Day 7

Today we talked about volunteering in a local animal welfare organisation, education for children and using animals for therapy. A few participants already had great experience in volunteering or education for children, so during this session they shared their experience and thoughts with the group.  

After the coffee break, Dana, one of the participants from Romania, prepared a presentation about welfare education for children. Education for children is very important, because we often meet with kids who don't know how to act around animals, and sometimes, because of the lack of knowledge may cause them harm. 

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) wants animal welfare education (AWE), to become an integral part of formal curricula around the world. Its effective delivery results in the development of empathy, morals, ethics and values in the children who experience it. Teaching the younger generations these values is essential in changing the lives of the millions of animals that suffer from cruelty across the globe.

What do children think about animals? Children love to be around animals, and undoubtedly there is a benefit in physical interaction, particularly in encouraging empathy towards animals. However,caution must be applied. Using animals in education section of this pack for all the requirements that must be met for teachers  and parents to consider keeping animals at school or home. During this session we discussed how we should properly educate our kids and what's needed for proper education. 

How to teach children in schools:

• Interviewing a veterinarian 
• Inviting an animal shelter staff member to visit the class/group
• Searching for reliable information on pet care 
• Making a poster for school asking kids to submit their pet care tips 
• Visiting a shelter or doing some actions on volunteering at a shelter for animals 

The second part of the day focused on use of animals for the therapy. Every year thousand of people, are getting better thanks to spending time with their animal friends. In the presentation, Noemi, the participant from Hungary, highlighted how animals help us to get better. In groups we discussed most popular types of animal therapy, its benefits and shared our experiences.

Participants from Lithuania, who had experience with taking care of the horses, were asked to make a presentation about their work. They explained what they do as part of the training, how to care for horses and also other beneficial reasons for spending time horse-riding, such as animal therapy.