Erna-Graff-Stiftung für Tierschutz
Sieglindestraße 4
12159 Berlin
Telefon: +49 30 852 4953
Fax: +49 30 852 9743
E-Mail: erna-graff-stiftung@t-online.de
Internet: http://erna-graff-stiftung.de
English
Erna-Graff-Foundation, Berlin
Please visitit the website of our European School Project Walk the dog!
The Erna-Graff-Foundation is a Berlin based animal welfare foundation under public law. Founded on 28 February 1983 by the longtime president of the Animal Welfare Society Berlin, Mrs. Erna Graff, the focus of the foundations work is the implementation of ethical animal welfare questions and discussions in the schools curricula esp. the natural sciences. Since its establishment the foundation is linked to the Freie Universtät Berlin and different German Federal Institution (esp. ZEBETt) by its board of directors.
During the 1990s, in close cooperation with Berlin teachers the foundation was able to lay the first cornerstones of Animal Welfare Education in Germany at numerous schools in Berlin, Germany. In 2001 the first German animal welfare schoolbook “Biologie: Tierschutz” (Biology: Animal Welfare), a landmark publication, was published by the foundation in the Ernst Klett Verlag, a professional school book publishing house. The Erna- Graff-Stiftung has continuously developed nationwide teaching concepts and materials. Its current project is Walk the dog! - The European School Project about People and Animals. The above mentioned approach to integrate daily life questions from the field of animal welfare and ecology in natural sciences became very successful in the last three years. With the help of a comprehensive network of national and European educational institutions, schools, members from the field of work, representatives of national ministries, administrative organizations, NGOs and members of the media in Germany 2300 schools and up to 150.000 pupils could be reached. In cooperation with the Media Institute of the German Federal States an education DVD was published and in the last two years also Greek, Serbian and English projects could be launched, all including educational publications.
Due to the success of the programs and concepts the Erna- Graff- Stiftung acts as a consultant for the European Commission (Animal Welfare Unit of the DG SANCO) since autumn 2008. As member of the Steering Committee and lecturer the foundation was deeply involved in the “1st International Conference on Animal Welfare Education" (Brussels, October 1-2, 2010), initiated by DG SANCO.
The foundations schools projects like walk-the-dog.eu and its publications are
free of radical or religious motivations. All contents are designed by a team
of experts including scientists from the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and
Education at Freie Universität Berlin, the Ministry of Education (Senat) of
Berlin, Teachers, Journalists, Authors and Illustrators.