Why Education Matters
Through our Friends and Food Youth Education Program at Rancho Compasión, we seek to inform and educate Bay Area students about the animal agriculture industry that produces our food today, about the conditions and procedures to which farmed animals are subjected, and about the consequences and challenges that our modern methods of animal agriculture create for our planet and all living things. At Rancho Compasión, we have the unique opportunity, through the lives and experiences of our rescued animals, to tell their story on behalf the billions of animals that are being raised for food around the world today.
But learning about the plight of farmed animals is only one half of our ethos. Raising awareness about issues is important, but so is increasing understanding about alternative paths forward. This is why we integrate our garden into our curriculum. We want to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to eat more plants, from how to grow them, identify the vast diversity of edible plants, care for and harvest from the garden, work in tandem with the cycles of nature, and cook with (and eat!) the fresh food we cultivate together.
We began a pilot program in 2023 for youth from a couple of schools in Marin, where students have learned about animal enrichment, gardening, and empathy-building skills. We are excited to take this program to the next level in 2024 with our new Director of Programming leading more comprehensive programs, and hosting a summer camp! We aim to impact youth who would otherwise not have access to places of sanctuary, and to provide these programs free-of-charge to historically disadvantaged and marginalized public school youth. We have need-based scholarships and sponsorships available for all of our youth programs! Please use the appropriate links on each program page to share a bit about your needs and situation for scholarship consideration, or reach out to sarah@ranchocompasion.org with any questions. If you would like to contribute to our scholarship fund, please follow this link ❤️