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Description
9 Europe project was created in response to the constant need for professional development of police staff, improvement of methods and forms of work of dog handlers trainers and activation and integration of officers. Satisfying developmental needs will take place through the implementation of 2 mobilities in which officers (service dog handlers) from the Regional Police Headquarters in Radom and the Police Kennel Club in Sulkowice (10 experts) and 10 police officers from the National Police of Iceland will participate, creating an educational script to broaden the educational offer for future and current service dog handlers, preparation of multimedia material presenting the work of a service dog handler in Poland and Iceland and promotion of bilateral distance learning. The results created in the project (script, multimedia material) will be used in everyday work and will be published on the partners'' websites as well as distributed among other police units. They will become an inspiration for extending or modifying the existing educational offer and will influence the decision on becoming a service dog handler among young officers.
During the visits to Iceland and Poland, the participants will perfect the methods and forms of trainer''s work and strengthen their competences through observation of work and exchange of experience. They will also deepen their knowledge in cynology, veterinary care, dog nutrition and first aid in case of threat to life and health of a service dog. The exchange of experience, know-how and best practices as well as methods and forms of education between the partners will improve key competences of the handlers, while the participation in joint mobility activities in Poland and Iceland will allow to learn and transfer good practices to our institution and partner institutions and improve language competences and intercultural awareness of the participants.
Summary of project results
K9 Europe project was established to: strengthen the competences of service dog handlers from partner institutions by learning about the training system used in Poland and Iceland; learn about and observe the tools and methods used to train dog handlers in both countries; strengthen the area of education in police units and increase the quality of the dog handler training system in Poland and Iceland.
The project carried out 2 mobilities, 2 dissemination events and produced 2 results of intellectual work. Each of the above-mentioned activities was attended by people involved in the project, which allowed for the exchange of knowledge and experience, mutual observation of the work of the dog guide, learning about the tools used and the training system, especially as none of these people had ever had the opportunity to take part in this type of project before.
The activities in the international partnership enabled all partners to learn about the training methodology of service dogs, from their purchase to their seniority, and to show how to make even more effective use of the dog''s capabilities in service. The cooperation with the Partners allowed for the exchange of experience and knowledge in the very important area of cynology. The project participants, despite using non-formal education together, created educational materials (script, multimedia material), which will be used and recommended as tools for guide training and VET promotion.In addition, dissemination events in both Poland and Iceland attracted many participants, which exceeded our expectations.As a result, information about the project was published in online media (local press, radio stations).Through participation in the project, participants from all organisations strengthened their social linguistic and cultural competences and increased their knowledge and competences in the field of VET.In addition, they acquired practical skills relevant to their current work and made new professional contacts.During the visits, they shared skills and experiences with people from the partner organisation and exchanged good practices.After participating in the visits, the participants have only positive impressions.
Summary of bilateral results
The partner organisation from Iceland with which we implemented the project together is both customarily and organisationally a completely different police unit. At the stage of searching for a foreign partner, we invited the Police in Iceland, with whom we had never worked before, to participate in the project. The solutions they use, the methods of training dogs and their acquisition are completely different from those in Poland. Our proposal for cooperation was immediately met with enthusiasm and willingness to implement a project on service dogs.This has proved to be an extremely valuable experience and has allowed the project to achieve its aims of strengthening the knowledge and competence of service dog handlers from both countries. Participants in the project activities through this partnership have learnt about the work of a handler in another country, the methods used, the tools, the training system and the methods of selecting dogs and preparing them for service. They also broadened their knowledge, competence in the professional area, exchanged experiences in the work of a handler, increased their cultural and language competences and established new professional contacts. Both KWP zs. zs. in Radom and the Police of Iceland plan to continue bilateral cooperation and partnership in new interesting initiatives that we have planned. In addition, despite the end of the K9 Europe project, we are still in contact with people from Iceland whom we met through the joint implementation of the project.