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Initiative

Educating animal-loving Greek citizens in times of pandemic

Educating animal-loving Greek citizens in times of pandemic
SUBMITTED FROM:

ZO.E.S. (Zoological Information for Schools, Institutions and Organizations)

ZO.E.S. (Zoological Information for Schools, Institutions and Organizations) was founded in January 2015 by the Educator, Author and Dog Trainer Papapostolou Katerina. The soul of this vision is the four-legged Dioni, who was slaughtered, shot, beaten and left to die helplessly in September 2011. She was reborn from her ashes, wrestled with her demons, "founded" ZOEs, "spoke" about the undying love of animals to over 300,000 children, but also wrote her autobiography!

ZO.E.S. educates responsible pro-animal Greek citizens and through their network of 100 volunteers and 28 groups in Greece and Cyprus and their three dogs they fight for the creation of a new zoological educational establishment by demolishing the old one as anachronistic, dangerous and inefficient.



Objective Action

In a time that is still very difficult for many with forced confinement at home, teleworking and schools once again remaining in a significant percentage of departments closed, we decided as Zo.E.S. not to stop fighting for a world of equality and justice, solidarity and empathy for all. For a world of love for these creatures that many consider to have no voice, for animals. Our biggest vision was from the beginning of this trip to be able to visit all the general and special education schools in the country even the most remote, because animals suffer in every corner and because the abuse they receive has now exceeded any previous . Keeping in mind that we all have to adapt to the new developments that have been imposed on us and to the distance that suddenly appeared between us, we decided not to stop our actions and to adapt our educational programs online, so that we too can carry the voice us through the power of technology in as many schools as we can, as with the forced closure of schools in our country, all of our in-life visits have also been forced to a halt. We have not lost our strength, we have invented new ways of learning and thus we have created web conferences perfectly adapted to the new facts that have changed for people and animals aiming to really leave no student without training in responsible animal husbandry and environmental awareness but also most importantly in ethical treatment of all animals but also in promoting empathy. At the same time, we started a new action to train teachers who wanted to develop educational animal welfare and environmental programs in their classroom, having our support for their entire duration.

 

Target Audience

Our project is addressed to all students of primary and secondary education, but also to all teachers of both levels in their effort to develop animal-friendly educational programs in their classrooms for the entire school year.

 

Duration

It started in April 2020, with the start of the pandemic and will last for the duration that it is difficult for us to enter schools due to health protocols for our animal welfare updates, but also when we return to normal it will be there as an option for all those schools which is very difficult for many reasons to visit. For example, in schools on remote islands where the weather often does not allow it due to prohibitions or in schools where the principals or the teachers' association are reluctant for health reasons to allow us to enter.


Description

The fact that our animal welfare briefings from the end of winter and spring 2020 were canceled and there was a very large number of them in islands and remote areas but also the willingness of many schools to visit them, led us to adapt to the new conditions and start to educate students through the use of technology which initially troubled us. But the love we have for our vision and the eyes of the stray animals in which we see every time another new chance to live, led us to adapt to the new conditions that often prevented our lifelong visits to the country's schools. Obviously, the experiential contact with our specially trained dogs is something that is absent, but even seeing the dogs behind a computer screen or through their action in videos that the students watched during our tele-educations was very relaxing and gratifying. the children. Innovation is from the beginning of our action in our educational programs the scientific training of both our founder, Mrs. Katerina Papapostolou, who never stops training on educational mediation with dogs, but also of all those who participate in the distance trainings and is an educator who she has been working with her dogs in the primary school for years, while in the 2021-2022 school year she is Assistant Principal at Platanou-Prasinada School, truly creating a happy and creative learning environment for all the children who are lucky enough to enjoy the benefits of educational mediation with dogs. An important innovation is also the use of animal-friendly educational books whose author is our founder Katerina Papapostolou, through multi-thematic and interactive methods, but also the whole philosophy of our educational programs and our collaborations with theater-pedagogical groups. are innovations of this initiative of ours. "Voice...until the last unguarded cry is silenced for a world changing with celebrations" is our motto and we aim to have our voice heard wherever there is a school in the country! Where there is a stray animal and it suffers!


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Impact on Society

Our vision that is daily becoming a reality as a result of our action is that more and more students are informed, while our educational programs will continue to "travel" wherever there is a child's voice, wherever a stray cry is heard. We are convinced that our voice has already been heard as a breath of total change in zoophilic events. All the people who were informed by us, young and old, we are sure that they are convinced that this generation must finally put an end to all the crimes committed against animals and defend their rights. It is so heartwarming to learn how students become responsible animal loving adults who respect, love and defend animals. In many of our visits either in person or online there is an interaction that continues after the animal welfare information where the schools send us material from the students who often capture their impressions visually or by writing very moving texts where the words and thoughts of the animals resonate. It is often so therapeutic to write as if you are a stray dog but also to paint the life you dream of. After our visit as Zo.E.S. since the first day of our establishment in more than 650 schools of general and special education nationwide and the education of more than 450,000 students, we also strongly believed in the power of our online animal welfare updates. In the school year 2021-2022 we visited 150 school classes and we estimate that by the end of the school year 2021-2022 we will be able to visit another 30 school classes online, initially choosing remote areas, both mountainous and island.



Initiative Location

Our action concerns all of Greece. Nationwide we educate online students even in the most remote places where the internet allows us. We are determined to educate every child in every corner of the country! After all, love is very often taught and echoes in our actions.


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Working with Organization

In this project, we collaborate with the Ministry of Health for the annual approvals of our educational programs, but also with the AMKE "΄Aggima Zois" for distance education for children suffering from cancer and it helps us a lot, so that we can get in touch with these children through of the scientific knowledge that cooperation with him provides us. We also work with Welldone publishing house as we use their books, the proceeds of which support our work and promote our vision through a very fairy-tale way that is so accessible and loved by children and teenagers.


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Workers Participation

. 1 Project Manager

 

2, 3 scientific associates

 

3. 45 Volunteers

 

4. Graphic designer

 

5. Contact person


Photos

Benefits for Οrganization

In order to achieve the goal, all our partners as well as our volunteers make the most of the logistical and executive infrastructure that exists. But also their experience and their knowledge. All of us are shareholders of all the latest scientific developments in the field of animals but also of every environmental development, while everyone shares their knowledge in the field in which they specialize first to us and then to the whole of society and together we make up a team that can cope with any special condition in a school but also in any place where there are children or adults who would like to truly mold their character! The media wanted to broadcast our work, with the result that many new volunteers want to join our group, which today numbers 100 active volunteers in many places in the country, as well as many others who wanted to support us as much as everyone could. Our three awards at the Voluntary Action festival are an important distinction for us, but also extremely important is our "Bravo Sustainability Awards" that we received in the year 2021 for our project regarding the online animal welfare updates of Greek citizens in the year 2020-2021. The most but an important mental benefit for us is the love we receive from all these children we meet even now online who want so much to learn about animals and want so much to help all those strays that they see too often being tortured on the streets.




Connection with Global Goals







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