Empathetic Humane Education & School Visits
Wishing Well Sanctuary education promotes empathy and integrity. It teaches students how thoughtless actions can cause suffering and harm and encourages them to make compassionate and respectful decisions. While it focuses on being kind to people, it also goes beyond that, promoting compassion for all animal species and caring for the planet.
The humane education movement dates back to the 19th century and has taken different forms in different cultural contexts. However, a key theme across the decades has been an emphasis on the interconnectedness of humans, other animal species, and the planet. The belief among early proponents of humane education that children exhibiting cruelty towards animals would go on to be cruel to humans has since been confirmed through scientific studies and is now widely recognized.
The goal of humane education is to promote ethical choices and encourage students to become thoughtful consumers.
Teachings can be broken down into four elements
- Providing accurate information to show students the possible consequences of their everyday decisions.
- Fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking encourages them to carefully evaluate the information they are provided with.
- Instilling reverence, respect, and responsibility to promote kindness.
- Offering positive choices to ensure that students feel empowered to make ethical decisions.
Humane Education at Wishing Well Sanctuary
At Wishing Well, humane education is a key component of the Sanctuary's mission to promote a kinder, gentler world. We provide age-tailored programs that explore empathy, compassion, and respect for all. Lessons learned in the classroom are underscored during quality time spent interacting with the furry sages of the Wishing Well family after each class. Classes are open to groups of all ages and are tailored to suit different age groups/grades. Our humane education syllabus is compatible with the Ontario school curriculum. We aim not only to promote compassion but to provide a healing environment that enhances resiliency and self-esteem.
Age-appropriate Humane Education Programs Available for School Groups
- 4-hour program
- $22.50 per child
- Contact Us to schedule a class visit.
4-Hour Program Includes:
- Discuss animals with whom we share our home and planet.
- Exploring different species in the domestic, wildlife, and exotic families.
- Other means of communicating such as body language.
- How animals share their feelings and get to recognize their body language.
- What we ALL need to live a happy, healthy life.
- Understanding nutrition, exercise, and enrichment.
- Tour of Sanctuary and hands-on time with animals.