Wonderful read, The framing point is something that was specifically compeling.
Also was very interested in the “Collaborate with Institutions” section. The action of incorporating animal welfare education into university curricula for further interdisciplinary involvement in animal welfare comes off as incredibly promising. I was wondering from you or anyone reading, thoughts on how this curricula could be expanded into spaces that are not, on first thought, related to animals or agriculture such as policy, journalism, business and more. In my thinking having some expectation of taking an animal welfare course throughout a students academic career could spark interest in spaces that are neglected in animal welfare. I’d love to hear thoughts on this in terms of feasibility and effectiveness.
Re: animal curricula, we considered this in 2021, when we conducted a knowledge assessment of animal welfare among students, from basic school through to the university level. The idea was to use this data to lobby our Education Ministry to include animal welfare topics in its school curricula. This did not work out at the time because we were a new org with no credibility at the time (unfortunately, there is an implicit hierarchical/financial credibility that systems in Africa, especially governmental agencies, use to determine which lobbyist groups to engage). This is why we emphasize the need to collaborate with institutions outside the movement, especially for small orgs. Generally, animal welfare is very neglected in Africa, so public awareness, especially in the areas you mention, when done well, promises to be impactful.
Re: feasibility and effectiveness, I think something similar to FEM in Nigeria seems very doable and can be effective. What isn’t apparent to me when I consider such a model to raise animal welfare awareness is how to measure its impact. I struggle to see a clear TOC, especially an M&E method to measure the short-term impact. Curious to know what you/others think.
Wonderful read, The framing point is something that was specifically compeling.
Also was very interested in the “Collaborate with Institutions” section. The action of incorporating animal welfare education into university curricula for further interdisciplinary involvement in animal welfare comes off as incredibly promising. I was wondering from you or anyone reading, thoughts on how this curricula could be expanded into spaces that are not, on first thought, related to animals or agriculture such as policy, journalism, business and more. In my thinking having some expectation of taking an animal welfare course throughout a students academic career could spark interest in spaces that are neglected in animal welfare. I’d love to hear thoughts on this in terms of feasibility and effectiveness.
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Re: animal curricula, we considered this in 2021, when we conducted a knowledge assessment of animal welfare among students, from basic school through to the university level. The idea was to use this data to lobby our Education Ministry to include animal welfare topics in its school curricula. This did not work out at the time because we were a new org with no credibility at the time (unfortunately, there is an implicit hierarchical/financial credibility that systems in Africa, especially governmental agencies, use to determine which lobbyist groups to engage). This is why we emphasize the need to collaborate with institutions outside the movement, especially for small orgs. Generally, animal welfare is very neglected in Africa, so public awareness, especially in the areas you mention, when done well, promises to be impactful.
Re: feasibility and effectiveness, I think something similar to FEM in Nigeria seems very doable and can be effective. What isn’t apparent to me when I consider such a model to raise animal welfare awareness is how to measure its impact. I struggle to see a clear TOC, especially an M&E method to measure the short-term impact. Curious to know what you/others think.