Educate the Marine Parade Town Council on the futility of culling cats
In contrast to other Victorians:
Victoria Junior College Animal Welfare Society
Article by Serina Rahman
Contributed by Cat Welfare Society
Model V checks out how two brave girls chose to go against convention to right wrongs done to animals. Read their story at CIP Central!
 |
The VJC Animal Welfare Society was formed in 2002 after a group of animal-loving students sent in a proposal to their principal. Today, it is run by Kavita and Mingyi – two dedicated and passionate animal lovers.
The society is unique because it was created and is currently run entirely by students. No other junior college in Singapore has such a group; most other institutions only allow students to concentrate on sports and other 'award winning' activities. The goals of the VJC Animal Welfare Society are to educate their fellow students, to promote awareness of animal issues among their peers, and to help animals where they can.
Their track record is commendable. This year alone, they have been involved in the cat sterilization programme – sending at least 2 cats a month to be sterilized. They have fed and looked out for the cats that live at East Coast Lagoon while the area was under renovation, and conducted several fundraising and awareness events in school.
At the same time, they have worked closely with the Cat Welfare Society, Metta Cats, Action for Singapore Dogs, House Rabbit Society of Singapore, and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in their bid to help the animals.
While Kavita and many others in the group feel that the Animal Welfare Society is important because the needs of animals are generally neglected, they have had to deal with lots of ribbing from their peers. Many people seem to think that their society is a joke – something only girls would be interested in (there are only 7 guys in the society now) and some have even gone so far as to say that they shouldn't exist because no animals were being abused in the school compound!
But it is precisely this feedback that makes Kavita and Mingyi more determined to go on. They feel that although some people will never see an animal as anything more than a meal, others will learn from their efforts. The ones who learn are more important than the ones who don't, and so they should never give up trying.
Their current goal is to try to implement the Adopt-to-Support project – a Service Learning initiative pioneered by a group of NTU students. They hope to get the go-ahead to go into primary schools to teach 10 to 11 year-olds about animal welfare and the plight of strays, and maybe at the same time, indirectly, 'educate' the children's parents as well.
It seems daunting for a group of 17 and 18 year-olds – but they have shown that they have the drive to do it and the perseverance to carry it through. But that's not all. After their 'A' Levels, they will continue to volunteer with animal societies, and maybe, set one up in university if there isn't one already!
| The Cat Welfare Society is a non-profit organisation, run entirely by volunteers who want to improve the welfare of stray cats in Singapore . They aim to alleviate the pain and suffering of stray cats and kittens that live in our streets. For more information, prowl their website at http://www.catwelfare.org . |  |
