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Description
The aim of the project is to extend the SZL educational offer with an advanced Dog Assisted Intervention course. The project will be done in a Polish-Norwegian partnership. The course will be prepared as a blended-learning followed by internships. The stationary training will be implemented in Poland. During the pilot phase, 15 dog handlers/educators will be trained and will receive an international certificate. Trainees are people professionally involved in education, especially for children with learning disabilities. The results will be an improvement in the quality of Polish education in the DAI field, reducing access barriers (through e-learning), development of the Polish educational and therapeutic staff. The course will be further developed after the end of the project and available to participants from Poland and in the future from other European countries. The results will be disseminated at a conference in Poland for 100 participants and during a seminar in Norway for 30.
Summary of project results
Thanks to the project, the goal of extending SZL''s training offer with an advanced blended-learning course in dogo therapy for professionals (based on the two outcomes developed) was achieved. This type of training was missing from the organisation''s offer and Poland is only just developing the field of dogo-therapy as a professional sector. The aspect of inclusive education was particularly important. Norway has a great deal of experience in this field and good practices - also in the area of working with dogs in this form of education. Thanks to this, the course programme was supplemented with innovative solutions for Poland, successfully implemented in Norway.
The project has benefited from Norwegian good practices and the experience of trainers, which has made it possible to prepare high-level materials. The course not only has a high level of content in the field of doga therapy (AAI), but is also prepared in good technical quality, based on proven Scandinavian adult learning methods.
The course is in the form of blended-learning - lectures and online materials, supplemented by classroom training. This gave the trainees the skills they needed to teach a dog. An internship programme was also carried out to strengthen the trainees'' competences, allowing them to consolidate their skills in practice. A total of 15 people were trained to test the training tools, acquire new skills and pass exams to prove their professional qualifications.
The trainees gained the knowledge and skills to conduct effective, qualitative educational and therapeutic activities with a dog. This will enable them to support patients in schools and other places where, based on inclusive education, they can realistically improve the functioning of pupils and patients. With the knowledge from the course, dog handlers can also better safeguard the welfare of their dog at work. A supervised dog can work longer and more efficiently and therefore help a larger group of patients.
The result is an increase in the quality of Polish education in the dog therapy sector. The barrier to accessing training (via e-learning) has also been reduced, which has an impact on the dissemination of the method.
The course and the e-learning platform will be used to further the work of the Association and Dyrenbar Omsorg.
Results were disseminated at a conference in Poland for 107 participants and at a seminar in Norway for 30 participants.
Summary of bilateral results
By working together, the results developed, integrate the knowledge of the two organisations. With DO supporting SZL substantively from the position of a more experienced partner. It is recognised in the field of AAI (animal assisted interventions) not only in the Norwegian market but also internationally. The cooperation with DO legitimises the materials offered as being of high quality based on sound theoretical knowledge juxtaposed with the practice of daily activities, workshops, trainings or interventions with animals. The Norwegian partner''s experience in the area of inclusive education using dogs was also crucial to the project. Such specialised programmes are not run in Poland. The partner brought not only theoretical knowledge of how to train and prepare a dog for work, but also good practice from years of experience. As a result, the course was more complete and contained information that was unique to Polish conditions. Also during the dissemination conference, the partner shared his experience in this field, which was very positively received by the Polish audience. In particular, Line Sandstedt''s lecture on the practice of working with children with school difficulties was assessed as inspiring by the conference participants. The methods presented by the partner for training dogs and preparing them for work also deserve a mention. Poland lacks experts with similar knowledge and experience in AAI. The opportunity to consult trainers from Norway during the online course was its great value. Dyrembar Omsorg has been a long-term partner of the Association. We intend to carry out further educational and research projects together to exchange experience, develop new products and improve the quality of AAI services.