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MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS
ARE A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE
Throughout my travels, I have the opportunity to meet a lot
of different people. Often they are impressed with our work
and the great work of many other organizations in Alberta.
We hear comments like: “Wow you guys do an awesome job. I’d
like to get involved – What can I do?”
The answer is simple. We need to consistently introduce
more people to the activity of hunting, in a safe,
meaningful and educational manner. This needs to be a
positive experience that the newcomer will look back on
fondly. Whether the individual gets “hooked” and becomes a
life time dedicated hunter or if they say, “I had a good
time and learned a lot, but it isn’t something that I want
to do all the time.” Either way is o.k. The goal is to
continue to broaden the support for hunting from both
hunters and non-hunters, earning a greater appreciation and
understanding about the positive contributions of the
hunting community.
It’s common to hear people say, “Take a kid hunting”. I say
absolutely, take a kid hunting, but also take your neighbor,
your parents, your Aunts or Uncles, your kids’ school
teacher, your lawyer, your Doctor, whoever expresses any
amount of interest.
This year we have teamed up with a number of partners to
offer the 2006 Mentorship Program in an expanded format
across Alberta. There are plenty of ways for you to become
involved.
The HFT Mentorship Program is
to create opportunities for both youth and adults to
participate in a formalized wilderness mentorship program
that creates a greater understanding and respect for
wildlife and wild places.
The purpose of the
programs is:
To create opportunities to
participate in a formalized mentorship program in the
outdoors
To teach others to embrace
Alberta's Outdoor Heritage through direct mentored
experience
To create a greater
understanding and respect for wildlife and wild places
To provide a safe and controlled
training environment for youth and first time hunters
To provide a positive and
organized method of access for hunters
To maximize the harvest results
to reduce potential hazards and safety risks in areas of
concern.
The mentorship program is co-ordinated as a
youth and/or first-time hunter program that involves
matching “Mentors” with the program participants. A list of
Mentors is provided to the interested participants (youth or first-time hunter),
along with a calendar indicating which dates the mentors are
available. The participant is then responsible for
contacting the Mentor directly to coordinate their hunting
activity.
In the case of the waterfowl hunts, which
are also co-ordinated with outfitters from the Alberta
Professional Outfitters Society (APOS), there are also
regional outfitter contacts that will assist in matching the
participants with outfitter mentors.
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