Education Zone
Discover how we educate and inspire the community
Why
The ultimate aim of Paws on Plastic is to make picking up a couple of pieces of litter a normal part of an every-day dog walk.
Education is one of Paws on Plastic’s key charitable aims and was highlighted as a priority in our 2022 Members’ Survey.
We educate on the consequences of littering in the belief that most litter is dropped without the intention of causing harm to animals or the environment.
People often relate more to dogs and the potential threat litter poses to them, than to the ideas of social responsibility and community spirit. Awareness of these key social areas grows hand-in-hand through involvement with Paws on Plastic.
We strive to help alter anti-eco mindsets, replacing litter-dropping habits with the development of positive litter-picking habits.
Removing a few bits of litter from the environment hardly takes any extra effort while walking a dog. It can also boost mental health and build our sense of achievement through seeing the immediate and visible difference it makes.
How do we do it?
- Visits to schools, community and youth groups – often with the dogs!
- ’Lunch and Learn’ events for businesses – in person or virtually
- Events/Fairs with information and fun, timed litter-picking challenges
- Community beach cleans and litterpicks – the aim being to make them fun by looking for strange finds and encouraging young volunteers with reward cards, certificates and prizes
- Informative social media posts to encourage community engagement
Schools
Paws on Plastic fits well with the Eco Schools Programme and Plastic Free Schools Programme – a perfect way to engage with the wider dog-owning school community.
We love bringing our dogs into schools or leading sessions remotely. We also have certificates, reward cards and some promotional rewards and materials to support classrooms and outdoor activities.
Mini Lesson: Paws on Plastic
Downloadable Resources
Here are some resources that can be downloaded.
Evaluation/Feedback
Please let us know if you use these resources and tag us on any social media posts to help us evaluate their use. We welcome feedback on ways they can be incorporated in lesson plans & what additional resources would be useful.
Collaboration
Our charity is open to collaborations with like minded charities, groups, organisations and businesses for events, rewards and promotions to our members. These are explored on an individual basis. Please contact us with your proposal.