Help Expand Humane Education in Alberta Schools
You can lead the way to a more humane future
With your help, we can build on this successful pilot program
By adding more resources to the toolkit and scaling up the delivery, we can send it to every elementary school in the province to help even more children build empathy, compassion and respect. To do this, we must raise a total of $55,000 for the following costs.
- Updating and improving the toolkit content, website and resources – $8,000
- Printing toolkits and accompanying resources and mailing one to every elementary school in Alberta – $25,000
- Updating AnimalTales book-lending program – $10,000
- One Year of program delivery to schools across Alberta – $12,000
Our Goal:
$55,000
Your support will inspire the next generation to show compassion for all living things and the environment we share, creating a better future for all. Please give generously today.
Imagine a world where young people become engaged citizens, equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to improve the well-being of all living things.
That’s the goal of the Alberta SPCA’s humane education programs. We’re accomplishing this by partnering with teachers to nurture humane attitudes in students.
When children understand animals better, they learn a sense of responsibility and they grow their awareness of just how connected we are to animals and the environment.
We’ve collaborated with professionals in education and animal welfare to create a Humane Educator’s Toolkit. This comprehensive kit provides information, programs and resources to help elementary teachers foster humane education in their classrooms.
It’s been a great success so far, and I know the toolkit will continue making a meaningful difference when more teachers can access it. That’s why we need your support to expand the toolkit beyond the pilot program phase and take it to all elementary schools across Alberta.
As a leading supporter of the Alberta SPCA, you are a driving force behind creating a more humane world – and this is the next natural step to ensure a humane future.
We invite you to read the information here for a better idea of how students will be able to further their understanding of why treating animals kindly is so important – and how that attitude extends to the way we treat people and the environment.
How animals help children learn empathy
Did you know that a humane education program that focuses on caring for animals and nature can lead to positive behaviours in elementary-aged students? Studies show an increase in helping, cooperating and sharing behaviours – and a reduction in violence and aggression.
Fostering kindness, compassion, critical thinking and perspective taking is crucial to social and emotional development – and happens to be key to creating a more humane world.
Teachers play an influential role in shaping these attitudes. In fact, with the help of the Alberta SPCA Humane Educator’s Toolkit, teachers are fostering respect for all living things.
This kit provides information and resources to help teachers incorporate humane education programs in their classrooms.
With the toolkit’s engaging activities, teachers can help students grow their understanding of animal needs, develop a sense of responsibility, build empathy and learn about the connection among animals, people and the environment.
Let’s work together to create a compassionate future for all Albertans by nurturing our children’s compassion, responsibility and respect for animals, people and the environment – every living thing.
Here's what teachers are saying about our Education Program
A few facts about the Humane Educator's Toolkit:
Our pilot project, made possible through a grant from the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, provided 700 Humane Educator’s Toolkits to elementary school teachers across the province in 2023.
- Teachers, education consultants, animal welfare experts, veterinarians and university faculty all collaborated on the development of the toolkit.
- The toolkit incorporates character development (exploring themes like respect, kindness, community and responsibility). Indigenous perspectives, storytelling (which includes a free book-lending program), discussion questions, videos, activity sheets and other classroom activities.