Humane Edge E-News December 2009

• FROM STUDENT TO CONFORMIST
• SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS FOR A HUMANE, HAPPIER SEASON
• FEATURED RESOURCE: FAMILY ACTIVISM
• FEATURED ACTIVITY: WHAT PRICE BEAUTY?
  
• HUMANE EDUCATION IN ACTION: BRINGING KINDNESS TO BELIZE
  
• FEATURED STUDENT: KERRI TWIGG
  

FROM STUDENT TO CONFORMIST

By Claire Russell, 9th grade student

I am ashamed to say that in just two short weeks I have gone from student to conformist. I move when the bell tells me to move, eat when the bell tells me to eat. I stand up and state my patriotism when the overhead intercom tells me to. I observe my country’s flag just once a day, and only because I have to. I stand in line for twenty minutes to buy food that will make me unhealthy, and am required to buy a carton of milk, which I won’t drink. I am walking the halls as a ghost filled with fears of detention, failing grades and pop quizzes. I am told what to wear, how to wear it and when it is appropriate. I am told quietly that as long as the work is in on time, I am OK. And if the work is late (no matter how good it is or how much time was spent doing it), I am a failure -- and I am kept after school to think about just that. I sit there, hating myself for my mistake, separated from my peers, feeling alone and wondering if the reason I’m here is that I have failed the system already? Or, has the system already failed me?        

My name is forgotten, and I take on the facade of an ID number and a GPA. I am placed into an honors/non-honors category, and segregation hurts. When placed into my category I am silently told I am in my place now, and there is no need to move.    

My new friends will never believe my stories of a school where there were no grades or tests; an independent school where I learned for the sake of learning, and simply did my best. For the past nine years, I went to school in a safe, creative environment where it was not only acceptable but valued and encouraged for us to state our opinions, no matter how bold. We were taught to seek our gifts, be ourselves, and to think. Isn’t that how it should be for a young child full of dreams? Families should not have to pay for an education like mine.

I have come to a conclusion that just might save me: I love learning. I don’t love school. Whether they are the same -- that’s for you to decide. I will not concede that they are remotely similar anymore for me. The time in my life where all that was expected of me was that I learned, and learned to love learning, is distant to me now but by no means vague.  Tonight, I write from my heart. I realize that an F on a paper does not mean we are failures. I will not lose sight of where I came from and where I am to go. Where I came from: Education. Where I am going: A life of learning. In spite of what the system tells me and my peers: a grade will not define us.

Claire Russell is a freshman at a public high school in Maine, after having spent her first nine years of school at an independent, alternative school. Claire's essay has been published elsewhere, and she kindly gave us permission to print it here.Claire is also a blogger for the Institute for Democratic Education in America (IDEA).

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SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS FOR A HUMANE, HAPPIER SEASON

It's the holiday season. Which of these better describes your state of mind: joyous, meaningful, balanced?; or, exhausted, stressed, conflicted?

The winter holidays have gained a reputation for reaching the epitome of the "overs": overspending, overbooking, overstressing, overconsuming. And more people are expressing a desire to simplify their holidays and bring more balance, joy and meaning to their festivities.

If you want to slow down and simplify, start by considering what you want out of the holidays. What's most important to you? What do you want to be the focus of your time and attention? What are you already doing that brings you joy and fulfillment? Discuss your needs with your family and friends and together create the kind of holiday that is memorable, meaningful and merry for everyone.

Take time to examine each aspect of your holiday traditions and to-dos. Ask yourself questions, such as:

• Will this bring joy and meaning to my life?
  
• What true need or authentic want does this activity/product fulfill, and is there a way to do it that does more good and less harm? How can my family and I meet this need/want in a creative, compassionate, sustainable way?
• What's the impact of this choice on myself? Other people? Animals? The earth?
• What do others really need/want from me, and how can I meet that need in a MOGO way?

There are numerous resources available to help you transition to a simpler season. For example:

• Check out our Gift Guide for Happier, Humane Holidays.
  
• Take advantage of the Center for a New American Dream's Simplify the Holidays suggestions, which offer a variety of ideas. They also have a free, downloadable (PDF) booklet, Simplify the Holidays, which provides additional tips and suggestions (free registration required first). 
• Skim books such as Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben and Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson for ideas and insights. 

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FEATURED RESOURCE: FAMILY ACTIVISM

by Kelly Coyle DiNorcia, IHE M.Ed. graduate & humane parenting consultant

“Family” and “Activism” can often feel like they are mutually exclusive.  Finding time in a busy family schedule to do volunteer work or even write a letter to an editor or representative can seem overwhelming.  But Roberto Vargas, in his book Family Activism:  Empowering Your Community, Beginning With Family and Friends (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008) reminds us that activism begins at home.  Vargas defines Family Activism as “interacting with those close to you in a way that inspires and prepares them to serve their families and communities as a positive force for change.  It is teaching and modeling love among all your relationships, extending acts of caring, thereby encouraging more folks to increase their commitment and time to advancing love and change." (10)  In other words, family activists approach their most intimate relationships with the intention of being the change they want to see in the world.

I know that I am not the only person whose activism changed when I had a family.  I no longer have the time or energy for the type of volunteer work I used to do, and I’ve had to discover new ways to fit activism into my life as a parent.  I am also required to consider whether and how to include my children in my activism.  Is it safe?  Is it age-appropriate?  Does it interest them?

According to Vargas, though, one need not march on Washington or perform an undercover farmed animal rescue to make a difference in the world.  He argues that “All people who actively care for and serve others are activists." (21)  Vargas has developed what he calls the Familia Approach, in which we express ourselves as activists by creating a culture of peace, consensus, and empowerment within our families.  And from there, we simply view everyone as family and our impact spreads to our communities and beyond.  We may never know the effects of our actions, but it is important that we approach all our interpersonal interactions with an attitude of porvida, or profound love of life and humanity.

Using examples from his own personal and professional life as a community organizer, Vargas gives readers strategies for leading successful family and community council meetings as well as empowering others to be effective communicators and agents of change.  Using the concept of El Sí, or Yes Energy, he counsels readers to connect with their own power and purpose and help those around them to do the same by recognizing their connection with everyone around them.

Helping a sibling work through a difficult situation.  Showing  a new neighbor around town.  Bringing a meal to an ill friend.  Offering a word of encouragement to a stranger in the grocery store.  All these things can seem so insignificant.  The idea of “think globally, act locally” can seem clichéd and, frankly, intended for those who do not want to do the work required to address the Big Issues in a Big Way.  Vargas, however, makes a compelling argument that acting locally is, indeed, the place all activists must start in order to truly bring peace and equality to our world.      

Kelly DiNorcia is a graduate of IHE's Master of Education in Humane Education program, and serves as a humane parenting consultant, offering workshops and presentations on humane parenting issues. She has also published articles in several parenting-related magazines. Find out more about Kelly at her website, Beautiful Friendships, or follow her blog, Ahimsa Mama.

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FEATURED ACTIVITY: WHAT PRICE BEAUTY?

Our obsession with looks and beauty -- especially among women -- is at an all-time high. We search endlessly for the products that will transform our bodies into a more acceptable and desirable form, from the softness of our skin and the smoothness of our legs to the bounciness of our hair and the length and thickness of our eyelashes. Marketers have us mesmerized. A recent news story from Britain reported that the average woman in the UK wears more than 500 chemicals a day. Most of us don't think about the external costs of these products, how they affect the health of our own bodies, other people, animals or the earth. What Price Beauty? invites students (grades 8 and up) to explore the impact of the ingredients in their favorite products on people, animals and the earth, to consider how marketing ties into their product choices, and to look for healthier alternatives.

Download What Price Beauty?

Image courtesy of OrangeCounty_Girl via Creative Commons.

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HUMANE EDUCATION IN ACTION: BRINGING KINDNESS TO BELIZE

Colette Case has spent her whole life teaching and working with people about the human-animal connection and serving as an educator and expert to others. When she moved to Belize, she decided that humane education was the best way to use her experience and expertise to help create a kinder world.

Quick Facts:

Current hometown:  San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America
IHE fan since:  2008
Current job:  I work with my partner running a photography business.
Your hero:  I have so many and they change all the time.  Sometimes it is the single mother I know who works every day to ensure that her child has an education.  Sometimes it is people like Dr. Paul Farmer.  Sometimes it is people like Peter Tatchell.  Sometimes it is my partner for making me soup when I’m sick.
Guilty pleasure:  Red wine.
Inspired by: Smart, strong and sassy women.
Love about yourself:  My uniqueness.
One of your strengths:  Critical thinking.
Desired epitaph or tagline:  "She was most definitely here."


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

CC: I came from an abusive home and ran away as a teenager.  I ended up homeless with my dogs and learned a great deal about how much pets can mean to people through that experience.  I ended up going back to school, getting through university and specialising in the field of human/animal relationships –- giving my first presentation at the International Society for Human Animal Interactions in Montreal in 1992. I set up a programme called the Hope Project, which provided veterinary care for pets belonging to homeless people. 

This led me to the foundation of PATHWAY, a national multidisciplinary panel in the UK looking at the issues of pets in public housing and the development and publication of Guidelines for Housing Providers on Pets in Housing, which was endorsed by the Department of the Environment.  This project was very important to me, because the biggest barrier I had experienced when trying to escape from homelessness had been my refusal to give up my dogs. I learned that there were so many people who were not able to find a home because pets were banned from most rental accommodations.  I also discovered that people who acquired pets were being evicted and made homeless by social housing providers who had ‘no pets allowed’ rules for their properties.  Many of these people were vulnerable, disabled or elderly and were finding themselves in the awful situation of having to choose between disposing of a much loved companion animal or becoming homeless.  Another issue was that women who were trying to escape domestic violence were being told that they had to leave their pets behind, as there was not a single hostel or safe house for women that was pet-friendly.  Many women chose to remain with their abusers because they knew that their animals would suffer greatly if they left them behind.

By 1992, the Hope Project had grown too large for me to run on my own; it was assimilated by The Dogs’ Trust, the UK’s largest dog charity, and I was employed to co-ordinate the project and develop the charity’s behaviour department, as well as to train and educate staff. I also served as advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare and was the Dogs’ Trust’s specialist in canine legislation, fighting dogs, and canine aggression, as well as their media spokesperson on these issues

As a youth leader for a London borough, I worked closely with children from the homeless community and ran an annual summer play scheme.  I also worked as a dog trainer, animal behaviourist and animal welfare consultant, serving seven veterinary practices in London. 
 
I have also been lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach internationally in more than seven countries on subjects including the human/animal relationship, animal behaviour and welfare and animal welfare legislation.  My students have included veterinary surgeons, counsellors, law students, professional animal trainers and those in animal law enforcement.   As a result, I’ve been featured in numerous media, with my last high profile job in the UK co-presenting “Test Your Pet,” for the BBC, an educational family programme about animal intelligence.  I have also worked as an expert and consultant to animal welfare organisations, the police, the courts, the legal profession, the arts and the media both in the UK and abroad, working on cases ranging from dangerous dog attacks to child sexual abuse involving animals.

So, as you can see, my whole adult life has been devoted to working with humans and animals, learning and teaching about their relationships.  When I moved to Belize, it seemed like a natural progression to contribute to the community by using my knowledge and skills.  I knew I didn’t want to work in the field of dog training or behavior, and I didn’t want to become involved in the politics of joining groups or sitting on committees, so I looked around to see what was needed and it was clear that humane education would be something I could really get involved in.


IHE: Tell us about your Be Kind Belize program. 

CC: I set up the Be Kind Belize programme in 2007 in my community on a small Caye (island) off the coast of Belize called Ambergris Caye.  Having done some volunteer work with the local humane society, and feeling that I wanted to make a contribution using my experience and skills in the most constructive way, I decided to work on prevention through education.  So, I contacted some of the wonderful people around the world whom I had worked with and met throughout my career and asked them for their advice and guidance.  I developed a basic curriculum based on my research and approached schools.  Two schools were particularly receptive, and I started teaching their students during the last academic year.  I also set up educational talks in the community and worked with the local press to further disseminate information.  We worked together on a number of issues, including the illegal feeding of crocodiles and the poisoning of stray dogs as a means of population control.  I also wrote a neuter/spay leaflet for the humane society to assist them with their important work.

After working with the schools for a year I learned that much of the subject matter and material I used, despite every effort I had made, was still not necessarily relevant to children I was teaching.  I was still going through a cultural shift myself, getting to know the people and the country where I had chosen to make my home.  So, I took what I learned, went away and revised my curriculum.  

The feedback from the children and the schools are my measure of success.  I have had one teacher tell me that she has changed the way she teaches and has introduced the positive reinforcement methods I use the in programme to motivate her kids.  Teachers have reported that they have seen a reduction in bullying after the children have participated in the programme.  The kids just seem to love Be Kind Belize and stop me in the street or bring their parents to introduce them to me when they see me out and about.  I think that the single biggest success is that the schools invite me back and have asked me to expand the programme this year to include other age groups.


IHE: You recently revamped your curriculum. Tell us about that.

CC: The curriculum is eight lessons long and is designed to be taught in full.  It employs behaviour modification techniques to reward children for being kind and for recognising kindness in others.  The lessons include:

1. Kind Kids, which explores the concept of kindness.
2. Feeling and Learning, which helps children understand and appreciate empathy for others.
3. Wild Animals, which teaches children the importance of wildlife in their lives, which is particularly relevant in Belize, as it is entirely dependent on tourism and is considered an “eco destination.”
4. Keep it Wild, which looks at the differences between wild and domestic animals and why wild animals do not make good pets.
5. Animal Populations, which investigates human, pet and wild animal populations.
6. Responsibility, which looks at the meaning of responsibility and ways that the children can manifest that in their lives. 
7. Dog Bite Prevention, which I believe is so important when trying to deal with human/animal conflict. 
8. Animal Puppets, when the children get an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned by performing their own skits using puppets they have created. 

The children all get graduation certificates and one child, who has been chosen by their peers as the “Kindest Kid,” receives a prize.  There are also other prizes given when the kids cash in their Be Kind Belize Reward Coins, which they will have earned by doing homework, participation and for recognising kindness in others.

Be Kind Belize was designed to complement the Belize National Curriculum, which has made it much easier for schools to justify introducing the programme.


IHE: What are the challenges you’ve found are specific to teaching kids and families and in dealing with humane issues in Belize?

CC: There have been many challenges. Firstly, I am foreign. I am not from Belize, I did not grow up here, and so I am learning about the Belizean culture from scratch. While English is the national language, many children speak Spanish primarily, so there have been a few challenges in terms of language.  Animal welfare as a concept is fairly unknown by most people. Many Belizeans are extremely poor and struggle to have their basic needs met. The island that I live on is relatively prosperous compared to other parts of Belize, where even basic necessities such as access to fresh water or electricity are not realities for many people.  Belize is a very mixed culture.  Ambergris Caye is primarily Mestizo, but we have a large (Belizean) Creole population, who generally are the majority in other parts of Belize, a Garifuna community, as well as many immigrants from other countries in Central America.  There are also small populations of Chinese and Arab people, as well as North American and European immigrants living here too.  On the mainland, the population is even more diverse, with Maya people and Mennonites both being significant members of the community.  This gives you some idea of how truly diverse the culture is here and without having some understanding of each individual culture, it is impossible to participate effectively.

In addition to this, as a white “gringa” foreigner, I have had to work hard to gain some acceptance.  There is some resentment of white foreigners, as Belize was a former British Colony and only gained its Independence some 26 years ago.  White foreigners have been known to exploit Belize and its land, even now, with developers buying up all the good property and building housing that no Belizean can afford.  Combine this with the belief that white foreigners care for animals more than they do for people, which is a common belief because of all the fundraising that is done by the humane society -- almost exclusively by expats. Also, conservation work has appeared to many in Belize to have made hunting and fishing more difficult.  So, the whole concept of doing anything related to “being kind to animals” quickly raises hackles.  Many of the children here live in shacks; they don’t have a bed, they don’t have regular meals –- so why on earth should they be concerned about animals?  That does tend to be a common attitude.  The lives of animals are cheap here.  They are readily available and easily replaced.  Abusing them for sport is cheap entertainment for some.  Also, all that is required to become a teacher in Belize is a high school education, so I am often working with teachers who are facing their own challenges in terms of developing their skills.

So, I have had to develop my approach with great cultural sensitivity and respect for the way people feel about animals in Belize.


IHE: What kind of community involvement and support are you receiving?

CC: Because I have been respectful in my approach and taken on board all suggestions and criticisms, I’ve received tremendous support. Both local newspapers support Be Kind Belize and regularly publicise our activities.  I was recently invited to present a paper at the first national conference held by the Belize Wildlife Conservation Network, and as a result of the conference, I have been working closely with members of the wildlife community and hope to work with a newly forming wildlife institute in Belize to help them develop their educational programme. I have been invited to speak to counseling students at Belize University and have also been asked to appear on the national breakfast television programme.  I have become an independent consultant to the Forest Department on the development of new wildlife legislation and was thrilled that when I took a group of children to the mainland for a “Kind Kids Adventure” last summer individuals and businesses ensured that nine children had a fantastic and very educational two-day trip. 


IHE: Any future plans, dreams or projects?

CC: I’d like to hold a training seminar for teachers, because the teachers that I have met have been so keen to learn about new things and just don’t have the time or access to the information.  We’ll see how that goes.  I don’t want to be in charge of an organisation, so I have developed Be Kind Belize so that anyone in Belize can take the curriculum, supported by an Educators’ Resource Pack, adopt a school and start their own programme locally.   I suppose my dream is to see it take on a life of its own and become a national programme run by volunteers and available to every school in the country.


IHE: Anything you’d like to add?

CC: I came from a rather unconventional background, having been homeless for many years from the age of 16, when I left my home in the USA and went to London, England.  Having that perspective has helped me to understand how important it is not to judge, prejudge or make assumptions.  It was the kindness, compassion, encouragement, support and unconditional love shown to me by so many in my life that enabled me to finish  my education, get a home, a career and ultimately to live my dream by living on a tropical island in the Caribbean.  Through my life, I’ve tried to be honest with myself about my own personal limitations and accept that each individual can only do what they can do realistically. As an individual with the capacity to understand my own impact on the planet and a level of consciousness enabling me to empathise with other living creatures, I am incredibly lucky.  I know and accept that not everyone feels this way and I suppose that is one of the parts of diversity that makes us dynamic as a species.  I also know that there are others with an even stronger sense of empathy and compassion in their way of life.  For some reason, I have a conscience that rests easier when I know that I’ve done my best –- and so I shall continue to do so.  I respect and admire all others who are involved in humane education at whatever level and hope that they continue to feel inspired, motivated and energised by helping to make the world a better place.

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FEATURED STUDENT: KERRI TWIGG

A difficult childhood helped shape IHE M.Ed. student, Kerri Twigg's philosophy about good teaching. Kerri, an award-winning playwright, is working to marry her passion for theater and her desire to create a better world by using drama to teach humane education.

Read more about Kerri.

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