Education programs are a top priority for AMRRIC. Our education team, Dog Mob Cat Crew, works to provide education in remote communities around companion animal needs, care, empathy, feelings, safety, health, and hygiene. The lessons work to reinforce the ideals and goals behind the veterinary program and are centred around One Health principles, meaning all lessons delivered show the important relation between human, animal, and environmental health. Education works towards alongside the veterinary program towards improving the health outcomes of animals, people, and communities and is an integral part of successful animal management.
Students at Kabulwarnamyo School learn about the movement of parasites through the environment, animals, and people – June 2022.
A crucial aspect of the education program are the content materials, all of which are designed and developed for use in remote communities so that they are relevant, meaningful, and impactful to community students and residents. We aim to be as engaging as possible, so that that students achieve and retain the intended learnings of the program. There have been some incredible results seen from this program in the Warddeken outstations of the West Arnhem region of the Northern Territory, who have been the recipients of a companion animal health program (including both veterinary and education components) in both 2022 and 2023. AMRRIC and Warddeken Land Management collaborated to provide this program to residents in these outstations, to a great success.
The education program showed excellent results across the region, with students achieving between 90 – 100% rates of desired understandings following program delivery. The baseline of desired understandings also improved between visits, alongside great anecdotal feedback from teachers about students engaging very well with the lesson material and the effectiveness of the education resources, quoting that students often talk about the lesson and the topics taught for days following. Students also remembered the animal health team upon the second visit and were keen to participate in the program again. These are fantastic results and highlight the benefit of an ongoing and multi-pronged approach to animal management in remote communities.
The support and hard work of Warddeken Land Management and Nawarddeken Academy staff have been crucial to the success of this program in the region. AMRRIC are grateful for their support and look forward to a continued collaboration to support the health of animals, people, and communities of the region.
