IHE News & Announcements June 2010

• Most Good, Least Harm Wins Silver for 2010 Nautilus Awards
  
• Got Compassion? Humane Education Activities to Inspire Adding Farmed Animals to Our Circle of Concern
• We Need an Education Revolution: Sir Ken Robinson's Latest TED.com Talk
• Share Your Stories with Other Educators: How Are You Using IHE's Humane Education Activities?
• Humane Education in Action: Se Habla Kindness
• Humanity By the Numbers: The Miniature Earth

MOST GOOD, LEAST HARM WINS SILVER FOR 2010 NAUTILUS AWARDS

We at the Institute for Humane Education are very pleased and proud that IHE President Zoe Weil's latest book, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life, is a Silver Winner for the 2010 Nautilus Book Awards. The award "recognizes books and audio books that promote spiritual growth, conscious living & positive social change, while at the same time they stimulate the "imagination" and offer the reader "new possibilities" for a better life and a better world. Most Good, Least Harm won Silver in the category for Ecology/Environment/Sustainability - Green Values.

Want to help spread the word?

If you’ve read Most Good, Least Harm and enjoyed it, you can:

• Write a brief review at Amazon.com, BN.com, or a similar site
• Tell your friends and colleagues about it
• Mention it on your social media sites, with a link back to the book on IHE's site
• Suggest it for your next book club (or to book clubs in your community)
  
• Donate a copy to your local library
• Encourage newspapers and magazines in your area to write a review

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GOT COMPASSION? HUMANE EDUCATION ACTIVITIES TO INSPIRE ADDING FARMED ANIMALS TO OUR CIRCLE OF CONCERN

Most people who've seen footage like that recently released from an undercover investigation at an Ohio dairy are shocked, horrified and disbelieving that such cruelty, violence, and suffering are a daily occurrence for billions of farmed animals. We humane educators know that animals are often left out of our society's circle of concern -- their needs, rights and interests are rarely considered in making individual and systemic choices. So how can we spark discussion, critical thinking and greater compassion?

We at IHE have a variety of humane education activities and resources that explore and nurture animal protection. Here are just a few examples that are especially relevant to this recent act of cruelty.

For younger students/children:

The Council of All Beings (grades 4 & up) gives students a chance to "become" a being or part of the natural world and share the lives, concerns, hopes and wisdom of their being in a Council. This activity could be modified to focus on different farmed animals, as well as the other stakeholders involved (farmers, slaughterhouse workers, the land being farmed, etc.), so that students can explore and connect with different perspectives.

Who Am I? (grades 2-5) serves as a great introduction to helping students think about the commonalities that humans, cows, pigs and chickens share and why we treat farmed animals the way we do.

Whom Do You Pet & Whom Do You Eat? (grades 4 & up) explores what our relationships with different kinds of animals are and why those relationships exist. The activity helps students think about why we treat different types of animals differently, and how we can learn to view them with different eyes.

Note that with young students you can also use literature as a springboard for discussing important issues. In her book, Black Ants & Buddhists, teacher Mary Cowhey describes how an incident about stepping on ants (or not) led to important discussions in her second grade class about compassion, personal responsibility and religions (see page 2 of her book for the beginning of the story).

For middle schoolers and older:

Alien in the Ethical Universe (grades 5-8) uses the scenario of a traveling alien on a fact-finding mission about how beings treat other beings to spark discussion and critical thinking about the inconsistencies in how our society encourages us to treat others. Beginning with questions about how we treat other people, the conversation leads to our treatment of animals. Asking several questions about our relationship with "food" animals and the inconsistencies there brings awareness to habits we've often never thought about.

Be a C.R.I.T.I.C. (grades 6 & up) uses a special technique to encourage students to bring critical thinking skills to their analysis of information from a variety of sources. Pairing information in a variety of formats from the animal agriculture industry with that from government sources and animal protection non-profits will help students become better evaluators of information about farmed animals.

True Price (grades 6 & up) helps participants become more conscious in their consuming by analyzing the "true price" on people, animals and the earth of different products. Analyzing products such as a fast food burger or other animal-based product can help highlight the plight of animals used in those products.

It's only through education that we're going to realize the just, compassionate world for all beings that we want. You can use activities like these (as well as modeling your own message) as a starting place.

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WE NEED AN EDUCATION REVOLUTION: SIR KEN ROBINSON’S LATEST TED.COM TALK

One of the fundamental goals of IHE is to spark deep discussions about the very purpose of education and to revolutionize what and how students are taught, so that they can become healthy, happy changemakers for a better world. We’re fans of the work of Sir Ken Robinson, a creativity expert who often talks about education. In 2006 Sir Ken gave a great talk for the TED.COM conference (it’s required viewing for our certificate and distance learning students), arguing that schools are a killer of creativity.  Now Sir Ken has returned to share a continuation of his thoughts, in order to challenge the way we think about education and to revolutionize how and what our children learn. “The reason so many people are opting out of education is because it doesn’t feed their spirit; it doesn’t feed their energy or their passion,” he says.  Watch his latest talk here (about 16 minutes).

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SHARE YOUR STORIES WITH OTHER EDUCATORS: HOW ARE YOU USING IHE'S HUMANE EDUCATION ACTIVITIES?

Our humane education activities on social justice, human rights, animal protection, environmental preservation and cultural issues have been downloaded thousands of times, finding their way into classrooms and other educational programs around the world. If you're using our activities, we want to hear your story!

Through your stories we want to expose other educators to inspiring new ideas about teaching humane issues in their classrooms, homeschools and community programs and offer them your expert advice for successfully integrating humane education into their teaching.

If you are interested in helping other educators, please email Marsha with your story, tips, advice and/or ideas, and let us know which of our activities you're using (or have used in the past). As a thank you to those who share their stories, we'll enter your name in a random drawing to win humane education resources, such as materials from Rethinking Schools, the book and curriculum for The Story of Lilly and Lou, and more.

You can share your stories about how you've used our activities at any time, but to be eligible for the drawing, please submit them to Marsha by Sunday, June 13, 2010.  

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Humane Education in Action:  Se Habla Kindness

Connie Durkee started working with animals as a Veterinary Assistant in 1979 but she had a love for animals all her life. One of eight children, her parents taught them an appreciation for all living things. Among other jobs, Connie has worked as a Veterinary Technician, as president of a county humane society, as office manager of a vet hospital, and for the animal protection group In Defense of Animals.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Connie went to New Orleans and Mississippi to help with animal rescues. Over the course of two years she helped transport hundreds of animals from the devastated south to the east and west coasts. This experience got her interested in disaster relief, and she began taking every disaster relief training course she could.

In 2009, Connie, her husband and their four cats and dog moved to the Dominican Republic (DR). Since moving to the DR she has participated in spay/neuter campaigns and has started a Humane Education program in the local schools. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, Connie went to Haiti with one of the first animal welfare groups on the ground. 

Connie shared with us her experiences starting a humane education program and helping rescue animals in the Dominican Republic.

Quick Facts:

Current hometown: Cabrera, Dominican Republic
IHE fan since: 2008
Current Job: Part-time with Animal Balance
Current Passion: Organizing a Humane Education program in the schools of Cabrera
Your hero: Jane Goodall
Book/movie that changed your life: Book: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. TV show: the network news in Portland, Oregon, in August 2000, when they showed footage of "the first cloned monkey" from The Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. A technician entered the room where the baby monkey was playing, and she darted to a corner of the room and huddled in utter fear of the technician coming for her. The fear I saw in that baby monkey’s eyes changed my life. I knew I had to do something. 
Guilty pleasure: Wine
Inspired by:  Peggy Kirk and Matt Rossell for their animal welfare work; for their humane education work, I'm inspired by Marsha Rakestraw of IHE and two women from the island of Dominica who run a Humane Education program there. 
One of your strengths: determination


IHE: What led you to the path of humane education?

CD: I attended the Caribbean Animal Welfare Conference in the Dominican Republic in April 2008, searching for a new direction in my life. My husband and I had always wanted to live overseas, so this felt like a good opportunity to tap into the animal welfare community of the Caribbean. The last day of the conference was focused mainly on Humane Education, and a presentation was given by Yola Toussaint, Assistant Director and Humane Values Educator at The Humane Society of Dominica, and her assistant, on their Humane Education program. I was so inspired by them and what they were doing I knew right away I had found my new direction. 

IHE : You’ve transitioned from doing outreach for an animal protection non-profit (primarily working with adults) to offering humane education programs to school kids and working with rescue groups in the Dominican Republic. How did that transition occur, and what made you choose that as the next step in your journey?

CD: I had been working for In Defense of Animals for six years and was wanting to get back to the more hands-on part of working with animals, as well as to start a Humane Education program. I was also encouraged by my friend, Emma Clifford, the Founder and Director of Animal Balance. She lives in Cabrera, DR, and suggested we move there and help out with AB’s efforts. Animal Balance is an amazing group, and since moving here 15 months ago, I have participated in two spay/neuter campaigns with them, through which almost 800 dogs and cats have been altered and many injured and sick animals helped.

Working with kids is definitely a different experience than working with adults. I’ve learned a lot from the kids, and it has shaped me into a different person. I’ve learned how willing they are to learn and how energetic and thrilled they are to talk about the animals and our earth. So far it’s been a totally rewarding experience.

IHE : Tell us more about your humane education work with kids.

CD: I have been working mainly with The Esperanza Project this past year. The two founders have graciously invited me to join their project and to incorporate Humane Education into their curriculum. Some of the presentations I’ve given with their students include:

• Pets and their needs
• Dangers for animals
• Animals in our community
• What do you feel? – We discuss how they might feel when they see people treating animals kindly, and animals being treated cruelly.
• Making humane choices: The Golden Rule
• Sea life and oceans
• Cloth bag project
• Dog safety
• Feeding beach dogs and garbage pick up – I take the kids to the beach and we feed the beach dogs. I explain to them how the dogs got there, why they are almost always female and where I get the food to feed them (leftovers from a local school where the kids put it in a container for me so they know it’s for the beach dogs). I also talk about getting the dogs spayed and neutered and why that is so important. We then used recycled bags to pick up garbage on the beach. We take before and after pictures of the area we cleaned up and ask questions like "Which beach would you rather go to?" We talk about how harmful all the garbage is to our oceans and our earth.

IHE : You’re also working to directly help animals in need in the DR. Tell us about that.

CD: There are ALWAYS animals in need here, especially because many of the people here can barely afford to feed their families, let alone feed a dog or cat. Sarna (mange) is rampant here, and I am always finding animals that need medication for their skin problems.

Other dogs have been hit by cars and left to die on the road. Tommy is a good example of that. A friend of mine saw him get hit by a car, but he ran off into the bushes before she could catch him. It was three days before we found him, and his front leg was broken, and he had a wound the size of a baseball in his groin area. He was skinny and flea-ridden. Dr. Medina, the local veterinarian, is a wonderful man, and he agreed to help us do surgery on Tommy. We were going to have to amputate his front leg, and as we were prepping him for surgery, we noticed that one of his back legs had been broken before and had healed incorrectly. We weren’t sure Tommy would be able to walk if we amputated his front leg. But, we decided to go ahead with the surgery. It took some time but Tommy did great and lived at my house for two months. He learned to walk on two legs (right front and left rear). We were lucky enough to find his Dominican family, and they loved him so much they wanted him back. He is now happily back with his family and we visit him often. He runs to greet us with such enthusiasm; it’s heartwarming.

Animal Balance sometimes has visiting veterinarians come to Cabrera, and when they do we always do our best to get in as many spay/neuter surgeries as we can. I am currently working with Animal Balance to organize a free rabies vaccination clinic. We hope to vaccinate 1,000 dogs.

I could go on and on… Lulu, the little dog we rescued from a poor Haitian family, who now lives in Maryland; the puppies who are dropped on my doorstep because the locals know where I live and know that I will take care of them; the two orphaned two-week old kittens we recently took in, feeding of the beach dogs, etc.

IHE : What has it been like establishing yourself in a new culture. How have people responded to what you’re trying to do?

CD: Most people here have welcomed me into the community. Emma and Animal Balance were here before me, so that helped educate many of the locals on the advantages of spay/neuter. They have seen the results: fewer street dogs, fewer dog bites, less danger of rabies, etc. I’m actually flattered by how grateful most of them have been. When I’m feeding the beach dogs people will come up to me and thank me for what I’m doing and tell me Vaya con Dios. The people here really are special and most of them do care; it’s just not always easy here.  The local ex-pats have been totally supportive of my idea of a Humane Education program in the schools.

IHE : What have been some of your successes and challenges?

CD: Well, I’m really proud of the cloth bag project and of all the animals I’ve been able to help since being here. For the cloth bag project, after discussing how all the plastic can harm our oceans and our sealife, one of the things we came up with to help stop the pollution is for people to take their own reusable bag with them while shopping. We decided this would be a great project and started making plans to make our own cloth bags for the community. We went to the local supermarket and counted how many plastic bags went out of the store in a single day. We spoke with the owner of the store and told him of our plans and asked if he would agree to giving people a small discount on their purchase if they brought in their own cloth bag. We sent an email out to friends and family asking for donations of material that they were no longer using, such as old jeans, hammocks, drop cloths, etc. We had a contest with the kids to design a logo and a slogan. We found a pattern for a bag on the internet. We got a sewing machine donated, so we started making our bags. I do the sewing while the kids cut out the material and apply their own personal drawings, along with the logo and slogan. They are a huge success.

Challenges can be many: electricity only 50% of the time (for sewing); the way some people just don’t care at all; water and internet are not always available; supplies for my projects are hard to come by; getting animals dropped off at my house at any time, etc.

IHE : You started a humane education program with little actual experience doing humane education. What was that like for you? How did you develop your program and connect with the schools and the community?

CD: It was overwhelming at first. I was so anxious to get here and get started. But then I learned that nothing here happens "fast." We’re on Dominican time. So, I learned to be patient. I looked for resources that were available: books, internet resources, videos, etc. I did take IHE’s Sowing Seeds workshop before coming to the DR and bought Zoe’s book The Power and Promise of Humane Education, and that has been instrumental in the creation of my program. I also got Humane Education informational booklets, both in Spanish and English, from other groups and brought them with me when I came. I got into the schools by talking with locals and presenting my idea. I have had nothing but support so far.

IHE : What advice would you give to others who might want to start a humane education program in another country?

CD: Be patient. Be sensitive to the culture. Try not to feel overwhelmed and use your resources, especially from others who have started Humane Education programs in other countries. Listen to their experiences and their successes and failures. Feel your students out and understand that the curriculum you put together may not always work the way you think it should, so be flexible in your planning. Start small and enjoy yourself. You will make a difference.

IHE : Any future plans, dreams or projects?

CD: I plan to continue my work with Animal Balance, and I hope to work with The Esperanza Project again next school year. They are having a free summer camp for the local children this summer, and I’m hoping to be involved with that, possibly building a shelter for the two resident donkeys.

There are also plans being made for me to work with The Catalina DR Foundation next school year.  We plan to go into four rural public schools and incorporate my Humane Education program into the curriculum. 

If you'd like to sponsor a Dominican child so that they can attend The Esperanza Project, please visit www.esperanzaproject.ca. Our little town has many poor families that can barely afford to feed themselves, let alone send their kids to a special school. Your sponsorship would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me at connie.durkee@gmail.com  or contact The Esperanza Project directly from their website. Thank you! 

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HUMANITY BY THE NUMBERS: THE MINIATURE EARTH

Many of us trying to grasp the details of the lives of the nearly 7 billion other humans around the world can feel our brains melting at the attempt. It's challenging enough for some of us to empathize with and relate to our immediate neighbors and community members, but with 6+ BILLION of them?

That's why tools like The Miniature Earth are so useful. This little video helps viewers connect with others by distilling and quantifying humanity into numbers and ideas that are easier on our brains -- and more likely to inspire us to think critically and compassionately about others.

The video uses Donella Meadows' "State of the Village Report," in which she reduced Earth's human population to 1,000 people, and, keeping the same proportions, calculated statistics such as ethnicities, religions, income distributions, and so on. The information for The Miniature Earth video has been adapted and updated (and a new version is in the works).

Viewers can imagine themselves as one of the 100. Would they be...

• One of the 9 disabled?
• The one with HIV/AIDS?
• One of the 67 non-Christians?
• One of the 43 without basic sanitation?
• One of the 6 that own 59% of the entire wealth of the community?
• One of the 7 educated at a secondary level?
• One of the 97 without Internet access?
• One of the 71 living on $2 a day or less?

The images are moving, and the statistics included provide excellent opportunities for discussion, critical thinking, and further exploration, especially for educators wanting to use a variety of subjects (math, geography, language arts, etc.) to help students to delve into human rights and social justice issues. There are also great opportunities to discuss the challenges in trying to divide people into specific categories.

If you'd like a similar concept in book form, check out David J. Smith's books If the World Were a Village and If America Were a Village.

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