By Mikayla van Loon
Already offering an NDIS day program five days a week, Yarra Valley Nocturnal Zoo in Mount Evelyn will be expanding this to six days to cater for young people still at school.
The Australian first zookeeper program allows people with a disability who have a passion for animals to learn skills and gain confidence, something that will now be opened up to 15 to 17 year olds.
Owner and operator Steve Handy said trained zookeepers teach participants the basics of working with animals but also how to work in a team and getting them job ready in a fun environment.
“The whole idea of the NDIS is to empower people and upskill them so they can actually progress in life rather than stay stale,” he said.
“So essentially, it’s all about confidence. That’s why we involve the public as well with tours and that is why it empowers our participants to grow.”
Having had parents inquire about the possibility of getting their child in a program, Mr Handy said it became apparent there was quite a lot of interest from students in Years 9, 10 and 11.
Mr Handy also said the Saturday program will “create a pathway into our other program as well” held Monday to Friday for adults and those not able to attend school.
Teaching general job skills, Mr Handy said the pathways outside of the Saturday day program are endless.
“Whether picking out branches to feed a koala or working at Coles and picking out people’s groceries, it’s essentially the same job skills,” he said.
While wanting the Saturday program to teach participants important skills, Mr Handy said it is mostly about having fun, creating friendships and getting to work hands-on with the animals.
“When you talk about people with disabilities, especially autism, people can struggle to find friends.
“So we’re trying to create something like the old TV show, ‘The Saddle Club’, that’s the sort of vibe I’m going for, where they’ll meet outside of work and get on social media together and develop a real close circle of friends.”
Mr Handy said making Saturdays a social activity and something these young people want to attend is a priority, that’s why hosting communal sausage sizzles and summer pool days will find their way into the program.
Feeding the over 400 animals, doing health checks, team building exercises and eventually conducting tours of the zoo are also part of the plan.
“Confidence is a big thing. But people with disabilities seem to have that happy knack of spending time with the animal and they pick up on those positive vibes.”
To start, Mr Handy said the program will allow five or six participants but he can see the program growing to 15 or 16 should the demand be there.
“The people I’ve interviewed so far, they’ve got a real passion for animals.”
