Institute for Humane Education

Join IHE alumna Emily Tronetti ?? and 'The Dogs of Our Lives' podcast host Chrissy Messick for a deeper dive into the importance of humane education in fostering compassionate coexistence with animals. #HumaneEducation #CompassionateCoexistence #TheNatureOfAnimals

We partnered with Redbird Media Group to showcase our Solutionary Framework, and some of the students, teachers, and facilitators involved in the?Maine Solutionaries Project. Enjoy one of three videos in the post below, and learn more about the Solutionary Framework here: https://lnkd.in/eGj377Wd

IHE team members Susan Mwai, Julie Meltzer, and Shei Ascencio spent the last two days in Budapest at the Beyond the Future: Changemakers Conference 2025! Here's one of Julie's key takeaways: "Students described a wide range of issues and projects they are working on that included eliminating single use plastics, providing sanitation to support girls to attend school in Africa, making bat houses, decreasing food waste at school events, safe education in Ukraine, support for biking to school in Hungary…More than half of the speakers and more than 2/3 of the workshops were student led!" This inspiring conference was hosted by the American International School of Budapest. #BeyondTheFuture #ChangemakersConference #SolutionaryFramework

"We’re guiding people and systems to change, not forcing one perspective. We’re helping people see the problem and discover the root causes. In all of my courses, I see the question of how to do that coming up. “I understand the issues,” people will say, “but how do I reach other people?” We reach them with storytelling, good questions, and sincerity." We interviewed our graduate program faculty member and humane educator Cynthia Trapanese, on themes in her three graduate courses: Culture & Change; Just, Good Food; and Creative Activism. Enjoy the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dhdAQbuk #HumaneEducation #CreativeActivism Antioch University

Vote for IHE! We are honored to be nominated as a finalist in the Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE) Choice Awards in the following four categories: ?? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????????????????? (Institute for Humane Education) ?? ???????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? (Humane Education Graduate Certificate Program, Institute for Humane Education) ?? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? (Zoe Weil) ?? ???????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????????????? (Institute for Humane Education's Solutionary Micro-credential Course) The winners will be announced at the APHE National Conference in April, which Zoe Weil will keynote. Vote for IHE and fellow inspiring educators ???????????? ?????????? ???? in the link below!

"Here’s the thing. If we want students to come up with ways to prevent, mitigate, solve, or somehow address the problems they care about in their schools and communities, they need to be curious. If we want students to understand what caused the problem in the first place, to gather different perspectives on an issue, and to uncover the systems that keep a problem in place, they need to ask questions. And not just any type of question. Good questions!" - Julie Meltzer

Calling all community educators! Do you work in environmental or outdoor education? For a nonprofit? At an animal shelter or sanctuary? Does your work bridge the gap between formal education and the needs of your community? Our April Solutionary Micro-credential Course (SMC) is our first official cohort primarily for community educators, and we'd love you to join us! Learn how to transform your community with strategies to increase curiosity, compassion, inspiration, and engagement; inspire others to become skilled and hopeful solutionary changemakers; meet other motivated educators; and become a part of an expanded learning community! This cohort begins on April 1, 2025 at 1pm ET. Enroll here: https://lnkd.in/diZdfxSR

How can systems thinking help you design more effective education and social impact programs? Education isn’t just a set of lessons—it’s a complex, interconnected system shaped by learners, educators, policies, communities, and resources. ?? Systems thinking helps us step back to see the bigger picture, uncover hidden relationships, and design programs that address root causes rather than just symptoms. Instead of quick fixes, we create sustainable solutions that drive real, lasting impact. What challenges or successes have you experienced when applying systems thinking in education and social impact work? ?? #systemsthinking #educationforimpact #esd #learningdesign

Vote for IHE! We are honored to be nominated as a finalist in the Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE) Choice Awards in the following four categories: ?? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????????????????? (Institute for Humane Education) ?? ???????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? (Humane Education Graduate Certificate Program, Institute for Humane Education) ?? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? (Zoe Weil) ?? ???????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????????????? (Institute for Humane Education's Solutionary Micro-credential Course) The winners will be announced at the APHE National Conference in April, which Zoe Weil will keynote. Vote for IHE and fellow inspiring educators before March 25 in the link below!

Solutionary thinking consists of many forms of thinking, all of which take practice and honing. The primary components of solutionary thinking are critical thinking, systems thinking, strategic thinking, and creative thinking. While these forms of thinking are not sequential, they do build upon one another. Without critical thinking as the foundation, we cannot evaluate and understand systems clearly. Without systems thinking, we cannot determine the best strategies for creating positive changes and acting effectively. And without the first three working together, our creativity may not lead to the best solutions. Read the full blog by Zoe Weil: https://lnkd.in/dM2FTcTh #SystemsThinking #CriticalThinking #StrategicThinking #CreativeThinking?