Imagine a day when every pet – regardless of species or breeding – has a home where he or she is treated as an individual and provided with loving, lifetime care.
Imagine a time when today’s children become tomorrow’s adults, and this next generation achieves the mission of No More Homeless Pets because they have grown up understanding that taking care of the animals is a non-negotiable core value.
The Best Friends Humane Education Department invites you to be a part of the work to reach the next generation by becoming a Best Friends Education Ambassador.
The Education Ambassador program, launched in March, is looking for additional volunteers to become active in their own communities in making presentations to children ages 5-12 in schools, libraries or youth groups.
“The presentations will allow the children the opportunity to really get the Best Friends message of compassion and kindness to animals through enrichment,” said Dr. Sandy Passmore, manager of the Humane Education Department. “By reaching tomorrow's leaders, we can begin to create a sustainable world of No More Homeless Pets.”
The presentations focus on each of the four Best Friends outreach campaigns: First Home Forever Home, Puppies Aren’t Products, Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dog, and Focus on Felines.
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Volunteers accepted into the program will be provided with eight different presentations and coached on presentation guidelines. Each presentation includes a PowerPoint with talking points for the presenter. There are also scenarios to present to the children such as using a stuffed dog to teach students how to be safe around dogs. There are also leave-behind worksheets for teachers.
The program is designed so that the Education Ambassador can continue going back to the school, library or youth group every month during the school year to present a new topic, thereby continuing to promote humane education throughout the year rather than just being a once-a-year visiting guest speaker. These presentations are also the foundation of the dynamic new I Read to Animals program, which Education Ambassadors are also taking to libraries and classrooms.
The eight presentations that will be ready to go for the upcoming school year are:
First Home Forever Home 
• A Friend is Forever
• Keeping Friends Together
Puppies Aren’t Products
• Adopting Your New Best Friend
• Friends Aren’t for Sale
Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dog
• Being Safe Around Dogs
• Treating Friends with Fairness
Focus on Felines
• Cat Detectives: Cat-egories
• Discovering Community Cats
How To Get Involved
Volunteers are needed in all communities, but especially in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Jacksonville and Atlanta.
“Our goal is to take these presentations to as many children as we possible can,” said Passmore. “The more children we can reach with our message, the closer we move to our goal of achieving a day when there are No More Homeless Pets.”
If you are interested in becoming a Best Friends Education Ambassador, please email BFNG@bestfriends.org for further information and to get started.
Applicants will be asked to join the Best Friends Network, sign a volunteer agreement, participate in a background check process, and attend a one-hour online webinar training session.
Main photo by Sarah Ause, Best Friends' photographer
Photo of girl and dog by Clay Myers, Best Friends' photographer