Humane Education. What's it All About?
This right here.
From 9/20-5/21- this is what I was doing when I wasn’t in the barn, tending to our house or our family.
Not going to lie. It was HARD. Harder than I thought it would be…in SO many ways.
And SO…..VERY….WORTH IT.
Let’s learn a little more, shall we?
Why Humane Ed?
I first found Humane Education in Chicago when I discovered HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers). HEART advocated for Humane Ed- a way of teaching that is founded in compassion and which shows us the interconnected nature of animals, human beings, and our planet. A looking glass that shows us what is happening in our world and encouraging us to be critical thinkers and revolutionary problem solvers (I encourage you to look up Zoe Weil’s term “soIutionaries.”)
I was fortunate enough to receive training in HEART’s Animal Welfare component and was blown away by what they were teaching kiddos ( they were learning about Factory Farming!!! Why didn’t someone teach ME about factory farming?!?!). I brought them into my elementary school district every chance I could (after school sessions on recycling, learning about animal shelters and more..) and tabled for them at events - soaking up every piece of information I could.
Upon moving to Oregon, I reconnected with HEART via their Portland chapter and was re- inspired. I was on a mission to find a way to open a sanctuary and I knew that including children was a vital piece of that dream.
Fast forward five years and we have the land, the animals and now, the PROGRAM to put it all together. We always knew we wanted to teach empathy via a reading program with the animals, but becoming a HE practitioner inspired a program that goes beyond the scope of human/human or human/animal relationships. We are asking participants to expand their compassion to the entire world around them. We will not only be building bonds between children and animals- but opening them up to the possibilities of empathy and compassion as it pertains to every human being, animal and ecosystem they encounter (at least we hope we will).
So what’s next?
Here’s what you can see in the next year from the BB:
We’ll be finishing up some projects on the property to improve the lives of our current residents
We will be re-applying for a special use permit and waiting on approval so we can officially have guests and volunteers.
We’ll be talking to local libraries, camps and schools to build relationships and start outreach (mainly via reading programs)
Once we have our permit, we will welcome people for tours and reading programs (small numbers at first and grow with time and experience)
We’ll continue sharing info via social media and our website to teach and spread the word about HUMANE EDUCATION!!!
We anticipate teaching here at the Blue Barn, in schools, libraries and via the internet/
Here is what our Pedagogy, or way of teaching, will look like.
In the meantime, we’ll be doing everything we can to be kind to animals, other humans and our earth.
So far one of our favorite ways to do this is by following a plant based diet and sharing recipes (you didn’t think we’d blog without sharing FOOD did you?!?!?)
As promised, we’ll be sharing the recipe for Ryan’s favorite cookie here at Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary- Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal from The Simple Green.
OMG. These are TOOOOOO good (I may have had three yesterday). The great thing is that I make them with whole grain flour and there’s not a ton of sugar so you kind of CAN have three (sort of..).
Let us know if you can have just ONE….
That’s it for now.
Let us know how you like the cookies, what you think about Humane Ed, and what YOU DO to show compassion to the animals, human beings and our planet!
We’d love to hear from you!!!
With Gratitude,
Melissa