inhabitants, our students discover pathways to understanding, empathy, and self-discovery. Every step of our journey is infused with intentionality, empathy, and a commitment to fostering environments where every child can thrive, regardless of the challenges they may face.
Who We Are
Deanna Paquin
Deanna is a born and raised Yukoner and alongside her husband Greg and two young boys, they operated a hay farm and custom farming business for 7 years. Deanna has worked as an Educational Assistant in Whitehorse Elementary Schools for almost 20 years. In 2008 she graduated from Grant MacEwan University with a Special Needs Educational Assistant certification. Deanna continued to build on her knowledge and skills for working with children on the Autism Spectrum and completed the Behavior Interventionist certification through Douglas College in 2018. Deanna also completed course work towards her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology at Athabasca University before switching over to the Yukon Native Teacher Education Program (YNTEP) at Yukon University. Currently, Deanna is a 3rd year student in YNTEP. While attending University full-time Deanna continues to work as an Educational Assistant at Hidden Valley Elementary where she works one-on-one with a student in the Neurodiversity room.
Joie McBryan
Joie has over 30 years of experience in public and community health as a Registered Nurse, working in a cross-cultural setting with indigenous communities. She is very familiar with Heart Bar Ranch, as she has been working around the farm, in a number of capacities for the past 13. Joie is currently working with two Indigenous groups providing Equine support for families and youth specifically. She was a leader for the Whitehorse Spirit Riders Horse Club (4H) for 9 years; she is a Certified Equine First Aid instructor offering standard and advanced Equine first aid classes; certified in Equine Assisted Learning (will be complete Spring 2024) and a certification Candidate for Professional Equine Facilitated Wellness, which focuses on enhanced safety, ethics and credibility of activities between humans and horses.
Shawna Ryan
Shawna has lived and worked in the Yukon for over 30 years. She has an Early Childhood Development Diploma (level 3) and has work with children for the entire time she has resided in the Yukon. Shawna spent 12 years in the childcare field and the last 18 years working as an EA at a Whitehorse elementary school. She has had previous experience working with Gail at Heart Bar Ranch, taking special needs groups to the farm. For the past four years, Shawna has been supporting a local family with multiple children with autism, to access respite and inclusion services in the Yukon and outside the territory when the family travels to BC for appointments. She enjoys outdoor activities and being on the land; camping or hiking in the summers and snowshoeing or kick sledding in the winters. Her love for the outdoors, and experience working with children with special needs, gives her the skills needed to be a valued team member.
Sydney MacKinnon
Sydney is a Métis women and member of Red River First Nations; her family comes from North Dakota/ Manitoba and she has Scottish ancestry. Sydney was born & raised in Dakwakada, and have worked for an on the land healing program, supporting families struggling with addictions and trauma called Shäwthän Nähzí for about 2 years. Her background includes training in early childhood education, where she has spent many years caring for young children at the daycare. Through current work, she facilitates a number of activities, including beading, creation of natural remedies, exploring the land, and a variety of hands, sensory focused art activities! Sydney is passionate about working with children & youth, especially those with exceptional needs.
Gail Riederer
Gail is the farm owner/operator of Hear Bar Ranch, who will ensure safety of all participants, provides support and resources for delivery of Equine program. She has been working with children with special needs for over 20 years in an equine and educational setting. Gail was an educational assistant in the Yukon School system for over 30 years until she retired to work solely with her farm programming. Gail takes great pride in her farm and the programming that occurs at Heart Bar Ranch. She maintains the highest ethical standards of care for all her animals and ensures that all participants and animals are safe at all times on her farm. Gail is a Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) instructor, and has been offering horse focussed camps for children and youth, at Heart Bar Ranch, since 1997. She is also certified level 4 western, level 3 English, overnight guide and Instructor of Riders with Disabilities (IRD) level 1 physical and level 1 cognitive. Gail has been engaged regularly in professional development around equine assisted therapy programming over the past three years in her role working with another Yukon First Nations program, which centers around supporting families struggling with addictions and trauma. Gail’s passionate, gentle nature will compliment this team and ensure that all our participants, staff and animals are safe and experiencing the highest quality of therapeutic benefits from their time at the farm.
Michelle DeBeer, M. S.
Michelle has been working in the Yukon for over 15 years as a behaviour consultant, with families connected to disabilities services, as well as other private contracts supported by Jordan’s Principle. Over the past 5 years, she has been supporting a Yukon First Nations family who have 4 children with autism, by developing a school, community and home behaviour plan that supports this family from a holistic experience; she travels to the territory at least once a month for a week at a time to support this family. Michelle is also working with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in as a Behaviour Consultant, assisting other Yukon First Nations children in Dawson City with neurodiversities to achieve their true learning potential. Michelle will be a great asset to the team, as she will be able to provide initial assessment of students, as well as assist in developing goals and behaviour plans if needed, for their learning at the farm. Michelle will create documentation and rubrics to track progress for each student and monitor their IEP goal information. She will also provide the training that is necessary for staff to be able to implement each student’s goals within the available activities. Michelle’s approach to working with neurodiverse children is rooted in compassion, understanding, and teaching through play. Using these skills, she is able to enhance both the parent and child’s understanding of their needs and develop individualized programming. She has been working with children with autism for over 20 years as a behaviour consultant and interventionist.
Stacey McDiarmid, MA Counselling Psychology, CCC, BEd, BSW, PTI
Stacey is a born and raised Yukoner and a citizen of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. She has extensive knowledge and experience in supporting students with exceptional needs, including Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and other learning/ behavioral challenges. Stacey has worked with Education teams over the Yukon for the past couple years to create neurodiversity rooms in other schools; including one at Hidden Valley Elementary School in Whitehorse and one in each school of Dawson City and Old Crow. Her passion for supporting this change within our school system comes from the work she’s done to advocate for her children, all four of which who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other learning-behavioral challenges. She is an advocate for systemic change and is hopeful, that with the right supports and resources in place, all students will have the ability to learn in the environment they need based on their unique learning styles. Stacey has been working in the Education field for over 20 years in a number of capacities, with a primary focus on First Nations language, culture and education. She has a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Social work and a Masters in Counselling Psychology, with specialized training in Expressive Art and Play Therapy. Her Education is the basis for supporting families from a wholistic, culturally grounded perspective.