Animal Advocates

On select days off from school, Junior and Senior Animal Advocates students spend three hours at AWS in a structured educational program, seeing first-hand what goes into caring for animals. Led by AWS’ Youth Programs coordinator, Animal Advocates spend time with animals, participate in activities to support their care, and learn how to understand animals and advocate for them. And most of all, they have fun!

AWS’ animal population and organizational needs change on a regular basis, which means each session of Animal Advocates is unique! Activities vary and could take place in the Adoption Center, the Youth Programs classroom, or even outside on our grounds. Common activities could include preparing enrichment activities for dogs, doing crafts, cleaning or organizing cat toys, or laying out clean bedding for rabbits and small animals. No matter what activities the students work on, they are learning about animals and their needs and wants.

Senior Animal Advocate sessions count towards student community service hour requirements. However, because sessions are limited and fill-up quickly, students seeking community service hours are encouraged to become a regular volunteer or check out our At-Home Project Guide for other ways to help, right from home!