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Congratulations!
A young person has asked you to serve as his/her helper for the Dog Project. You may be a family member, project leader or advisor, teacher or a neighbor. Your role in guiding, encouraging and rewarding progress is very important. How you choose to be involved will often determine the success the youth has in developing
important life skills while learning what dogs are all about.
The youth’s interest in dogs is the vehicle leading to life skill development. You’ll find that these guides are designed to encourage active involvement andexploration rather than simply providing answers.
Your Role
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Review the Dog Helper’s Guide.
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Support youth in his/her efforts to set goals and
complete the Dog Program.
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Serve as a resource person to help connect youth
with the community, resource materials and others
knowledgeable about the project.
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To be successful in your role as a 4-H Dog Project
Leader or Helper, there are important concepts that deserve your attention and understanding.
Ages and Stages of Youth Development
As you work with young people, it is important to take into account where they are in their stage of development. Not all people develop in the same way at the same age. But there are certain patterns within youth development that are commonly expressed by most youth. Understanding these characteristics will help you better reach and teach your audience.
Basic Life Skill Development
As a helper for the dog project, one of your primary goals is to help youth gain knowledge about dogs. However, it is equally important to emphasize the learning of "life skills.” These skills transfer beyond the actual activity. Life skills are critical in helping young people become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society. The Targeting Life Skills (TLS) Model (Hendricks, 1996), identifies and divides the major life skills targeted in 4-H youth development by the four H's from the 4-H clover that represent Head, Heart, Hands and Health. These four are further divided into categories and then into specific life skills as shown.
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