Starting a School Animal Group
There are animal clubs, animal rights groups, environmental groups and many more that exist in schools. It only takes a couple of people to start a group and is a great way to raise awareness of the way animals are treated in New Zealand and overseas.
What structure will your group have?
A school animal group can be whatever you want it to be. It could be just learning about the issues or hanging out with like-minded people or getting actively involved in campaigns; it’s your choice.
Many groups meet every week, but you can discuss with the members what frequency and what day suits the majority. It is common for groups to have a core team who organize the meetings and come up with the main ideas for what will happen. These ideas are then presented to the rest of the members, who often who want to turn up, without having any responsibility. However, it is important to try to get everyone as involved they want to be, so they can feel a part of the group. You can do this by giving people different roles or jobs to do, e.g. the person who gets the meetings advertised; the person who contacts outside speakers; the person who orders flyers and DVDs; the person who keeps a list of emails for the group members, so you can keep everyone updated. You could even start a free website for your group.
When you are discussing plans, aim to allow everyone who wants to, to express an opinion. By listening and including everyone, you are likely to get more support for the group. Do respect everyone’s opinions, as members will have different feelings about the issues you are discussing and remember that all opinions are valid, even if you don’t personally agree with them.
Don’t get disheartened if the same people end up doing most of the work. This is true for most groups. Some people are more enthusiastic than others and you will learn who you can rely on and who may only turn up occasionally.
Suggested Topics for Meetings
1. Planning Meeting: What do the members want the group to do?
· do they want it to be just learning about and discussing the issues?
· do they want to run campaigns? Some groups look at a different issue in each meeting, while other groups run a campaign on one topic for several weeks or even a whole term.
· do they want to fund raise for animal groups?
· do they want to invite outside speakers to talk about different issues at some of the meetings? If you are going to invite outside speakers, you could aim for around once a month and make a big push to advertise these meetings throughout the school.
2. Animal Testing
Learn about the issues
· Watch the DVD Wasted Lives (available from SAFE).
· Find out which charities fund animal research in New Zealand.
· Do a quiz on which companies test on animals (download from A4AA website), so that members know what to buy.
Campaign Ideas
· Distribute copies of the petition to stop animal tested products being sold in Europe by 2013 (available on the campaigns page of A4AA website) for members to take to friends and family.
· Organise a day to collect petition signatures at school. You will need copies of the petition; clip-boards; pens; SAFE’s animal testing flyers.
3. Zoos
Learn about the Issues
· Visit ZooCheck New Zealand’s website to find out why zoos are not a good place for animals and are not an effective way of conserving endangered species.
· Find out why SAFE, the SPCA and WSPA have strongly opposed Auckland Zoo’s plan to bring two elephants from overseas - SAFE Campaigns Captive Zoo Animals. The Auckland council has agreed to let Auckland Zoo bring in the elephants, but there is still time to show that we are against the import, because zoos are no place for elephants. SAFE wants the remaining elephant at the zoo, Burma, to be re-homed in a sanctuary overseas.
Campaign Ideas
Your group could write a letter (which everyone signs) and send it to the Auckland Council to say that you want them to reverse their decision to bring in the elephants and to Auckland Zoo, saying that you don’t want to visit a zoo that doesn’t care about elephants. You could even take a photo of your group to send in with the letter. If you really want to make this a campaign, you could even tell the story to the local papers. Contact SAFE for advice on how to do this.
4. Egg Production
Learn about the issues
· Watch the DVDs “Chicken Farming in New Zealand” and “Colony Cages” to find out about the present battery system and proposed colony systems.
· Read SAFE’s leaflet and fact sheet on egg production.
· Look at the different types of eggs that you can buy in the shops and discuss battery (cage); barn and free range methods of keeping chickens.
Campaign Ideas
· Collect signatures on SAFE submission cards to send to the prime minister, asking to stop hens being kept in cages. This could be individually, or one lunchtime by setting up a table somewhere where all the students go. Use a SAFE battery farming poster to show people what you are collecting signatures for.
· Encourage members to talk (politely) to their parents about the ways hens are kept.
5. Environmental Effects of animal farming
Learn about the issues
· Watch the film “Meat the Truth”, which is in eight sections and explains about the environmental impact of eating meat.
· Visit the website 'Peanut Butter and Jelly Campaign' to find out how modifying what you eat can help the planet.
· Discuss how you could reduce your impact on the environment by having one or more meat-free days a week, going vegetarian or going vegan. Have some veggie recipes flyers available from the NZ Vegetarian Society.
6. Breeding of Companion Animals
Learn about the issues
· Visit SAFE’s website to read about the problem of animal breeding
· Invite a speaker from the SPCA to talk to your group.
Campaign Ideas and activities
· Get members to talk to their families about only getting animals from a shelter, such as the SPCA and making sure all cats, dogs and rabbits are neutered.
· Write or call your local pet shops and ask them where they source their animals. Request they do not source their animals from puppy mills and source rescued animals. Ask that they desex and vaccinate all animals before adopting and screen potential adopters.
7. Animal Sanctuaries
Find out about the issues
Learn about The Animal Sanctuary in Matakana, north of Auckland, who rescue and rehabilitate native birds, ex-battery hens, as well as providing a life-long home to pigs, goats, donkeys, ducks and other animals.
Campaign Ideas
Fund raise for the Animal Sanctuary, to help them rescue and look after their animals. You could then arrange a weekend visit for the group to present the money and to see the animals.
8. Vegetarian Food Tasting
Find out about the issues
· Watch the DVD Eat This (teenagers investigate for themselves why people are vegetarian) – available from SAFE.
· Watch the funny cartoon: Humans are Herbivores
· Visit the website of the NZ Vegan Society to find out about the issues; places to eat; recipes and lots more.
Campaigns and activities
· Distribute vegan recipes for members to cook at home. Visit SAFE's recipe page for a big list of cakes and biscuits that you can make. Have a tasting session.
· Do a bake sale to raise money for SAFE.
· Invite someone to do a cooking demo (you might need to ask to use the food technology classroom for this). Email us for contacts who are available to do this.
9. Pig Factory Farming
Find out about the issues
Watch SAFE's campaign DVD The Price of Pork.
Read SAFE's pig flyer
Discuss which products have pig meat in them.
Buy a packet of 'Sham' - fake ham from The Cruelty Free Shop and make sandwiches for everyone to try.
What structure will your group have?
A school animal group can be whatever you want it to be. It could be just learning about the issues or hanging out with like-minded people or getting actively involved in campaigns; it’s your choice.
Many groups meet every week, but you can discuss with the members what frequency and what day suits the majority. It is common for groups to have a core team who organize the meetings and come up with the main ideas for what will happen. These ideas are then presented to the rest of the members, who often who want to turn up, without having any responsibility. However, it is important to try to get everyone as involved they want to be, so they can feel a part of the group. You can do this by giving people different roles or jobs to do, e.g. the person who gets the meetings advertised; the person who contacts outside speakers; the person who orders flyers and DVDs; the person who keeps a list of emails for the group members, so you can keep everyone updated. You could even start a free website for your group.
When you are discussing plans, aim to allow everyone who wants to, to express an opinion. By listening and including everyone, you are likely to get more support for the group. Do respect everyone’s opinions, as members will have different feelings about the issues you are discussing and remember that all opinions are valid, even if you don’t personally agree with them.
Don’t get disheartened if the same people end up doing most of the work. This is true for most groups. Some people are more enthusiastic than others and you will learn who you can rely on and who may only turn up occasionally.
Suggested Topics for Meetings
1. Planning Meeting: What do the members want the group to do?
· do they want it to be just learning about and discussing the issues?
· do they want to run campaigns? Some groups look at a different issue in each meeting, while other groups run a campaign on one topic for several weeks or even a whole term.
· do they want to fund raise for animal groups?
· do they want to invite outside speakers to talk about different issues at some of the meetings? If you are going to invite outside speakers, you could aim for around once a month and make a big push to advertise these meetings throughout the school.
2. Animal Testing
Learn about the issues
· Watch the DVD Wasted Lives (available from SAFE).
· Find out which charities fund animal research in New Zealand.
· Do a quiz on which companies test on animals (download from A4AA website), so that members know what to buy.
Campaign Ideas
· Distribute copies of the petition to stop animal tested products being sold in Europe by 2013 (available on the campaigns page of A4AA website) for members to take to friends and family.
· Organise a day to collect petition signatures at school. You will need copies of the petition; clip-boards; pens; SAFE’s animal testing flyers.
3. Zoos
Learn about the Issues
· Visit ZooCheck New Zealand’s website to find out why zoos are not a good place for animals and are not an effective way of conserving endangered species.
· Find out why SAFE, the SPCA and WSPA have strongly opposed Auckland Zoo’s plan to bring two elephants from overseas - SAFE Campaigns Captive Zoo Animals. The Auckland council has agreed to let Auckland Zoo bring in the elephants, but there is still time to show that we are against the import, because zoos are no place for elephants. SAFE wants the remaining elephant at the zoo, Burma, to be re-homed in a sanctuary overseas.
Campaign Ideas
Your group could write a letter (which everyone signs) and send it to the Auckland Council to say that you want them to reverse their decision to bring in the elephants and to Auckland Zoo, saying that you don’t want to visit a zoo that doesn’t care about elephants. You could even take a photo of your group to send in with the letter. If you really want to make this a campaign, you could even tell the story to the local papers. Contact SAFE for advice on how to do this.
4. Egg Production
Learn about the issues
· Watch the DVDs “Chicken Farming in New Zealand” and “Colony Cages” to find out about the present battery system and proposed colony systems.
· Read SAFE’s leaflet and fact sheet on egg production.
· Look at the different types of eggs that you can buy in the shops and discuss battery (cage); barn and free range methods of keeping chickens.
Campaign Ideas
· Collect signatures on SAFE submission cards to send to the prime minister, asking to stop hens being kept in cages. This could be individually, or one lunchtime by setting up a table somewhere where all the students go. Use a SAFE battery farming poster to show people what you are collecting signatures for.
· Encourage members to talk (politely) to their parents about the ways hens are kept.
5. Environmental Effects of animal farming
Learn about the issues
· Watch the film “Meat the Truth”, which is in eight sections and explains about the environmental impact of eating meat.
· Visit the website 'Peanut Butter and Jelly Campaign' to find out how modifying what you eat can help the planet.
· Discuss how you could reduce your impact on the environment by having one or more meat-free days a week, going vegetarian or going vegan. Have some veggie recipes flyers available from the NZ Vegetarian Society.
6. Breeding of Companion Animals
Learn about the issues
· Visit SAFE’s website to read about the problem of animal breeding
· Invite a speaker from the SPCA to talk to your group.
Campaign Ideas and activities
· Get members to talk to their families about only getting animals from a shelter, such as the SPCA and making sure all cats, dogs and rabbits are neutered.
· Write or call your local pet shops and ask them where they source their animals. Request they do not source their animals from puppy mills and source rescued animals. Ask that they desex and vaccinate all animals before adopting and screen potential adopters.
7. Animal Sanctuaries
Find out about the issues
Learn about The Animal Sanctuary in Matakana, north of Auckland, who rescue and rehabilitate native birds, ex-battery hens, as well as providing a life-long home to pigs, goats, donkeys, ducks and other animals.
Campaign Ideas
Fund raise for the Animal Sanctuary, to help them rescue and look after their animals. You could then arrange a weekend visit for the group to present the money and to see the animals.
8. Vegetarian Food Tasting
Find out about the issues
· Watch the DVD Eat This (teenagers investigate for themselves why people are vegetarian) – available from SAFE.
· Watch the funny cartoon: Humans are Herbivores
· Visit the website of the NZ Vegan Society to find out about the issues; places to eat; recipes and lots more.
Campaigns and activities
· Distribute vegan recipes for members to cook at home. Visit SAFE's recipe page for a big list of cakes and biscuits that you can make. Have a tasting session.
· Do a bake sale to raise money for SAFE.
· Invite someone to do a cooking demo (you might need to ask to use the food technology classroom for this). Email us for contacts who are available to do this.
9. Pig Factory Farming
Find out about the issues
Watch SAFE's campaign DVD The Price of Pork.
Read SAFE's pig flyer
Discuss which products have pig meat in them.
Buy a packet of 'Sham' - fake ham from The Cruelty Free Shop and make sandwiches for everyone to try.