AWI Quarterly

AWI Scholarship recipient Madison Kossow founded Mission Mutt Dog Rescue to tackle the pet overpopulation crisis one pup at a time. For Madison Kossow, the greatest benefit of attending virtual high school during the COVID-19 pandemic was that the less demanding schedule freed up her time to foster more than 30 cats, dogs, and rabbits.

Beneath “a sliver of moon, no wider than a cat’s whisker,” Kamie the cat navigates frightening city streets, back alleys, and an animal shelter to find her way home. In the process, the orange tabby teaches young readers kindness and respect for their feline friends. Kamie Cat’s Terrible Night, published by AWI through a collaboration

At the annual Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE) Educator’s Choice Awards in April, AWI took home the top prize in the category “Best Education Resources” for our suite of lesson plans aimed at teaching compassion and empathy for all living beings and respect for their habitats. The awards are voted on by humane educators from across

AWI recently added several dissection alternative lessons to the collection of free educational materials available on our website, as well as to our page on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. These plans, which cover frog, rat, and fetal pig anatomy and body systems, were created by Elisabeth Ormandy, a scientist and nonprofit leader who generously

AWI launched its scholarship program in December 2019. To date, we have provided 50 scholarships totaling $114,000. Available to graduating high school seniors entering college, the scholarship is intended to help develop future generations of animal welfare champions. Like many animal advocates, AWI Scholarship recipients often cite specific experiences that influenced and reinforced their commitment

Since 2010, AWI has partnered with the Humane Education Network for the student contest “A Voice for Animals.” Each year, our judges take on the challenging task of choosing the winning submissions from a pool of creative and fascinating entries. For this year’s competition, contestants were invited to write about animals in their area and

The annual “A Voice for Animals” contest is open now through May 21. As in past years, AWI has partnered with the Humane Education Network to offer students around the world an opportunity to explore animal welfare issues that are important to them and showcase their own animal welfare efforts. For this year’s contest, a

A Warbler’s Journey, written by Pennsylvania naturalist Scott Weidensaul and illustrated by Nancy Lane, is a beautiful and informative book. Through the travels of the yellow warbler, readers learn about the migratory path and the ecological role of this little bird. From the tropical rainforest, over the Gulf of Mexico, and up to Northwest Canada,

On July 31, AWI and the Humane Education Network announced the winners of the 2022 “A Voice for Animals” contest. As in prior years, students were free to choose their own topic, but this year were also invited to explore the relationship between alternative energy sources and the impacts on wildlife. Many entrants accepted this

The ever-rising cost of a college education can be daunting—particularly if you plan to enter fields involving animal care, conservation, and/or advocacy, where love of animals and dedication to the cause are greater draws than earning potential. In an effort to alleviate some of the financial burden young people face as they enter college and

Stories can be a powerful way to share lessons with children about kindness and proper companion animal care. They provide children with an opportunity to consider new concepts and practice perspective-taking in a way that is fun and engaging. The SPCA Serving Erie County (a Buffalo metro area nonprofit that is the second-oldest humane society

AWI, together with the Humane Education Network, congratulates the winners of the 2021 “A Voice for Animals” competition. Through video, photos, and essays, the contest encourages students age 14–18 to examine issues involving animal welfare and ways to reduce animal suffering. This year, several of these prize-winning submissions showcased not just the actions of the

“Even if animals were to experience pain differently: humans shouldn’t be harming them at all,” reads the last line of an essay question response submitted by one of AWI’s recent scholarship winners. The question—which asks applicants to consider whether certain species feel more pain than others—is one of several that students chose from when completing

Bob has not had an easy life. As a puppy, he and his siblings were thrown from a truck window by a cruel owner. Bruised and starving, Bob found his way to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, home of Ivan, a gorilla who spent 27 years of his life in a

In North America, animal dissection remains commonplace in K-12 science education. At a time when numerous interactive and immersive alternatives are available, it’s time to end this outdated practice once and for all by adopting non-animal teaching methods. Non-animal methods are not only more humane, but also more effective, more inclusive, safer, and more economical.

AWI now has free lesson plans available for two of our most sought-after books, A Dangerous Life and The Magic of Touch. The lesson plans were developed by AWI in cooperation with educator Nancy Kellum Brown. A Dangerous Life is a graphic novel that weaves lessons of conservation and compassion for all living things throughout a story about the

The 2020 “A Voice for Animals” contest received over 500 entries from all over the world, including submissions from Nepal, Mexico, Singapore, and India. Many of this year’s entries addressed timely topics such as the spread of diseases via animal markets and the devastating Australian wildfires, demonstrating that young people are as tuned in as

AWI extends our congratulations to Hailey Chui (California), Katja Erringer (Oregon), Sage Farrow (Colorado), Lien Ferry (Pennsylvania), Makenna Owens (Florida), Will Smith (Minnesota), Isabelle Sydow (Minnesota), and Chloe Quin (Illinois). These are the recipients of the inaugural Animal Welfare Institute Scholarship. AWI launched the scholarship late last year in order to assist high school students

Performing noninvasive studies of wild animals can be tricky. The task becomes even more challenging when the subject of the study mainly lives in the canopy of the rainforest—nearly 100 feet above ground. The Woolly Monkey Mysteries takes readers on a journey to Manu National Park in the Amazon Basin, where camera traps are installed to learn

AWI entered into a unique partnership with HarperCollins Children’s Books last year to produce educational materials on endangered species and what we can do to protect them. The partnership coincided with the launch of a new book series aimed at 3rd to 6th graders from Newbery Medal–winning author Katherine Applegate. (See AWI Quarterly, winter 2018.)  The