The Youth Education Program - YEP!

Laural Highlands CHA - April 3, 2010 What a day! Best group I could ask for. -Bruce Knopsnider, Club President

• Are you interested in reaching out to instruct and positively influence those who are not currently involved in the sport of coon hunting?
• Are you interested in preserving the future of your club and the future of the sport?
• Are you interested in providing family activity at the club level?

I learned a lot. So I would say it's a good thing! -Reed Barto of Indiana UKC Youth Education Program (YEP) Event Guidelines The Basic Course Objectives – The YEP program parameters effective 1-1-09 permit a club to do a one day YEP event culminating with a licensed bench show and nite hunt. It is expected however that only those clubs with the intent of sponsoring a quality, day time educational and activities program for the youth apply for a YEP event. One of our basic objectives is to give our kids the spotlight for the day. A club should not go into this as a revenue making project or for the championship points availability for members dogs. The long term goal is to keep our kids participating in the sport and encourage them to introduce others to our coonhunting heritage. As a way of accomplishing that, our short term goal is to provide them with a fun, educational outing where they are made to feel special and appreciated. Setting Your Program Date – Standard scheduling arrangements for UKC licensed events apply. A YEP event will not be counted against your club’s current allotment of seven licensed event dates per year. The 100 mile conflict radius does apply but we will work with clubs and their neighboring clubs in any way that we can to see that event dates can get scheduled. There are no license or recording fees applied to YEP events. YEP events will be advertised in Coonhound Bloodlines magazine and on the UKC website. They are open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 17. See Club Application Form for more details. Planning YEP Activities – It is required that interested clubs appoint a committee and/or chairperson to plan and oversee the event. A chairperson’s name and contact information must be submitted to UKC at the time of event scheduling. The UKC staff will assist the committee chair in any way possible in helping to plan a successful YEP event. A chairperson need not feel as though they are personally responsible for doing all the instructional duties during the YEP event. A list of potential educational activities will follow. It’s Not About Pass or Fail – A current YEP card in the pocket of a youth hunter or show enthusiast means something because it has to be earned. If they were just handed out, there would be neither pride nor sense of accomplishment. That being said, it is not our objective to formally test and potentially fail any of the youth in attendance. They key is participation and the youth in attendance should be made aware of this at the start of the event. They must participate and pay attention. A youth that plays on the clubhouse swing set all day should not be granted course completion and given a YEP card. Course Completion – Each child that participates will receive a YEP card at the conclusion of the presentation. That card is good for one year from date of issue. It will allow kids to participate in other club’s YEP hunts without attending the class. Please return all YEP cards not issued. Helpful Hints – We will close out the instructor guidelines with a few additional helpful hints. Remember, to be creative and put some thought and effort into what will make this program the most successful that it can be at your individual club. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact United Kennel Club for assistance. Try to remain aware of the fact that you are apt to have a wide age range of kids to address. Typically your program should target those kids in the 10-12 year old range. You may want to adjust your meeting discussions / activities one way or the other if you have a vast majority of kids in either the older or younger group. Please keep good notes as you progress through the YEP course. Though not required, a closing report offering suggestions and ideas would be a very useful tool for UKC in making program changes as well as all other clubs considering offering a YEP course.

Ready to get started? For more information on how to become a UKC approved YEP club, simply call the Hunting Programs Department! Once you've become approved, we will send you all the supplies you need! YEP! Rules YEP Exit Survey Course Completion Evaluation

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This Weekend At UKC Tri-State CHA will be hosting an event this weekend, February 4 in Byhalia, Mississippi. More Information. Find an event in your area.

About UKC Coonhounds Hunting with hounds is an American Tradition that still enjoys immense popularity. UKC's competitive hound programs offer events for coonhound enthusiasts belonging to over 1,300 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. Read more here.