Jane Goodall Educates the Educators (Including, Maybe, You!)

What do you get when you put luminary Jane Goodall, activist Arun Gandhi (yep, that guy‘s grandson), and powerhouse Zoe Weil in the same room? Well, first of all, you get a melted version of what once was Jasmin. But beyond that, you get what will perhaps be the most important humane education gathering of all time — Educating for a Just, Peaceful & Sustainable Future, a “comprehensive humane education conference,” highlighting “the power and promise of humane education as a key to fostering a generation of solutionaries committed to environmental preservation, animal welfare and human rights.” Well, snap!
To say that we’re elated about this conference would be a ridiculous understatement. It is being presented by our three favorite humane education organizations — Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART), the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots — and will feature life-changing workshops, a parade in honor of the UN International Day of Peace, and the aforementioned goo-inducing speakers, Goodall, Gandhi, and Weil. Hosted by New York University’s Animal Studies Initiative (which animal law expert David Wolfson told us about when he was a guest on our podcast way back when it launched in 2010), “the conference welcomes educators, changemakers, students and concerned citizens from across the United States and abroad.”
Educating for a Just, Peaceful & Sustainable Future will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2013, from 8:45 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (registration begins at 7:45 a.m.), at NYU’s Center for Academic and Spiritual Life in New York City. Early general registration is $75 through Aug. 1, 2013, and $95 thereafter. Student registration is $25 through Aug. 1, 2013, and $35 thereafter. Note that the humane folks at these organizations state on the website that “if the cost prevents a potential participant from registering, an adjusted rate may be considered on a sliding scale.” I would expect nothing less from these organizers who are changing the world for animals, one inquiring mind at a time.
You don’t need me to tell you how completely vital humane education is for the sustainability of the planet and all its inhabitants. If we want to foster a kind, compassionate, forward-thinking next generation of, as Weil says, “solutionaries,” then this is key. Not to sound completely starstruck (which I am), but can I just reiterate that Jane Goodall is going to be one of the keynotes at this?!
I’m melting, I’m melting …
Our Hen House is proud to be a media sponsor for this conference.