For Youth

Our humane education efforts are guided by the principles of kindness, compassion and reverence for life.

The Expo is FREE to attend. 

Youth are invited to participate in the 1 Mile Walk/Run run that will start at 10:15 a.m. Registration for the walk or run will be $20 in advance or $30 after September 22, 2008.  You are encouraged to fundraise to help us reach our goal of raising $100,000. This money will provide medical assistance for indigent animals with critical medical needs.

Fundraise as an individual or start a team with other animal lovers from school, church or your neighborhood. You don’t have to participate in the walk or run to fundraise. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by raising $200 or more.  

A Super Pet Adoption, with hundreds of purebred and mixed breed dogs and cats looking for homes will be offered. Our goal is to find good homes for 100 homeless animals.

Form a TEAM to Help Animals in Need:

An excellent way of making a real difference for animals is forming an animal TEAM or CareClub. Here are tips for starting a club at your school. Start by using Celebrate Animals! as your first project.

Start a TEAM:

One person can do a lot for animals. So what’s the point of starting a club? That’s simple. When people work as a team, they can accomplish much more and have a lot of fun doing it. Here’s why:

	A group has more people to make calls, write letters, hand out flyers, and get the word out to increase awareness.
	Trying to solve problems by yourself can be difficult and frustrating. But when you’re part of a club, you get support and encouragement from other club members.
	A group of people speaking with one voice often has more influence than a single person. People sit up and take notice when many individuals come together to champion an important cause.
	A club taps the wide range of skills and talents of its members. If you have a flair for art, you could design animal-protection posters or T-shirts. Another member—someone who has a way with words—could write public service announcements or letters to newspaper editors. Other club members might be dynamic speakers, thorough researchers, or good organizers. Your projects will be successful because of the efforts, experience, and creativity of all your club’s members.

How to Start a Club:

1. email Atlanta Animal Alliance

We would like to hear from you and help you get things going.

contact AAA

2. Enlist Other Animal People -  Friends, Classmates

You’ve made up your mind to start an animal protection club. Now what? Try out your idea on a few classmates and friends. See if they’re willing to help you get the club off the ground. Ask them to write some general ideas about what they think the club’s goals and strategies should be. Add these to your own.

Remember, some kids may not know as much about animal protection and environmental issues as you do. Or they may not share your point of view. Be receptive and open-minded about what others have to say.

3. Find an Advisor

Most schools require that student clubs have an advisor—usually a school faculty member. Maybe you know a teacher or administrator who’s interested in animal-protection or environmental issues. If so, ask if that person would consider becoming your club’s advisor. You could also approach a teacher who’s new in your school. Many schools require teachers to participate in extracurricular activities. A new teacher who hasn’t been assigned to an activity may welcome the chance to advise your club.

If your club isn’t school-based, your advisor could be a parent, a community leader, or a staff member of a local animal shelter or environmental group. Your club could even be an extension of an existing organization. However you choose to organize your group, it’s important to have an adult advisor. He or she will have the experience, resources, and contacts to help you achieve your goals.

If you’ve jotted down a few notes about your club’s goals and strategies, refer to them when you and your friends talk to an adult about being your advisor. He or she will want to get a general idea about your interests and plans. 

4. Spread the Word - Get the Word Out

Once you have found an advisor, it’s time to let the rest of your school or community know that a club is forming. Many of your classmates may be busy with after-school jobs, sports, and other activities—so don’t be too disappointed if you attract fewer members than you had hoped. Your goal should simply be to give as many kids as possible the opportunity to join.

To get started, ask your advisor about different ways of advertising the club. Decide on a time, date, and location for your club’s first meeting. That way, you’ll be able to include that information in your advertisements and announcements. Try to choose a meeting date that doesn’t conflict with other important school events, such as sports tryouts or drama club auditions.

If your club is school-based, your advisor will know what kinds of announcements your school will allow you to make. Here are some possibilities:

Display posters around your school to alert everyone that an animal protection club is forming. Make sure they include the time, date, and location of your first meeting. You may want to give some of your posters a serious tone, others a more humorous one. Emphasize that your club will do more than talk about animal/environmental problems; club members will choose specific problems and work on projects to solve them.

Make announcements over your school’s PA system. Write down a few notes so you know what you want to say. When reading your announcement, speak slowly and clearly. Keep your tone upbeat and inviting, and emphasize that everyone’s welcome to join.

Put an announcement in your school newspaper. Again, provide all the necessary information about the purpose of your club and the time and place of the first meeting. Include artwork or a photograph to attract readers’ attention.

5. Hold Your First Meeting

The first official meeting of your club is important because it will set the tone for future activities. Explain that each club member will play a meaningful role in the club’s projects, decision-making, and development. You and your advisor can help make members feel welcome during the first meeting by giving everyone a chance to be actively involved.

There’s a lot to do the first time a club gets together, so you and your advisor will want to have an agenda. Here’s a list of activities you might want to schedule:

Discuss the reasons for forming the club and what you can hope to accomplish by working as a team. Talk about some current animal/environmental issues or have the group brainstorm a list of issues they consider to be most important. Then decide on an overall focus for the club, such as animal protection, environmental issues, or a combination of the two.

Decide on a name for your club by asking members for suggestions. The name can be catchy and should reflect the club’s focus. Have each member write one or two ideas on a slip of paper. Collect all suggestions and vote to decide the winner.

Ask members to come up with designs for a club logo. The logo could be an illustration that incorporates your group’s name or appears alongside the name. At your next meeting, members can present their designs and vote for the logo they like best.

Discuss how your club will be organized. Do you want a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary? If so, take time to vote for club officers during the first or second meeting. If members prefer a less formal structure, your advisor may want to take a more active role in managing the club and coordinating activities. You might consider having a different chairperson for each meeting so that all members have a chance to sharpen their public-speaking and leadership skills.

Decide how often to get together. Keep in mind that members will be busy with other activities during the school year. If your group schedules meetings too frequently, it’s likely there will be only a small turnout at each one.

Choose a specific issue or problem to target for your club’s first activity. You may want your first project to tackle an issue that’s not too controversial. That way, you’ll be able to generate wide interest among kids at school and members of your community. Here are a few topics to consider for your first project: 
• pet overpopulation
• proper pet care and responsible pet ownership
• endangered animals
• rain forest, wetlands, or other endangered habitats

6. Take Action - Join Celebrate Animals!

Celebrate Animals! is a program to raise money for the Lifesaver Fund. This program provides financial assistance for indigent animal with life-threatening medical conditions. Some may be hit by a car, in pain or suffering, with no one to provide financial assistance for medical care. Discuss with your group the problem and what your club can do to solve it. Brainstorm some projects and activities you can work on as group. The Atlanta Animal Alliance web site will  give you tips on getting information, educating your community, raising funds, and taking direct action to solve problems in Metropolitan Atlanta.

Raise Fun - Fun Raise to Help Animals:

Your club can accomplish a great deal with little expense. If your club decides to work to help support the LifeSavers Fund and you want to raise funds to support its mission here are some activities you can do:

Register your team for the walk here and get a FREE team website so you can direct donors to the website and they can donate using their credit cards.
Click Here to Register

	Have a car wash, bake sale, dog wash, tag sale, auction, or bottle collection. These are old standards, but they’re effective fundraisers.
	Hold a raffle. Ask a local store or company to donate prizes in exchange for free advertising.
	Collect loose change from everyone you know. Pennies, nickels dimes and quarters add up.
	Organize a sports event, such as a “run for the animals,” walkathon, or student/faculty softball or basketball game.
	Host a dinner for students, parents, and faculty.
	Do a "Dollar for a Dog" event. Give people who donate a dollar a paper dog (click here to download)
	Sponsor a school dance. A local DJ or band may be willing to perform for free or at a discount if they know proceeds from the admission charge will go to help animals or the environment.
	Design T-shirts or posters with an animal-protection messages. Get copies printed (a local company may be willing to volunteer this service) and sell them at school or at a local event.
	Show a film or invite a speaker to give a presentation at your school or community center. Ask your advisor to help you find out about special permission you might need to charge for admission to a film or video showing.

Information provided thanks to Humane Society of the United States