Steps towards confidence, one question at a time

For Alice, one of her personal goals at Happy Paws Happy Hearts is to build confidence communicating in a workplace environment.  

Alice attends programs at both Ten Lives Cat Centre and Dogs' Homes of Tasmania, where she is regularly encouraged to take an active role in shelter life. When questions arise about a dog’s care, behaviour or needs, Program Trainer Wendy gently encourages Alice to seek out the answer herself by approaching shelter staff directly. 

Alice has shown incredible courage in her willingness to work toward her goal and find more avenues to openly communicate and problem solve independently. Alice actively practices patience to gather her thoughts and find the words she wants to say, but what makes these moments so special is the kindness shown by the shelter team.  

Dogs’ Homes staff members all take the time to listen, wait and engage with Alice, creating an inclusive and supportive environment where she can communicate at her own pace. 

Each interaction may seem small on the surface, but together they represent meaningful progress toward Alice's goals. For Alice, every question asked is another opportunity to build confidence, practice workplace communication and strengthen her independence. 

These moments also reflect the incredible partnership between Dogs’ Homes and HPHH. Through their willingness to welcome HPHH participants and create an inclusive and supportive space for learning, shelter staff and volunteers have become an incredibly important part of participants' journeys. 

For Alice, learning to confidently approach someone and ask a question is about much more than gaining information—it's about discovering her voice and building confidence in herself.  

Alice asking a question to Dogs’ Homes staff member in session.