About
Acknowledgments
Humane Education: a compassionate ethic for animals, Australia's inaugural conference focussing on humane education, emerged from the overlapping interests of Compassion in World Farming (Compassion) and Griffith University (GU). The generous funding of Voiceless, the fund for animals has made the event possible and for this both Compassion and GU are most grateful.
Voiceless has previously enabled Compassion and GU to undertake educational projects working towards greater community awareness and understanding of the lives and needs of animals. We believe that extending the circle of compassion to species other than our own will help to raise the moral status of society and society in general will benefit. Towards this, 'a compassionate ethic for animals' is an important step.
Compassion and GU are greatly indebted to the speakers, who so willingly agreed to participate. Their enthusiasm and the quality of their diverse presentations have enabled us to produce a valuable record of the Symposium to advance the concept and application of humane education in Australia.
We are also indebted to our audience who so clearly demonstrated their interest in humane education and its potential to benefit society in general.
I extend personal thanks to my co-convenor, Dr Gail Tulloch for her enthusiastic partnership towards and subsequent to the Symposium and to the third member of our organising team, Cynthia Burnett, for immense practical assistance and personal involvement. And I am most grateful to my colleague at Compassion in the UK, Phil Brooke, who travelled to Australia to participate in and assist with the event, in the midst of an already busy year. My thanks, also, to Griffith University Centre for Public Culture and Ideas (CPCI) for invaluable support and the all-important venue.
About the Symposium
Many have asked: but what is 'humane education' (HEd)?
According to the Institute for Humane Education HEd should instil the desire and capacity to live with compassion, integrity, and wisdom and provide the knowledge and tools to put our values into action in meaningful, far reaching ways. One key element particularly relevant to this Symposium is to offer positive choices that benefit oneself, other people, the animals and the earth, so that people can create a more humane world.
And as expressed by one of our speakers: HEd is about creating more rounded people. A part of HEd is about creating a world that is better for animals.
In 2004 Compassion was drawn to Griffith's 'Compassion Project', which provided the basis for the research and report 'Learning to care: Education for Compassion' that are central to the Symposium. Results from the research reveal that Values Education (VE), now an important feature of the Australian school curriculum, rarely extends beyond consideration of our own species. Yet there is much scope for its far broader application.
VE provides an appropriate framework to extend the consideration of people's relationships, not only with their fellow human beings but also with the animals in their environment, and the inanimate environment.
The broad goals of HEd and VE are similar in that they strive for a more moral and responsible world. The concept of 'Humane Education: a compassionate ethic for animals' thus grew from an awareness of the potential synergy of the two concepts.
Presentations draw on the experience of a wide range of contributors from the education sector, including administrators, academics, teachers and parent bodies as well as related legal, social and political domains.
I am sure I speak for all involved in saying that we anticipate positive developments in the field of humane education in Australia and trust that we have played a small but vital part in their beginnings.
Carole de Fraga
Regional Representative, Oceania - Compassion in World Farming
Co-convenor - Humane Education: a compassionate ethic for animals
