Weekly Reflection #2

    This week I felt a lot more confident in my ability to help. Last week I had gotten the hang of things around the SPCA, but this week I really opened up. Starting with the brunch on Sunday, I got to interact with adults and the different committee and board members that contribute to the cause everyday. Then at the end of the week I got to help at NHTI with eighth graders who were learning about budgeting and expenses that adults face everyday.
    This week I’ve learned about the importance of donations and taking part in activities to better educate the next generation. Donations play most of the role in keeping the SPCA going and the facilities they have. Without fundraiser events, which they put tons of hours into getting perfect, they wouldn’t be able to have a lot of the things they have now like space, cages, and any other kind of equipment.
Another influential experience I had this week was working with the eighth graders. I was a part of the pet table where kids would “buy” a pet. The activity is hypothetical, but is a good way of getting the budgeting point across. This really taught me how important having a program specifically to help kids understand the things they will have to do in the future is. Lots of adults don’t even know how to do things like correctly filling out a check, so I think it’s really important to teach these kids sooner than later.
    I really enjoyed what I did this week. In the couple days where I was just at the SPCA, I did a lot of dog walking and enrichment and also cat enrichment. I was able to create bonds with those animals and to help them trust some more. There is one chihuahua who is very nervous with walking outside and doesn’t cooperate well, but I was able to take her once around the property and then I spent some time with her in the training room to help her feel more comfortable. Another thing I enjoyed was having preschoolers come and take a tour and have some time with the animals.
   

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