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UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Extension
Table of Contents
Program Mission The Animal Ambassadors Program is designed to use the world of animals, both domesticated and wild, as a 'bridge' to help youth develop an interest in science and acquire critical thinking and life skills. Furthermore, it builds a foundation of care and responsibility toward animals, and, by extension, toward themselves and other humans.
Program Overview The Animal Ambassadors Program is a curriculum development, training, and dissemination effort that will complement school science courses, enrich and expand the offerings of nonformal youth education programs (e.g., 4-H; YMCA; museums), and enhance outreach efforts by campus and community professionals (e.g., Veterinarians). This innovative program is designed to use the world of animals, both wild and domesticated, as a "bridge" to help youth develop an interest in science, develop critical thinking and life skills, and to foster a better awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of animals, animal science, and veterinary science. To help make the curricula interactive, they are organized into loaner learning kits that include corresponding hands-on materials. Once published, kits will be made available on loan from County 4-H offices, school districts, and California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) offices. The Animal Ambassador Project will be disseminated statewide through school districts, nonformal education programs, and professional associations, reaching audiences in rural, suburban, and urban settings. An accompanying training program for school and community-based educators, university staff and students, and community-based professionals (e.g., veterinarians) is under development to help ensure statewide and national sustainability and institutionalization.
Projects • Animal Ambassadors UC Davis Student Curriculum Development Internship The Animal Ambassadors UC Davis Student Curriculum Development Internship involves developing and pilot-testing inquiry-based curriculum activities to be used as part of the overall program. Students work in teams of 3-4 individuals to accomplish these tasks.
The feedback from students who have taken part in this internship is that it is fun, educational, and beneficial to their professional goals. They are able to bring their creativity and knowledge together with others to develop activities that kids learn from and enjoy doing.
The Animal Ambassadors School/University Partnerships Outreach Internship Project involves UC Davis undergraduates and teens from Grant High School working together to implement hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum activities at Fairbanks Elementary School in Sacramento. The UC Davis students serve as mentors for the high school students, providing them with a comprehensive exposure to campus. The UC Davis and Grant High School students, in turn, serve as mentors for the students at Fairbanks Elementary. The Animal Ambassadors activities help the elementary school students to develop an interest in science and foster critical thinking and life skills. This project is being funded by the UC Davis School/University Partnerships Program.
• Animal Ambassadors Cooperative Research Project The Animal Ambassadors Program is being designed for use in both formal and nonformal education settings. The Animal Ambassadors School/University Outreach Internship Project provides the opportunity to pilot test Animal Ambassadors in school classrooms. Support from the UC Davis Division of Education's Center for Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools (CRESS) allows program staff and collaborating teachers to research evaluation ideas and methods on specific aspects of science literacy. Specifically, tools that can be used to measure the impact of Animal Ambassadors curriculum activities on science literacy in school-based settings are being investigated.
• Animal Ambassadors A Science Education Outreach Model
 This effort is a collaboration with the University of California Cooperative Extension's (UCCE) San Luis Obispo County 4-H Youth Development Program to develop an effective outreach model for statewide and national implementation and dissemination of the Animal Ambassadors Program. Funded by the American Honda Foundation, this project will use the existing 4-H infrastructure, which is national in scope and enjoys a time-honored tradition of excellence in youth development programming, as a primary mode of delivery, both in the pilot project phase and throughout the dissemination process. • 4-H After School Activity Program (ASAP) Outreach Project
 The
Los Angeles County 4-H Youth Development Program helps meet the needs
of children who live in public housing communities through their After
School Activity Program (ASAP). A large part of the 4-H ASAP experience
for children is their involvement in hands-on activities.
During 1999, the Animal Ambassadors Program trained 25 site facilitators to implement activities at 14 ASAP locations. Over 750 children participated in the program.
Martin H. Smith, Director, Animal Ambassadors Program, mhsmith@ucdavis.edu, or 530-752-6894.
Donald J. Klingborg, Director, Veterinary Medicine Extension Links • UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine • UC Davis School/University Partnerships Program • UC Davis Division of Education CRESS Center
Photos courtesy of Suzanne Paisley, Richard Enfield and Martin Smith.
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The curricula being developed are age-appropriate and designed specifically
for three different grade levels: lower elementary, ages 5-8; upper
elementary, ages 9-11; and, middle school, ages 12-14. Activities utilize
a hands-on, inquiry-based approach, emphasizing animal care and responsibility.
Community action follow-up activities and technology extensions are
included to promote real-world applications of concepts and family involvement.
