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Educational Programs
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VIDAS will take a strong role in 2004 to utilize our opportunity to educate the youth of the towns we journey to. They are the future, and if armed with the knowledge, they can make a difference.
We have a mission to end the needless suffering of dogs and cats by preventing unwanted litters, and providing basic veterinary care. We recognize that education is the root to the solution of this problem.
VIDAS plans to take a more active role with education for the May clinics. Cristina Gutierrez, president of VIDAS, is not only a veterinary student, but a certified secondary English education teacher. She is using these skills to develop lesson plans to use with the children who always mill about the clinics.
These local children spend the day at the clinic, looking through the school windows to watch us with the animals. They care about these animals and about what we are doing. We have decided to make their day at the clinic a special experience – and with a donation of crayons and coloring books – they will be rewarded for participation.
We will have lessons on when it is safe to approach animals – focusing on bite prevention, the importance of population control and how it affects their animals and them (zoonotic disease prevention), the responsibilities of pet ownership, and the human animal bond. These lessons will be very interactive – as we hope to make them fun and enjoyable for the kids (so they tell their friends!).
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