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Member of the Month Spotlight - April 2004An interview with Heidi O'Brien, Communications Coordinator at the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education. Q: Please describe your organization A: We are a private, nonprofit organization serving as the youth division of The Humane Society of the United States, the country's largest animal protection organization. Our mission is to instill good character in children, with a strong emphasis on the humane treatment of animals and respect for the environment, by providing effective, high quality publications and programs to teachers, students, and animal sheltering professionals. Our organization was formed in 1973 and we have been publishing our classroom newspaper, KIND News, since 1983. Q: How do you get your message out there and materials into the classroom? A: Our primary program is Adopt-a-Classroom, where humane agencies, civic groups, businesses, and individuals sponsor classrooms to receive our children's newspaper, KIND News. KIND (Kids In Nature's Defense) News helps teachers teach kindness and respect for people, animals, and the environment through articles, activities, and projects. We have also developed an extensive line of other publications such as lesson plan books for classroom teachers and humane educators and study/activity guides for teens. We have spread the word about our programs and materials through our websites, by holding workshops for animal care professionals, exhibiting at animal care and teacher conferences, and sending our news releases. And word of mouth helps a lot. When you have a good product, people talk! Our websites do a great deal in getting our message
out and spreading the word about our publications.
Our main site, www.nahee.org, includes a shopping cart
where people can purchase our materials or adopt classrooms.
Our sites for kids and teens, www.kindnews.org and
www.humaneteen.org give young people the resources
they need to help animals and the environment. A: We have gotten the greatest response to our classroom newspaper, KIND News, which is used as a supplementary education resource in K-6 classrooms. The key to its effectiveness is its versatility. Teachers can use it in a reading, writing, and research exercises, and in discussions about current events. And if they don't have time to blend KIND News into their classwork, teachers can simply send it home with their students to read and share with their families. Q: What themes do children respond well to and why? A: All of our publications center around animals and nature, which are real attention-grabbing topics for children. And these subjects help abstract concepts like kindness and respect come alive for kids. Q: How does your organization, as a non-profit, compete in a marketplace dominated by large for-profit companies? A: What we do is unique and fulfills a real need, especially with character education being taught in classrooms more and more. Teachers are looking for easy, effective ways to teach children concepts like respect and responsibility. Our publications are high-quality, aligned with education standards and are teacher-reviewed, so teachers know the material is age-appropriate and will leave their students with a sense that they can do something to help their communities. Animal care professionals and individuals want to provide these materials to teachers and use the materials with children to teach responsible pet care, environmental awareness, and general good character concepts. Q: Why did you decide to join AEP? A: We've been members for years. We joined for a number of reasons, including the professional development opportunities offered by AEP, the publication evaluation programs, and the credibility an organization gets by being a member.
Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 302-295-8349. |
NAHEE website |
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