In these free online courses, our resident teacher, Ms. Stephanie Clark, will show you how to take your animal advocacy to the next level. You may even be able to put time you spend working on the courses toward your school's service-learning requirements. Check with your teacher or advisor to find out.

Animal Cruelty 101
In this course, you'll become more familiar with the causes behind animal cruelty, as well as the connection between violence toward animals and violence toward people. You'll learn about the various laws that address mistreatment of animals and what you can do to make a difference, including how to recognize and safely report cruelty.

Using the Legislative Process to Speak Up for Animals
This course will give you the knowledge and skills needed to effectively make your voice heard at all levels of government. The course begins by looking at why citizen advocacy is important in animal protection and provides an overview of the legislative process at the state and federal levels. You'll learn how to research your legislators and build long-term relationships with them and their staff.

Make Your Voice Heard - Presentation Tips
This course provides step-by-step instructions on crafting an effective and engaging presentation. Participants will learn about the opening, body, and closure of a presentation as well as the importance of voice, visuals, and practice. Upon completion of the course students will have designed a successful, meaningful, and exciting presentation that will help educate others about animal protection topics.

To get started on any course, please email Ms. Clark at sclark@humanesociety.org. Include your first and last name as well as the name of the course you'd like to take. She'll respond to you within two days with further instructions. If you don't receive a response within two days, please call (860) 434-8666, extension 24. (Be sure to get permission from your parents before making a long-distance phone call.)