Think Stray! is a highly interactive animal welfare education campaign aimed at transforming young people's views on the challenging issue of stray animals in Romania.
We propose a coherent, integrated school-based programme tailored to suit local or regional needs and fit any curriculum.
Objectives:
- Promote responsible pet ownership
- Promote spaying and neutering as the most humane and effective way of managing stray animal overpopulation issues
- Prevent cruelty to animals
- Provide information and advice on aspects of biology, management, health, behaviour and ethics relating to the welfare of animals
- Promote animal adoption and re-homing as opposed to buying purpose bread animals
- Improve the quality of life for animals through education and training in schools
- Establish animal welfare as a national issue
- Gain governments' support for animal welfare education
- Get stronger animal welfare legislation in Romania
- Support the development of further animal welfare qualifications and professional learning opportunities
- Provide support to animal welfare NGOs and education advisors to freely promote their assistance and services to the general public
- Bring schools and animal welfare organisations closer together in order to support each other or work together where possible
- Reduce the number of unwanted litters born or abandoned on the streets
Students participating in the programme will:
- Understand how human actions can affect animals
- Understand how public opinion, voluntary groups and the media can influence decision-making
- Develop and show attitudes of kindness, respect and responsibility towards animals
- Understand pet overpopulation crisis, spaying and neutering, proper vet care
- Understand/learn humane stray management
- Discuss and understand the social, moral and political dimensions of animal welfare
- Learn how to providing care to animals in distress, offer long-term rehabilitation support, foster care and re-homing
- Learn the symptoms of some common dog and cat diseases, how they are spread and the methods of preventing and treating them
- Understanding how animal and plant species depend on each other and how living things are adapted for survival
Activities:
- Animal welfare courses
- Meetings, lectures and workshops on a wide range of welfare topics
- Practical animal handling techniques
- Use different methods to draw attention to the link between cruelty to animals and human violence
- Competitions (photography, drawing, illustration, writing etc.)
- Exhibitions (photography, drawing, illustration etc.)
- Customized training courses to veterinary professionals and students who want to study veterinary medicine
Awards:
- Project awards and certificates to recognize student and teacher achievements in different activities
- Animal welfare student of the month certificate to recognise the achievements of a student who have made significant contributions to improving the welfare of animals
- Competition prizes
Partnership:
Think Stray! and its partners engage on a voluntary basis, working to mutual agreements which --whilst allowing autonomy-- contribute to the implementation of the campaign in the curriculum and offer endorsement/support for the programme.
In addition to the individuals who are involved on a voluntary basis, we count on the generous contributions of those people who support animal welfare and believe that education is the agent for change.
Think Stray! and its partners engage on a voluntary basis, working to mutual agreements which --whilst allowing autonomy-- contribute to the implementation of the campaign in the curriculum and offer endorsement/support for the programme.
In addition to the individuals who are involved on a voluntary basis, we count on the generous contributions of those people who support animal welfare and believe that education is the agent for change.
