One Health

Sharing this information about the upcoming California for All Animals All Call happening tomorrow, Nov. 5th at 12pm PT. I'll update this thread with the recording when it's available! 

Join California for All Animals team at noon on November 5 for a conversation with veterinary social worker Raquel Bernaldo, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) Community Services Manager, and Deja Johnson, FAAS Community Services Lead.

Raquel and Deja will share FAAS' community-centric, mutual aid approaches to supporting and working alongside Alameda community members. You'll also hear how FAAS integrates and leverages veterinary social work in animal shelter and community engagement operations.

Register here: http://sheltermedicine.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tceihrT8vGdT9sEyMRsVmm98qZQekawqV#/registration

You can also submit your questions for Raquel and Deja in advance at this link: https://airtable.com/appQOIwW8GobjfB1H/shrz0VQhJJ1h3l9U8

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Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
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The recording and recap of this call is now available here: https://www.californiaforallanimals.com/news-stories/healthy-pets-healthy-people-a-mutual-aid-program-at-alameda-animal-shelter-cal4all-call-11-05-2024/

It was an incredibly inspiring call and I loved hearing about Alameda's Healthy Pets Healthy People program. I particularly gravitated to the discussion about the impacts of operating from a scarcity mindset:

"We know what scarcity feels like, because every day we try to figure out how we can do more for animals and the people who love them, and often it feels like what we can do isn't enough. We know what scarcity feels like, because we live in a culture that constantly tells us there are not enough resources for us all, while income inequality grows. We know because we live in a culture where the blame for that inequality is shifted to Black, Indigenous, and people of color, to immigrants, and to anyone who is struggling to get by.

Sometimes we blame pet guardians, and sometimes we blame shelters. We blame each other. We know what it feels like, because we are told a zero-sum story that says if some of us succeed, others have to fail; if some of us have enough to care for ourselves and our pets, others have to suffer. This story costs everyone.

This story also reinforces the charity model that has shaped mainstream animal welfare and philanthropy from the beginning, but we aren't stuck with it. In this recording, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) Community Services Manager Raquel Bernaldo and Community Services Lead Deja Johnson showed us how FAAS is shifting to a different model, one that more accurately reflects the relationships they want to cultivate with animals and people in their community and with one another."

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Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
------------------------------

What an inspiring presentation!

I'm interested in the mutual aid concept and believe the presenters suggested a book.  Could I please be reminded of the title and any other resources on this topic?

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Gayle Bair
Pet Retention Liaison
Animal Friends
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2024 12:06 PM
From: Charlotte Otero (she/her)
Subject: 11/5/24 - California for All Animals: All Call - Integrating Social Work into Shelters

The recording and recap of this call is now available here: https://www.californiaforallanimals.com/news-stories/healthy-pets-healthy-people-a-mutual-aid-program-at-alameda-animal-shelter-cal4all-call-11-05-2024/

It was an incredibly inspiring call and I loved hearing about Alameda's Healthy Pets Healthy People program. I particularly gravitated to the discussion about the impacts of operating from a scarcity mindset:

"We know what scarcity feels like, because every day we try to figure out how we can do more for animals and the people who love them, and often it feels like what we can do isn't enough. We know what scarcity feels like, because we live in a culture that constantly tells us there are not enough resources for us all, while income inequality grows. We know because we live in a culture where the blame for that inequality is shifted to Black, Indigenous, and people of color, to immigrants, and to anyone who is struggling to get by.

Sometimes we blame pet guardians, and sometimes we blame shelters. We blame each other. We know what it feels like, because we are told a zero-sum story that says if some of us succeed, others have to fail; if some of us have enough to care for ourselves and our pets, others have to suffer. This story costs everyone.

This story also reinforces the charity model that has shaped mainstream animal welfare and philanthropy from the beginning, but we aren't stuck with it. In this recording, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) Community Services Manager Raquel Bernaldo and Community Services Lead Deja Johnson showed us how FAAS is shifting to a different model, one that more accurately reflects the relationships they want to cultivate with animals and people in their community and with one another."

------------------------------
Charlotte Otero
Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
she/her
------------------------------