Social Work education: Projects to enhance student knowledge and application of the interaction of environmental sustainability, animal welfare and human well-being

ABSTRACT

This article describes course-based projects in a Masters of Social Work class designed to explore the importance of environmental issues on the interactions between humans and animals. Three service-learning projects were implemented within a community “EarthFest” event to promote increased awareness of sustainability and actions to protect the environment while enhancing both welfare of animals and health and human well-being. Therapy and robotic animals were integrated into the projects to provide direct, hands-on benefits and interaction for participants. These projects reinforced social work values of service and social justice while developing student’s skills in creating and facilitating an animal-assisted activity focused on sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• Animal welfare
• community engaged learning
• environmental justice
• human well-being
• human-animal interaction
• one health
• sustainability

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).