Therapeutic Dog Training Program
In two days during a snowstorm, NC 116 created a project at the Therapeutic Dog training program at Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center. This is a secure custody juvenile facility for young men incarcerated for serious acts of delinquency. The program is now integrated into the treatment program. Incarcerated youth who participate in therapeutic pet programs are less likely to re-offend. They fenced in an entire acre for exercising and training dogs, installed a 100 ft by 100 ft canine agility training course and a fenced-in potty pen, acquired eight dog crates and built a 12’ x 16’ wood building to house the dogs. Budget: $30,000.
WorldLegacy: Dogs Heal Detention Facility
Swannanoa, North Carolina February 13-15, 2010: WorldLegacy: Dogs Heal Detention Facility. Young men at the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center (SVYDC) in Swannanoa, North Carolina will be receiving everything they need to start a dog training and adoption program. Members of the NC 116 Leadership Team from WorldLegacy are partnering with the NC Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP), Project Challenge, a non-profit community service and restitution agency, and dozens of volunteers to create a canine agility course, an acre of fencing, and a building to house the dogs at the facility in Swannanoa. This project will allow youth to give back to the community by socializing rescued dogs to make them more adoptable. The therapeutic pet program will provide powerful experiences for incarcerated youth to master complex social skills. Through their involvement with the dogs, youth will develop loving, trusting relationships, learn through structured experiences and build skills essential for life. Youth will learn responsibility, communication, teamwork and leadership.
WorldLegacy offers bold leadership workshops and coaching for people committed to creating extraordinary results, a meaningful experience of life, and impacting the world. Every Leadership team creates an extraordinary project that leaves a legacy. The team members cannot use any of their own money and the project can only take one weekend to complete.
The SVYDC houses 48 teenage males who have been committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for chronic and/or serious acts of delinquency. Youth are committed for an indefinite period of time, the average stay is one year. This project will positively impact the community by increasing the successful rehabilitation of juveniles, rescuing dogs, and creating a safer community. Research shows that incarcerated youth who participate in therapeutic pet programs are less likely to reoffend.
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday February 15, 2010 at 11am with members of the Department of Juvenile Justice, SVYDC staff and youth, and WorldLegacy staff present to celebrate the completion of the building.
