We want to make this program a reality. We are seeking: A non-profit organization to sponsor our program Start-up and operating funds Land and facilities on which to run our program Foster homes for dogs for duration of the program Dog trainer Volunteers – we’d welcome teachers, therapists, social workers, veterinarians, handymen, etc.
Mary Ellen Humane Education Program aims to help traumatized youth and shelter dogs to learn to trust themselves and each other so both can experience fulfilling, successful relationships.
-Frequent foster home changes -Frightened, terrified -Attachment difficulties
Who is Mary Ellen?
Participants - children in grades 6 to 12 who have been traumatized by abuse and are only attending school at most five half-days per week
Youth will train dogs to the level of Canadian Canine Good Citizen™ Certification endorsed by the Responsible Dog Owners of Canada
Strategic Humane Intervention Program - SHIP (Loar & Colman, 2004) will be the basis for our character education program
Stand-By-Me Program: Graduates of SHIP will be eligible to apply for education in humane business planning. It is our goal, through social entrepreneurship, to create a canine-oriented business that will help sustain Mary Ellen Humane Education Programs.
Recent empirical findings support prosocial values-based character education (e.g., Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005). Humane education has long-lasting positive impacts on children (Ascione, 1997) SHIP is a social emotional learning program like those found to yield improvements in social skills, emotion management, attitudes, behaviour, and academic performance (Durlak et al., 2011).
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
START-UP
SHIP Six traumatized at-risk youth 8 weeks 3 hrs/day, 5 days/week 4 cohorts/year ongoing Six dogs sourced from shelters or local rescue groups Dogs housed in dog-foster homes CLASSROOM TIME Critical enquiry about the values inherent in healthy, prosocial relationships Empathy, and the importance of safety will be emphasized Dog training Practice and play time with dogs Debrief time and project work
STAND BY ME 8 graduates of Phase II Six months 3 hrs/day, 5 days/week 2 cohorts per year
Screening, hiring, orienting staff, volunteers, and dog fosters; facility setup 3-4 months
OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT Canine-oriented job skills Social entrepreneurship Setting up a non-profit
Mastery Empathy Future Orientation Literacy Social Conscience Staying the Course
“Happy Face Killer” by Krueger, Justice, & Hunt. 2006. Department of Psychology, Radford University.
Writing from his cell in the Oregon State Penitentiary, Jesperson recognized, “Abusive behavior towards animals is one of the symptoms on the road to being a murderer.” He wrote that “we should stop … cruelty … before it develops into a bigger problem, like me.”
Children who have themselves been physically and/or sexually abused or witnessed abuse are more likely to be cruel to animals or people (Ascione, 2001).
When children were interviewed in a Utah study at a domestic violence shelter, 50% of the children reported they had tried to intervene to protect their pets and/or their mothers from abuse.
Film clip from Teacher’s Pet: Dogs and Kids Working Together http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-K64soKdKw
Jan Dawson, Humane Educator Cell phone: 250-899-1795 Email:
[email protected]
Dr. K. A. Dawson, Psychologist Cell phone: 250-899-1794 Email:
[email protected]
