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Valerie Belt

I had no idea as I sat down to watch Tribe of Heart’s The Witness that this film would be the catalyst for changing my life. I had been a vegetarian for three years and had been doing some volunteer work for an animal protection organization while living and working in La Paz, Bolivia, but after watching this film, I was not only in tears, but frustrated and angry, realizing just how naïve I’d been about our treatment of animals in the U.S. and beyond.

While visiting Los Angeles a few months later, I contacted Tribe of Heart and had a long conversation with James LaVeck, the producer of The Witness. After discussing my goal of getting involved in educating people about a handful of issues relating to animals and the environment, James steered me to the Institute for Humane Education, and I contacted them immediately. I knew I’d finally found a place that would lead me to my passion and forever change my life.

I spent an additional year living and working in Bolivia before returning to LA, and after having attended a couple of animal rights conferences and meeting some incredibly inspirational people I entered the HECP program. I became a vegan and knew I was on the right path –- a path I felt truly passionate about.

While I was in the HECP program I learned more about our world than I could have ever imagined. During my studies and since receiving my HECP certificate in 2006, I have had the opportunity to do presentations in a variety of settings. As a credentialed teacher I have been able to go into elementary classrooms and give lessons on vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as on animal cruelty issues relating to companion animals. I have also used the knowledge I’ve gained to share information about factory farming and leather/wool/fur issues with middle school students. I found that working with high school students on environmental issues is extremely satisfying, and putting together factory farming presentations for adults has also been very rewarding.

2007 brought some additional rewarding challenges into my life. I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to organize a day-long social justice film festival with outstanding panelists who addressed challenging issues, such as child slavery, factory farming, water privatization and the questionable tactics of the pharmaceutical industry. Working with and meeting the panelists, who are leaders in their fields, was one of the highlights of this event. I was also asked to be on the advisory board of a new non-profit, the Food Empowerment Project, which has not only kept me focused on the interconnections between the injustices against animals, people and the environment, but has also made me realize how important it is to provide others with information about the power of their food choices. I know that I wouldn’t have had any of these opportunities had I not found IHE back in the summer of 2002.

While going through the HECP program I gained insights that would have been impossible to realize without the help from a dedicated IHE staff and the program participants themselves, and I continue to learn from the people I come in contact with while doing outreach and making presentations. I will continue my efforts so that one day I will find myself doing humane education work on a full-time basis, because humane education is my passion and is a path that I will continue to follow until it is time for me to leave this world.

MOGO Workshop - Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (Woodstock, NY)
October 11, 2008 - 8:30 am to October 11, 2008 - 5:00 pm | Location: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
Live your values. Change the world. Choose MOGO! Let your life reflect what truly matters to you. Discover ways to choose MOGO (the most good), act on what's most important to you, and build a better world. Come to our life-transforming weekend MOGO workshop, that offer...
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