Our humane education programs introduce students to a world where farm animals can live freely and joyfully. This is often a life-changing experience. Through storytelling and the connection to individual animals, we build compassion and understanding while introducing students to broader, interconnected issues of our food system. Using this foundation, we then support students in creating the change they wish to see in the world – through plant-based food choices and food system advocacy. And we’ve been committed to making our programs as accessible as possible by offering them at no cost to schools, teachers, and parents.

This year, Farm Sanctuary’s education team is celebrating an enormous milestone of over 100,000 students reached since the inception of the program.

Farm Sanctuary’s humane education program began in 2017 with one educator based in the New York tri-state area. The following year, we added an educator in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in 2019, we expanded to Los Angeles. During this time, our humane educators traveled throughout their regions, giving in-person presentations to students in Grades 5-12, which included an immersive virtual reality experience. That year, the Humane Education Coalition honored Farm Sanctuary with their Excellence Award for outstanding programming.

Like all educators, our world was fundamentally altered in the Spring of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers and parents scrambled to find creative solutions to occupy their children and students while continuing their education remotely. Our talented team was well-equipped to respond to this need. We immediately began offering free virtual classes – from storytelling and art for younger audiences to science-based presentations for middle-aged students. Thousands of parents, teachers, and students began attending our live-virtual classes through Zoom and Facebook, sharing fantastic positive feedback with our teams.

Taking note of the potential to impact more students with these strategies, we transitioned to a fully virtual program by adapting our existing presentations and expanding our grade level offerings – all the way from pre-K to college and university. Our in-classroom experiences have become live, in-classroom virtual presentations. We’ve launched a monthly live webinar series. Providing even greater flexibility for teachers and students, we created an online library of 27 pre-recorded video presentations and expanded our downloadable curriculum offerings.

Today, we’re reaching more students than ever, and we continue to explore creative solutions to bring the experience of sanctuary and a new understanding of our food system into the classroom.

In recognition of reaching 100,000 students, we’d like to share the impact of Farm Sanctuary’s humane education programming through the words of staff, teachers, and students who have participated in our programs.

Leo Balik, who joined Farm Sanctuary in 2020 as an Education Intern and went on to become a Humane Educator states, “Many students know very little about the mistreatment of animals in our food system, the abuse of workers, the devastation to the environment, the destruction of communities, and so on prior to my visit to their classroom. However, upon learning about the realities of our modern food system, many of them express shock, anger, and sadness, and are motivated to create change. So often the question I get from students is ‘Why? Why do we treat animals so poorly? Why aren’t workers treated like human beings? Why would we farm so many animals if it hurts the Earth?’ These questions reveal students’ willingness to question our current systems and to envision solutions that are just and compassionate for all.”

Read more teacher and student feedback below!

• “I would recommend this program. It offers student interaction and is thought provoking. I feel most kids are interested in where their food comes from and at age 13-14, they are forming their ideas and opinions. Farm Sanctuary offers a perspective that is not often covered and it is essential for middle schoolers to understand food systems as well as to practice empathy. It teaches that choices matter.” – 8th Grade Teacher
• “The students learned about ecosystems and better ways of taking care of our Earth, people, and animals, while gently being taught about the poor care farm animals are enduring.” – 1st-2nd Grade Teacher
• “The presentation was clear, easy to follow and read, and incredibly sweet. We all love the animals and the idea that they have names. It was sad but interesting to learn about farm animal cruelty. We learned a lot!” – 6th-9th Grade Teacher
• “I enjoy having Farm Sanctuary present (to) my students because their presentations are Earth science-based, educational, timely, well formulated, honest, and well researched. They teach (about) the realities of animal agriculture and its overwhelming impact on the Earth’s resources. Thank you to Farm Sanctuary for being on the front lines of Earth-based education and animal welfare (and) for being leaders in the movement to heal our planet through education, dietary changes, activism, and health.” – Middle School Teacher

• “The most important thing that I learned from this presentation is pretty much everything. This inspires me to help farm animals more than I already do at the current moment. I really hope that we can make a difference together if we all just open our eyes.” – 8th Grade Student
• “We can see how destructive factory farms are to both animals and humans. The animals at Farm Sanctuary are treated how animals should be treated. I would absolutely love to come visit the farm in NY. I want to learn more and see it in person.” – 12th Grade Student
• “After seeing this presentation, I will start eating more plant-based meats and I will start drinking almond milk rather than actual milk.” – 8th Grade Student
• “I think the most important thing I learned was animals have souls just like us.” – 10th Grade Student
• “I feel more compassionate for farm animals after this presentation.” – 5th Grade Student