THE Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is enhancing its youth education programme to raise awareness of animal abuse among young people, in the light of a recent spate of animal cruelty cases.
It also made animal abuse a highlight of its annual youth engagement event – SPCA’s Pawsome Pawty – on Saturday.
The Youth Ambassador Programme has drawn 375 ambassadors since it was launched in October 2022.
Besides attending educational programmes, these volunteers – aged between seven and 16 – currently also help out at SPCA’s Sungei Tengah animal shelter and come up with animal welfare campaigns to raise awareness.
To expand the programme, SPCA will organise a youth animal welfare symposium in October to allow those above the age of 16 to engage in meaningful discussions surrounding animal welfare advocacy issues.
Its expansion plans also include bringing experiential activities like virtual reality simulation to schools, field trips to other animal welfare organisations such as the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, and inviting students to pair up with an SPCA staff member or volunteer to host a talk at their school. — The Straits Times/ANN
