Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Happy Paws Happy Hearts Foundation NT Team Leader Justin Palazzo-Orr says a new program connecting people with pets to help with social isolation is being launched in Darwin

Transcript

Happy Paws Happy Hearts Foundation NT Team Leader Justin Palazzo-Orr says a new program connecting people with pets to help with social isolation is being launched in Darwin · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that there's a rehabilitation program that's helping connect
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  Speaker 1: socially isolated people with rescue animals. It's launched in Darwin.
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  Speaker 1: It is being run by the Happy Pause, Happy Hearts Foundation.
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  Speaker 1: Now they're a charity group creating positive change for disadvantage
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  Speaker 1: people and also for deserted animals. It is incredible. I
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  Speaker 1: think it sounds like an incredible initiative and it is
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  Speaker 1: a revolutionary rehabilitation program. And we are going to find
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  Speaker 1: out more about that in just a couple of moments'
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  Speaker 1: time when we catch up with their team leader to
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  Speaker 1: find out more. Now on the tech side this morning,
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  Speaker 1: there is a lot of messages that are still coming
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  Speaker 1: through and I will get to those in just a moment.
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  Speaker 1: There's one here from Adrian in Annula and said, Hi, Katie,
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  Speaker 1: when can we expect some straight out honesty from those
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  Speaker 1: in power in the Northern Territory. Why are they always
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  Speaker 1: hiding from the people here and offering no explanations on anything.
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  Speaker 1: There's also one Leah, simple yes or no? Would you
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  Speaker 1: retain Chalker if you were elected as the chief minister tomorrow?
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  Speaker 1: There's plenty of others. Just say it, Leah, it's what
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  Speaker 1: we want to hear you don't have confidence or you
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  Speaker 1: do have confidence in Chalker, and plenty and plenty of
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  Speaker 1: other messages. So I am going to get to those
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  Speaker 1: very shortly. But let's get into it because, as I mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: there is a revolutionary program which is running at the
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  Speaker 1: moment where it's about to get underway. We'll find out
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  Speaker 1: it's being run by Happy Pause, Happy Hearts Foundation. They're
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  Speaker 1: a charity group creating positive change for disadvantage people as
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  Speaker 1: well as deserted animals. Now joining me on the line
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  Speaker 1: to tell us more Team leader for the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: justin Palazzo or good morning to you justin.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, how are you going really good?
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning, justin.
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  Speaker 1: How exactly is this program going to work?
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  Speaker 2: That's a great question. So what we do. We often
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  Speaker 2: partner with organizations such as RSPCA in Darwen to bring
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  Speaker 2: socially isolated humans and socially isolated animals together to create
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  Speaker 2: that positive change.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon this sounds incredible, like firstly, you know, where
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  Speaker 1: do you sort of find the people that are maybe
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  Speaker 1: needing that bit of change and that you know that
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  Speaker 1: this would work for.
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  Speaker 2: So currently in Australia we have over a million people
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  Speaker 2: experiencing a social isolation. So yeah, and that's just people
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  Speaker 2: that have actually put their hand up and said that
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  Speaker 2: I'm experiencing this challenge. So there's a lot of us
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  Speaker 2: out there that they're experiencing this challenge. And so we
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  Speaker 2: advertise through different social media and obviously radio interviews like this,
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  Speaker 2: and we have our participants who are from twelve years
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  Speaker 2: and over with a whole range of life experiences and
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  Speaker 2: abilities that come and hang out with our shelter animals
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  Speaker 2: and learn about looking after animals, looking after themselves, animal training,
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  Speaker 2: and also helping those animals lives improve in those shelter
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  Speaker 2: environments as well.
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  Speaker 1: So it's not just dogs cats as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yep. In fact, I've got a cute little bobtail kitten
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  Speaker 2: hanging out with me right now. She's a little silver
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  Speaker 2: tabby with a little white bib. And so we work
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  Speaker 2: with all the animals at RSBUCA there in Dalen.
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  Speaker 1: How awesome. Now, tell me what some of the benefits
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  Speaker 1: are well for everybody involved.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I guess from the people's perspective, it really sometimes
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  Speaker 2: from our participants they say to us, you know, it's
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  Speaker 2: really given me a reason to get up in the morning,
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  Speaker 2: get out of the house, go and connect back to
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  Speaker 2: something important. A lot of our participants ex serving veterans
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  Speaker 2: and for those people that have had that really strong
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  Speaker 2: connection to purpose in their lives and are no longer
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  Speaker 2: serving and looking so giving back to the community still
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  Speaker 2: for them connecting back to the animals. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: animals just don't judge. Yeah, so there's no judgment, there's
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  Speaker 2: no shame. You go and hang out with a kid
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  Speaker 2: or a puppy and they're just like, yep, you and me,
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  Speaker 2: let's just hang out together.
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  Speaker 1: I love it.
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  Speaker 2: All those boundaries.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and no doubt there is benefits for the animals
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely so. Since we started back around about twenty fourteen,
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  Speaker 2: we've worked we've done over twenty seven thousand hours of
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  Speaker 2: human interactions for shelter animals around Australia. So there's shelter
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  Speaker 2: animals that you know, there's shelter staff do a fantastic job,
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  Speaker 2: but they've got lots of stuff to do, and our
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  Speaker 2: participants actually provide the animals with that extra person care. Also,
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  Speaker 2: they're learning some new skills to get them out into
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  Speaker 2: their new homes as well.
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  Speaker 1: Justin tell me why did you decide to launch j
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  Speaker 1: in Darwin and has there been local demand?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Like I said, we've been operating since about twenty
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  Speaker 2: fourteen in Brisbane, where throughout Queensland, New South Wales, even
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  Speaker 2: in Tasmania at the moment, and we've had lots of
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  Speaker 2: demand from people in Darwin that know about our programs
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  Speaker 2: have been saying when you're coming to Dawen. So that's
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  Speaker 2: one of the main reasons why we're coming to Darwen. Also,
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  Speaker 2: as I said before, we want work quite a lot
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  Speaker 2: with veteran communities and first responders, and obviously Darwin's got
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  Speaker 2: a big population of veterans up there and looking for
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  Speaker 2: helping territorians and connecting back to the community and back
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  Speaker 2: in with their very friends.
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  Speaker 1: I've no doubt that there's going to be people listening
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  Speaker 1: this morning thinking to themselves. I'd really like to take
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  Speaker 1: part in that, you know, I'd like to somehow be
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  Speaker 1: part of what Justin's talking about. What is the best
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  Speaker 1: way for them to be able to reach out and
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  Speaker 1: do so?
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  Speaker 2: So best thing would be to check out our website,
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  Speaker 2: which is Happy. If you do a search for Happy
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  Speaker 2: Port's Happy Hearts you'll be able to find there's lots
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  Speaker 2: of information on the website. We're also all over the
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  Speaker 2: socials as well, so that's another great way to get
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  Speaker 2: in touch with us.
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  Speaker 1: I think it sounds like an incredible program. I've got dogs.
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  Speaker 1: I just love the fact that you know, they're always
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  Speaker 1: there to give you a hug, They're always happy no
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  Speaker 1: matter what's going on, and they do certainly bring a
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  Speaker 1: smile to your face. Absolutely so I can only imagine
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  Speaker 1: what it's going to do for, you know, for people
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  Speaker 1: who maybe need, you know, that bit of additional purpose.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely love that we get to bring smiles to
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  Speaker 2: not only the people's spaces, but also the animal spaces
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  Speaker 2: as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, so true. Well, Happy Hearts team leader for the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory justin Palazzo or thank you so very much
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  Speaker 1: for your time this morning. It very much appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, have a good one you too,