YEAR 2012 NEWS

We kindly inform that the project GIVE A PAW!, which took place in Nasutów on 16-23 July was successfully completed. Young people from six European countries were debating about the issue of animal rights and the man’s attitude towards domestic animals, they also cooperated in the creation of social campaign, promoting animal adoption and the help for homeless animals.

We kindly inform that the project GIVE A PAW!, which took place in Nasutów on 16-23 July was successfully completed. GIVE A PAW! project was realised as a youth exchange, financed by the European Union program “Youth in Action” (Action 1.1). During the project almost all planned activities were realized.

The participants from Poland, Lithuania, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Czech Republic, taking part in different workshops, were occupied with the issue of animal rights and man’s attitude towards the domestic animals. The first days were filled with the games that were supposed to integrate the group and introduce the topic of exchange; the classes concerned the problem of testing cosmetics on animals, and a meeting with the vet working in the Animal Shelter in Lublin took place. He introduced the problem of abandoning exotic animals to the participants of the project. Young people willingly got involved in the construction of toys and little houses for the cats, which at the end of the exchange were delivered to the shelter. During the organized trip to Lublin they had a chance to observe how does the unique, Polish exotarium, to which the abandoned animals are transported from all around the country, function.

The organizers did not forget to let the participants discover the host city itself –  playing a city game, young people learned a lot about Lublin’s history and culture. What is more, a workshop with the Public Relations specialist took place to provide the group with the necessary knowledge about the creation of social campaigns. This experience proved to be useful during the preparation of the happening, planned for the last day of exchange. The participants designed leaflets, banners, stickers, and cans to which the funds for the shelter were collected. Walking on the streets of Lublin with the animals – also the exotic ones – they encouraged the citizens to help the shelter.

The happening was very successful. During only a few hours a satisfying amount of money was collected and the awareness of many people about the animal problems and the possibilities of helping the shelter was increased. Information about the project appeared in many radio and TV stations and newspapers, among others in the Third Program of Polish Radio, and Radio Lublin (MORE), in ITVL TV (MORE), in Kurier Lubelski (MORE), in Gazeta Wyborcza (MORE), and even in the Icelandic radio (MORE).

At the end of GIVE A PAW! project there was also organised a heated Oxford Debate on the following topic “Animals with low chances of being adopted should be put to sleep.” GIVE A PAW! is the first Nowy Staw Foundation project, in which the partners from Island participated.