Wow Samantha your programs are fantastic. My organization has an education program but nothing to this well rounded extent. I am emailing you as I would love to learn more about your Outreach and Juvenile Diversion programs. Thank you!!
Original Message:
Sent: 08-04-2023 10:59 AM
From: Savanna New
Subject: August 2023 Resource Drive: Humane Education Resources
Hi all!
I'm the Humane Education Manager at the Jacksonville Humane Society in Jacksonville, Florida. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Humane Educators.
These are the main humane education programs we currently offer at JHS:
Pawsitive Reading - This is a program in which kids can come and volunteer to read out loud to the pets in our shelter. Studies have shown listening to people reading out loud lowers stress levels in animals, and it's also an incredible way to boost kids' reading confidence and help them build their literacy skills.
Camps - We offer a Summer Camp, Winter and Spring Break Camp, plus some one-day camps throughout the year like our Future Veterinarians Camp. We also do a high school camp in the summer! Our curricula are a blend of educational lessons, crafts/activities/art projects that benefit our pets in some way or tie into our learning, animal interactions, and - of course - GAMES!
Service Days - These are 4-hour events for middle and high school students in which we complete a variety of projects benefiting our shelter and also learn about a topic in animal welfare that we then tie into our own lives (for example, stress in people and stress in animals - how can we manage our own stress, how can we help pets manage their stress, etc.)
Field Trips - We offer field trips every weekday morning before we open during the school year. Our trips are either 1 hour or 1.5 hours and include an orientation to JHS, a tour of our Adoption Center, and Pawsitive Reading if the class wants that add-on. We also typically get to meet a kitten or a dog, depending on who is available in the shelter!
Birthday Parties - We offer several birthday party packages with varied themes. Even though these are parties, they still tie back to our mission - we learn about what an animal shelter does, take a tour, and do some sort of service activity to help the pets! (And, of course, we get to meet kittens or a dog!)
Outreach - We started an outreach program about a year/year and a half ago that allows us to now venture out into the community to share humane education lessons and activities. We regularly visit Title I schools and after school programs for underresourced youth and do lessons, service projects, social-emotional learning games, and more. We even bring Pawsitive Reading on the road sometimes - we bring a shelter pet with us and the kids can read out loud to the pet at their location rather than coming to our facility!
Juvenile Diversion - This is a newer program for us, but we now offer a humane education-themed juvenile diversion option for pre-teens and teens in our city. It's a 12-week program and we meet once a week for about an hour - the participants learn about all sorts of animal-related topics, engage in social-emotional learning and reflection opportunities, and earn volunteer hours.
We are very grateful to have incredibly generous grant funders who make many of these programs possible. We have actually found that adding education programs can bring in new sources of revenue, as many funders who aren't inspired to give to animals may be motivated to support education!
If anyone has any questions about any of these programs or is interested in any of our curriculum materials, please don't hesitate to reply to this post or email me at snew@jaxhumane.org. This is my favorite topic and I love exchanging ideas and resources.
The Association of Professional Humane Educators - www.aphe.org - is an awesome resource for all things humane ed. If your organization has an education program currently or interested in starting one, I highly recommend joining APHE if possible. All members get access to a resource library full of materials. We also sell a camp manual which is a must-have for anyone starting a humane education camp for the first time.
I hope all of this information helps!
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Savanna New
Jacksonville Humane Society
Original Message:
Sent: 08-01-2023 02:23 PM
From: Kim Domerofski (She/Her)
Subject: August 2023 Resource Drive: Humane Education Resources
A few months ago, we asked you what types of resources you need and @ERIN ELLIS suggested education programs and resources. This has been a popular topic of discussion so this month our resource drive is focused on Humane Education.
What is Humane Education?
It's the ultimate "pay it forward" -- teaching today's youth about empathy and compassion towards animals to make the world a better place in the future!
From HEART's website: "Humane Education teaches kindness, develops empathy, and cultivates compassion toward animals, people, and the natural world. Students gain the knowledge and tools to make more informed and socially responsible choices that counteract real-world problems. Humane Education is Animal Protection + Social Justice + Environmental Ethics."
From HSUS HumanePro: "From reading to shelter pets, to supervised, hands-on animal care, good humane education programs-no matter how small or grassroots-can gift the next generation with the knowledge and experience to become kind, compassionate pet owners and animal advocates. Tomorrow's humanitarians are in today's classrooms."
How to Participate in this Resource Drive
1. UPLOAD OR SHARE Humane Education examples & resources on this thread
2. REPLY with a request for a specific Humane Education resource you NEED or a question related to Humane Education
What Should You Share?
Tell us about Humane Education programs at your organization (or another) including camps, tours, field trips, school programs, community programs, career days, youth volunteer programs, virtual programs, special events, etc.
Share examples of handouts, activities, projects, marketing materials, camp/program materials, and anything else you use in your (or another organization's) Humane Education programs.
Where Will the Humane Education Resources be Stored? How do I view them?
All Humane Education-related resources shared on this thread will be accessible in the "Humane Education" folder in Maddie's Pet Forum Library: https://maddies.fund/humaneeducationresources
🤑 Share & You'll Be Entered To Win $50 🤑
Everyone who uploads a file, shares a resource on this thread or replies with information or questions about Humane Education during the month of August 2023 will be entered to win a $50 gift card to Amazon, Petco or PetSmart (winner's choice). Start sharing now!
Pro-Tips for sharing resources:
Use the "Upload File" button when replying to this thread to attach a file. We encourage you to attach the file versus hyperlinking to the file whenever possible. Files that are attached get automatically added to the Maddie's Pet Forum Resource Library so attaching helps make the resource searchable and improves accessibility within the forum.
Yes, you can share resources that your organization did not create. Sharing is caring and this applies to resources too! Make sure the creator allows the resource to be shared publicly and be sure to give credit to the creator or source organization.
#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
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Kim Domerofski (she/her)
Community Manager
Maddie's Fund
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