Community
4 April, 2022
Story Dogs Are All Ears!
THE CALMING and attentive nature of Story Dogs is helping dozens of children in the Cairns region develop reading skills and a love of books.
Regional coordinator, Christine Hofman, said many schools found the program had also been a valuable strategy during the current pandemic.
“With the disruption of COVID many children’s lives need the quiet calm reading session a furry friend offers,” she said.
Since its introduction five years ago, Hofman has seen the transformation of many “reluctant” readers into enthusiastic story tellers with the Story Dogs (SD) program.
The Library Manager at St Gerard Majella said she began looking for something to help students in 2017 when she noticed they were being lured away from reading books.
“I was starting to see the impact of digital platforms and media diverting student interest away from the enjoyment of reading and the love of a hard copy book,” Hofman said.
After investigating different angles and approaches to address the problem she discovered the SD program.
“I went to our then School Leadership members with a proposal for me to attend training in Brisbane and return to start SD at St Gerard Majella.”
Principal Lea Martin and Father Martin saw potential in the idea and allowed the Librarian to undergo the training in Brisbane.
She partnered with a fellow staff member’s dog, Frankie, and introduced the SD program at the school. Six months later Hofman was accredited as a coordinator.
She has since trained 15 volunteers and their dogs to deliver the program to more than 10 schools in the Cairns region. The program is also being offered at several branches of the Cairns Regional Library.
Hofman has recently trained other coordinators to develop programs in their own areas. In 2021 she completed training two new coordinators in Innisfail and Townsville.
Story Dogs is a not-for-profit organisation and the programs are funded by local community organisations. The Cairns region program is sponsored by the Cairns Lions Clubs, Toyota, Cairns Dog Training School, Cairns Libraries and Ergon Energy.
Anyone interested in knowing more about the program or becoming a volunteer can visit the website: www.storydogs.org.au
