Humane Education Practitioner Certificate

The Need for Humane Education

The Academy of Prosocial Learning provides the following definition of humane education: “Humane education encourages cognitive, affective and behavioral growth through personal development of critical thinking, problem solving, perspective taking, and empathy as it relates to people, animals, the planet, and the intersections among them.” Humane education fosters compassion, healthy choices, social-emotional growth, critical thinking skills and a sense of purpose in young children. Humane education activities and learning apply in many settings. For example:

As part of a visit from the local humane society, an individual learns that millions of dogs and cats are euthanized every year in the U.S. alone. She shares this with her family and friends and encourages all to adopt companion animals from shelters.

As part of his summer camp experience at a farm animal sanctuary, a child bonds with a calf and does independent investigation to discover how they are treated in the dairy industry and subsequently decides to lessen his consumption of dairy products.

In social studies class, a student learns that students of color face disproportionate rates of disciplinary action in U.S. public schools. After further researching this issue, the student gives a presentation to his school administrators about Restorative Justice practices, and how implementing a program would foster a more just and positive school culture. 

During lunch, a group of students notice that the trash bins around their school are filled with single-use plastic bottles. They decide that their peers need access to better options, so they speak with the principal about installing a bottle filling station and recycling bins.

On a recent school trip to a children’s science museum, a girl learns about the importance of all animals to the world. After this trip, she sees her classmates trying to step on spiders because they think the spiders are scary and poisonous. She educates her classmates on the spiders’ importance and helps them move the spiders outside to an appropriate location.

Capstone Session

You’ll finalize your certificate with the production of an action plan for participating in the development of kind communities within your home or work setting. You will join your cohort and instructors over Zoom to present your capstone project, receive feedback from instructors and peers, and hear from guest speakers and alumni of the program.