Student Information Pack

Transcription

1 Student Information Pack This letter has been prepared for your information by RSPCA Queensland PO Box 6177 Fairfield Gardens QLD 4103 P F W rspcaqld.org.au E education@rspcaqld.org.au HELPING ANIMALS ENLIGHTENING PEOPLE CHANGING LIVES

2 What is the Mission ImPAWSible Program? If you think that something small cannot make a difference - try going to sleep with a mosquito in the room. - Anonymous If you have a burning desire to help animals and make a difference The Mission ImPAWSible Program is for you. This two year Program challenges you to take real action for animals that will have immediate positive results. Whilst you may be too young to volunteer in the RSPCA shelters that does not mean that you cannot help improve the lives of thousands of animals now. The RSPCA needs your help in raising awareness about the issues affecting animals in Australia. Mission ImPAWSible is an extra curricular program running over two years. The Mission ImPAWSible group will undertake the project on behalf of your school. Successful completion will mean your school will be recognised as an RSPCA supporter, you will be recognised for your individual achievement on our national World of Animal Welfare website and you will have helped countless animals on the way. Each term you will be challenged to take action on one animal welfare issue being faced by the RSPCA on a daily basis. Challenges will run for a term and on the completion of two, four, six and eight action tasks your school will achieve Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum paw status.

3 Mission ImPAWSible participants need to be: Strong leaders you will need to be able to inspire your local community to take action Able to use initiative the Mission ImPAWSible Program is student directed. Whilst you will have a teacher mentor and an RSPCA coordinator to advise and guide you through the program it will be up to you and your group to decide how you will tackle the challenges and to ensure they are completed Passionate about animal welfare the Program requires you to make a two year commitment. Your belief in what you are doing will drive you to complete the Program Able to commit at least one hour per week.

4 Program Overview Term One - Speak Out Against Animal Cruelty! All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. - Edmund Burke RSPCA Queensland s Inspectorate receives more than 13,000 cruelty complaints each year. Help us spread the word that animals are sentient beings that deserve our kindness and respect.

5 Term Two - Help Get Chickens Out of Cages Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. - Albert Schweitzer Millions of chickens in Australia are living in conditions that cause them unimaginable suffering, these unfortunate animals are being raised in cage egg production systems. Campaign for restaurants and consumers to switch to free-range in this action-packed challenge.

6 Term Three - Bake Up a Storm for Animal Welfare With 42,000 animals to look after each year, operating costs of $27 million and less than two per cent government funding, the RSPCA needs your help to continue our vital work. Put your culinary skills to the test and see how much you can raise to support the RSPCA as you organise your very own Cupcake Day event.

7 Term Four Love Cats Australia is in the midst of a cat overpopulation crisis, which in simple terms means there are not enough homes for the number of kittens being born. The only solution is to desex your pet. The RSPCA needs your help to get this all important message out there. Get creative with a print or film campaign to bring attention to the problem in your local community.

8 MISSION IMPAWSIBLE Term Five - Fair Go For Farm Animals The use of sow stalls and the export of live animals overseas are major concerns for RSPCA Qld. These practices are inhumane and often do not afford the animals their Five Freedoms. Get creative and start advertising to save conventionally farmed breeding sows, who from a young age, spend all day and night for much of the next three years in a narrow, metal barred pen, called a dry sow stall, with barely enough room to stand and lie down.

9 Term Six It s Your Choice: Humane Consumerism Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: Because the animals are like us. Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: Because the animals are not like us. Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction. - Charles R. Magel Whilst there is no testing of cosmetics involving animals conducted in Australia, the majority of cosmetic products sold here will contain ingredients that will have been tested on animals at some time. Cosmetic products include make-up and skin-care products as well as soaps, shower gels, deodorants, shampoos, toothpastes, sunscreens and similar products. Campaigns in other countries where a cosmetic testing has been carried out have resulted in the phasing out of the use of animals to test both the final products and their ingredients: in the UK both types of testing have been banned since 1998 and in the EU since However, testing continues to be permitted in other countries where cosmetics are developed and produced, such as the US. While the use of animals in cosmetics testing continues, RSPCA Australia recommends that consumers only buy products supplied by companies operating a cruelty-free policy. This unit allows students to undertake self-directed learning about what a cruelty free policy is, to raise awareness within their school about crueltyfree products, and to discover they have power to make humane choices everyday!

10 Term Seven Become a Wildlife Crusader If people were superior to animals, they d take better care of the world. - Winnie the Pooh Wildlife is often the unheard victims of our modern lifestyle, with pollution and urbanisation destroying their homes and food sources. Raise awareness about threats to wildlife so that our native animals can get the care and respect they deserve.

11 Term Eight - Say No to Puppy Factories The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated - Mohandas Gandhi Barbaric puppy production facilities that treat animals as nothing more than the means to make money are on the rise to meet our demand for designer dogs. Animals in these facilities are often kept in inhumane conditions with little regard given to the welfare of the animal. The only way to stop these is to become discerning about where our puppies come from. Choose not to support this industry. In this challenge you will promote responsible choices and encourage pet owners to make informed decisions when deciding to adopt an animal.

12 RSPCA Needs You! Why get involved? Help animals and make a difference Learn new skills that are easily transferable to the workplace Experience new things tasks are challenging and fun! Build on your life skills Challenge yourself who knows what you will achieve! Be recognised for your work in helping animals and the community What will I be doing? Below is a sample of some of the action tasks that you may be taking part in over the course of the program: The design and sale of T-shirts to campaign for the banning of exotic animals in circuses Organising a Masterchef cook off using only humane ingredients Inviting restaurant owners to an information night about how they can support humane food choices Campaigning for local vets to offer a discount on desexing Producing a film advertising campaign to highlight the enormity of the cat overpopulation problem in Australia Hosting a wildlife trivia night with contestants learning all about threats to wildlife Holding a pledge drive where students donate one product that is tested on animals and pledge to choose cruelty free Arranging a Cupcake Day fundraiser for your school Writing short stories for younger students about our native animals

13 Accepting your Mission Speak to your parents and teachers about the commitment involved before deciding to join the Program. Once you have decided to go ahead complete the Student Enrolment Form and pay the registration fee. Once your school has registered as a participant and all documentation has been received by the RSPCA. Your RSPCA Coordinator, who will be your point of contact for the duration of the Program, will get in contact with your group and your teacher mentor. You will be provided with a link to download the full Mission ImPAWSible Program. The Mission ImPAWSible Program will start in Term One, You should arrange to have your first meeting in Week One. Get started helping animals, enlightening people and changing lives!

14 Mission Control RSPCA Qld s Humane Education Team Phone: education@rspcaqld.org.au