BEST FRIENDS PROGRAM
AWLQ’s Best Friends Program is designed to encourage active citizenship among Primary and High School Students.
The Project involves a group of students forming an Animal Welfare League Committee – who then, through regular contact with AWLQ, help rehome AWLQ animals in special need of their assistance – who become their ‘Best Friends’ and promote messages of responsible animal care in their School Community.
The committee promotes AWLQ and helps their ‘Best Friend’ animals through;
- Speaking regularly at their School Assembly about the animals they are helping to rehome.
- Setting up a collection point in their school for donations of food, blankets, towels and toys, as well as to display information about responsible animal care.
- Organising an annual Fundraising Activity for AWLQ within the school. Please note: ideas for this are given in the Best Friends Kit.
The committee receives monthly ‘Best Friend Reports’ that highlight 6 specific animals from the shelter that are in special need of the students help. The report also features stories of past Best Friend animals that have found homes! The committee is also encouraged to contribute their own stories to the monthly report about activities they have been doing in their school to help the animals.
When a school first joins the Best Friend’s Project, an AWLQ Education Officer will visit the committee, as well as talk on the School Assembly about the Project. The Education Officer will then visit the School’s Assembly once a term and give the whole school an update on the animals they have been helping. The committee will also receive monthly visits from an AWLQ Education Officer at the school, or alternatively, the committee may visit AWLQ’s Gold Coast Rehoming Centre and volunteer with the cats and dogs.
COST: The Best Friends Project is free for the students to become involved. They will gain so much from the experience of helping animals in need and in turn their community! For more information on how your school can become involved in the Best Friends Project, contact the Education Division and ask for a Best Friends Project Kit. Alternatively you can download the Registration Form by clicking on the link below:
