An innovative art project designed to flex children's creative muscles while evoking their sense of empathy raised nearly $1,000 for the Cochrane and Area Humane Society (CAHS).
Becky Carruthers, an art teacher at Southeast Elementary School in Calgary who is in the process of completing a master's in art education at the University of Victoria, developed the program affectionately coined the Empathy Pawject.
The idea was inspired by Canmore-based Rachael Rodgers who runs an Instagram page under the moniker trailsandbears, which posts pictures of adoptable pets in an effort to help them find "furever" homes.
Carruthers put her own spin on the idea to help it fit into art and empathy learning. Each of her 82 Grade 4 students received a picture and profile of an adoptable dog from the Cochrane and Area Humane Society, which they used to create their own hand drawn picture of the animal. The drawings were posted to the Instagram page empathy.pawject and then turned into greeting cards. The cards were sold during two showings at the new Calgary Central Library and the $991 in proceeds were donated to CAHS.
Cochrane's animal rescue was chosen because Carruthers and her fiance have a special connection to CAHS, having adopted two dogs from the shelter by what could be described as fate.
"My dog before was also adopted from the Cochrane Humane Society, and we had such a wonderful experience with both dogs," Carruthers' said about choosing CAHS.
As for why they selected the Cochrane facility to adopt– it was by simple chance.
"We go out to the mountains a lot and on our way we always drive through Cochrane – we love the town," she said, adding that on one trip they decided to check out CAHS – the rest is history.
Aside from helping give back to a shelter that has given Carruthers so much, Empathy Pawject is also a first step toward her goal of developing a wider curriculum that "marries art education and empathy."
"I am a firm believer that you can't teach empathy, you evoke it," said Carruthers, explaining learning about animals in need while creating art with an aim to help achieves that goal. "I'd love to find a way to do this in other schools."
The money donated to CAHS will go toward programs that help community youth have "hands-on experience with animals and opportunities at the shelter, their schools or community centres to teach them about empathy, compassion and kindness," said Janaia Hutzal, CAHS communication coordinator. "It was amazing to see our own animals through the eyes of the children who painted them, and for others to be able to see that as well. This project helped pave an important pathway for inspiring empathy in children through their own creative hands, and to others who enjoyed the artwork."
Hutzal added the programs through the shelter also aid youth who might have struggles at home or in school.
"We look to provide innovative ways to cover complex issues that impact youth in a way that allows them to spend time with animals while learning about the greater issues impacting not only animals but society as a whole," she said.
Carruthers said she will continue the program next year and aims to eventually expand to other grade groups. A different recipient will be chosen for next year's Empathy Pawject.
