post secondary
regular programming
CAAWLS has regular programming at most of the post-secondary institutions in Edmonton. The main goal of these programs is to help combat student stress. Stress on campus is a serious issue that affects all students, mainly occurring due to heavy course loads. Many students also accumulate stress from recently moving from home, making new friends, or even learning about finances for the first time.
positive outcomes
Studies have repeatedly shown numerous positive outcomes following interactions with animals, including but not limited to drops in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones. Sometimes, the unconditional love of a pet is the best way to make students day a little brighter.
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
CAAWLS has multiple programs running at the UofA any given week. We’re most busy at the UofA during the Fall and Winter semesters (from September to April). We also have some professional members in various faculties at the UofA with dogs that work regular hours.
MACEWAN UNIVERSITY
During the regular school year, we have a monthly program for five or more CAAWLS teams visit the students, faculty, and staff at MacEwan University as a stress relief activity presented by the MacEwan University Students’ Association. We also have a regular monthly program to visit the MacEwan student residences once monthly with both our wellness dogs and cats.
NAIT
CAAWLS has multiple programs running at NAIT any given month during the regular school year from September to April to provide stress relief to students, staff, and faculty. We have recently expanded our NAIT program to include weekly visits to all campuses.
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON
CAAWLS visits Concordia University's library on a semi-regular basis, especially during exam season. We have also worked with the student services office for occassional extra stress-busting visits.