We’re nominated for the 2025 HESTA Excellence Awards!

We’re proud to announce that Canine Comprehension has been nominated for the 2025 HESTA Excellence Awards in the Team Excellence in Community Services category. This recognition means a lot to us, as it highlights the dedication of our entire team: mentors, the leadership & admin team, as well as our wonderful therapy dogs—who work together to support young people’s wellbeing and learning readiness every day.

Since 2014, our mission has been clear: we are committed to empowering young people with the skills and tools that foster inner certainty to confidently navigate the world. Our evidence-based dog-assisted learning programs are designed for students of all backgrounds, including those who are neurodiverse, experience anxiety, or come from diverse communities. We focus on building resilience, social-emotional skills, reading confidence, and a genuine love for learning. Our team of skilled professionals brings together backgrounds in education, youth work, and mental health, and every program is delivered in partnership with qualified, certified therapy dogs.

We partner with schools, libraries, and community groups across Melbourne and Victoria, working closely with educators and families to create safe, inclusive, and engaging environments. Over the past decade, we’ve expanded to reach more schools and libraries each year. Our programs—ranging from eight-week group sessions to one-on-one mentoring and “Dog for a Day” incursions—are all about making a real difference in young people’s lives.

Being nominated by HESTA, an organisation that champions excellence, advocacy, and positive change in health and community services, is especially meaningful. HESTA’s commitment to supporting those who make a genuine impact in their communities aligns with our own values of being helpful, empathetic, adaptable, reliable, and trustworthy. Like HESTA, we believe in putting people first, driving innovation, and building a better future for all.

We are proud to have been nominated in the Team Excellence category at the 2025 HESTA Excellence Awards, standing alongside some of Australia’s most inspiring organisations making a difference in community services. This year, the winners in our category were the Cherished Pets Foundation Care Team (Ocean Grove, VIC), the Cockburn Aboriginal Ear Health Program Team (Success, WA), and the Education Pathways Program Team (South Melbourne, VIC). We congratulate these outstanding teams for their dedication and impact, from supporting vulnerable people and their pets, to improving ear health for Aboriginal children, to breaking down barriers to education for children experiencing homelessness and family violence.

Being nominated is a tremendous honour for Canine Comprehension and a testament to our team’s commitment to empowering young people with the skills and tools that foster inner certainty to confidently navigate the world. We are grateful to the HESTA Awards for shining a light on the work being done across Australia to build healthier, more inclusive, and supportive communities. Congratulations again to all the winners and finalists—your work inspires us to keep striving for excellence in everything we do.

Receiving this nomination inspires us to keep improving, keep listening, and keep putting the wellbeing of young people at the heart of everything we do. We’re grateful to our staff, our partners, and the communities we serve for making this work possible.