Penn Vet Ambassadors K-12 Outreach Program
Who are we?
Penn Vet Ambassadors are a group of veterinary students who are passionate about education, service, and by what we will do as future veterinarians. Our goal is to introduce students to the excitement of our field, whether it be introducing kindergartners to the wonders of the deep sea or older students to the challenges and rewards of pursuing training as a medical professional.
What are we?
The Penn Vet Ambassadors program works to bring the study of animals and medicine into Philadelphia classrooms. We believe that many of the issues we are passionate about as future veterinarians are important and compelling topics, ones that we believe can enrich a child’s education regardless of their future career. We also know that veterinary medicine is a unique field, and one that goes far beyond just the treatment of animals. We are passionate about a wide range of issues such conservation of our natural resources and wildlife rehabilitation, animal welfare and ethical treatment of our livestock, and public safety and defense against important diseases such as avian flu and H1N1. Penn Vet Ambassadors was created to bring together compassionate, engaged graduate students with Philadelphia’s youth, so that we can help to bring these exciting and wide-ranging ideas into the classroom. Most of all, we strive to culture a sense of wonder and an appreciation for the human-animal bond and the natural world around us.
What is VOICE?
Penn Vet Ambassadors is a subset of Penn Vet’s VOICE chapter, or Veterinary Students as One in Culture and Ethnicity. VOICE works to foster core ideals such as tolerance and acknowledgment of difference, which we believe are necessary for any profession or path that a child may choose later in life. Our K-12 outreach program was created with the spirit of VOICE in mind, and we carry its mission into every classroom that we visit.
"We are aware that veterinarians and students have different economic, social, and cultural backgrounds; therefore, our task is to unite the veterinary community by institutionalizing the University’s core value of multiculturalism. We will accomplish this task via cultural events, forums, lectures, and educational campaigns. We believe that acknowledging, understanding, and nurturing our differences will improve our service to our clientele and enhance the veterinary profession." - VOICE Mission Statement.
What can we do for you?
Penn Vet Ambassadors will work with teachers and administrators to create a lesson plan that is appropriate for the age group in question and adheres to the educational needs of the classroom. We believe in the practice of theme-based education, thus we have created lesson plans for different age groups all centering around a central subject. We will work with teachers to tailor that plan to their particular group of students.
In addition to furthering subjects that we believe are exciting for students of all ages, we also run informational sessions in classrooms to talk with high-school age students about pursuing a career in the sciences. Veterinary science is a unique field; however, the routes and educational choices we made for ourselves are relevant to the pursuit of any scientific career.