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Speranța Shelter runs educational programs for children of all ages, cultivating care and respect for homeless animals. Through our education projects we aim to raise awareness of the impact that non-profit organizations have by rescuing, neutering and providing decent shelter and food for the souls of the unhumanized.
For 3 years we have been developing partnerships and running projects with several schools in Bucharest, whom we thank for their openness and involvement, volunteerism and commitment to our mission: Spectrum School, Hamburg School, Colț de Rai Kindergarten, Romanian Scouts, Ion IC Brătianu Technological High School, International Informatics High School.
In the future we would like to open an educational center within Speranța Shelter, equipped with the necessary tools for studying, experimenting and working individually with our animals, for all students and volunteers who want to participate in our projects.
Countless studies have shown how children who interact frequently with animals develop important emotional, social and theoretical skills that can help them later in life and in their academic and professional careers alike. Simply having animals around gives us higher scores on both quality of life and length of life.
When people interact with dogs, processes occur in the brain that improve both their emotional and physical health:
As these positive chemical processes take place in the brain and body during interaction with dogs, children enter states more conducive to learning and socializing. The presence of dogs enhances:
Children will not only learn school subjects better and more solidly, but they will also learn even more important things:
A 2017 scientific study by the US Institute for Child Health and Human Development shows how the mere presence of dogs in classrooms during regular curriculum classes:
Speranța Shelter offers several age group programs for schools and high schools:
This activity is designed for kindergarten or primary school children, the main aim of which is to strengthen empathy and learn to connect emotionally with other beings.
Children receive a list of cards with pictures or photos of dogs in various poses. The children are encouraged to name the main emotion they ‘read’ in the dog’s body language, then to name the needs the dog seems to have and how they think they could provide them.
This type of activity will not only increase children’s emotional balance and maturity, but will also teach them how to behave with animals, which cannot express themselves in words but only through emotions.
A type of activity that encourages collaboration and teamwork, as well as volunteering and altruism.
Children are divided into several teams, each of which is given a puppy kennel, which they can then customize (usually by drawing or painting) as they wish. The children are encouraged to debate and stimulate each other to come up with a ‘project’ that everyone likes, but that they all participate in with the same motivation.
As appropriate, we hand out envelopes with suggested themes for the ‘story’ they will tell together.
A type of activity that encourages learning in a fun and relaxed environment based on play and communication.
Children are invited to participate together in a friendly competition in which they have to answer ‘true’ or ‘false’ to certain statements concerning animal life and welfare, veterinary medicine or kennels. When the answers do not match, the children are encouraged to justify their opinion and find a common denominator and balance with the person who answered differently.
A type of activity that encourages learning in a fun and relaxed environment, based on play and communication.
In “Rhymes”, children are encouraged to make stanzas and even whole poems based on suggested words. The children are stimulated to look for rhymes together and make one verse each, with the hope that at the end they are left with the satisfaction of a joint creation based on cooperation and communication.
Children attend short talks by various people with a lot of experience in animal welfare at the Hope Shelter. They will be addressed by vets, trainers, sometimes even caretakers or guests from outside the shelter.
It is made clear to the little ones that they are not mere spectators, but are instructed to enter into a dialog with the specialist, ask questions and even enrich the discussion with their own opinions.
Children are encouraged to color (or paint) in certain outlines, with each numbered field representing a different color. By following the instructions and keeping within the boundaries, children will discover the mysteries in the picture. They will color or paint the boards or dog houses.
An activity that stimulates concentration and attention as well as dexterity and coordination. If they choose to work in teams, the little ones can experience collaboration.
We are on a mission to provide shelter, food and care for homeless dogs. With your help,
we can work miracles! Donate now to Speranța Shelter and change fates!
We are on a mission to provide shelter, food and care for homeless dogs. With your help,
we can work miracles! Donate now to Speranța Shelter and change fates!
Speranța Foundation was founded in 1996 and, for more than two decades, we have done everything in our power for the welfare of our silent friends, especially for abandoned and suffering dogs.
