Kindness, compassion, and responsibility begin to develop in childhood. That is why, for the eighth consecutive year, hundreds of thousands of children and educators have taken part in the International Humaneness Lesson - an initiative that helps foster a humane and responsible attitude toward cats and dogs. It is a wonderful opportunity to talk with children about the importance of caring for, respecting, and loving animals, who are living beings deserving of our protection. We warmly invite educational institutions to join this year's Humaneness Lesson.
We invite educational institutions to participate in the VII International Humaneness Lesson, which will take place from October 5 to October 14, 2026.
To participate, educators are invited to conduct a class meeting, thematic lesson, or any other educational activity dedicated to the topic of humane and responsible treatment of cats and dogs.
The event may be held either in person or online.
As always, we kindly ask participants not to bring animals to the lesson, as being away from their familiar environment and surrounded by large groups of people can be stressful for them.
Where can I find free materials for the Humaneness Lesson?
On our website, you can find a variety of teaching materials in English. You can browse and download the materials free of charge at: https://happypaw.ua/ua/bioethics/teaching-materials . Most of the resources are available both for online use and for downloading to your computer.
You are also welcome to conduct the lesson using your own teaching materials and activities.
How can I receive an electronic Certificate of Participation?
Educational institutions that wish to participate in the VII International Humaneness Lesson and receive an electronic Certificate of Participation should:
- Complete the registration form by October 16, 2026 – https://forms.gle/3UAWRw1gFQEMpXmd8
- Conduct an in-person or online Humaneness Lesson dedicated specifically to cats and dogs between October 5 and October 14, 2026.
- Take photographs or screenshots of the lesson (one photo/image from each class) and send them to lecturer@happypaw.ua by October 16, 2026.
Your email should include: the name of your educational institution; the city and country; the number of lessons conducted (corresponding to the number of photos submitted).
If necessary, children's faces may be blurred or otherwise concealed in the photographs.
Please send your photo report from the same email address you used when registering.
Examples of in-person and online Humaneness Lesson photos:
!Please note: If the photographs are submitted after the deadline, do not clearly show a Humaneness Lesson about cats and dogs, or if the required information about the educational institution is missing, the organizers reserve the right not to issue an electronic Certificate of Participation.
Share Your Humaneness Lesson Experience
After your lesson, you are welcome to share your educational institution's participation in the VII International Humaneness Lesson on any social media platform. Feel free to include photos from the lesson, your impressions, and the hashtags #урок_доброти2026 #happypaw #HumanenessLesson2026
Who will the certificate be issued to?
The certificate will include the name of the participating educational institution. A blank line will be provided below the institution's name so that you can write in the full name of the educator who conducted the Humaneness Lesson.
When will I receive the Certificate of Participation?
We carefully review every photo report we receive, so processing all submissions takes approximately 2-3 weeks. Once all reports have been reviewed and the event results have been finalized, we begin preparing and sending out the certificates.
Your educational institution's Certificate of Participation will be sent to the email address provided during registration within one month after the Humaneness Lesson concludes (by November 15). If you have not received your certificate by then, please contact us: Hanna Plavan: lecturer@happypaw.ua.
Invite your friends and colleagues to join the Humaneness Lesson!
Dear educators! We hope that as many children as possible around the world will learn about humane and responsible treatment of animals. We encourage you to invite your colleagues to take part in the International Humaneness Lesson. Together, we can help spread a culture of kindness and responsible pet care across the globe.
Consent to the processing of personal data of the participant
Participation in the event automatically gives consent to the processing of personal data of the participant during the event.
By submitting a report on photos, videos, other audiovisual works on which natural persons are depicted (filmed), the Participant is responsible to the Fund for obtaining from such natural persons consent to filming and the right to use and distribute photos, videos, other audiovisual works for of their participation, in particular, in the case of claims against the Fund, undertakes to reimburse the Fund for all funds collected from the Fund, expenses related to the resolution of such claims.
By submitting a photo report, the participant grants the Fund the right to post the videos/photos provided by the participant for public viewing, to use such photos in any way, to allow and/or prohibit the use of such photos by third parties.
If you don't want your submitted photos to be displayed on the Foundation's website or in our social networks, please indicate this in the letter with the photo report.
New for 2026! Hold an International Humaneness Lesson together with another school!
Join the International Humaneness Lesson with another school!
This year, the Happy Paw Charity Foundation invites schools from around the world to join a special activity as part of the International Humaneness Lesson - an opportunity to connect with another school and hold a joint online meeting!
You can meet students from Ukraine or another country, take part in a joint activity, and discuss an important topic - the problem of homeless animals, its causes, and possible solutions in different countries.
During the online meeting, students can:
- meet and communicate with their peers from another school;
- discuss the problem of homeless animals and ways to address it;
- compare the situation in their countries, cities or communities;
- share their experiences, ideas and good practices;
- organize a quiz, creative activity or another joint task;
- make new friends and establish connections for future projects.
How to find a partner school?
There are several options:
1. Submit an application and wait for a partner
Fill in the application form, preferably in English, providing information about your school and a contact person: https://forms.gle/gNhSmtJPYEFNm5fTA . Other schools that are also looking for a partner will be able to contact you and arrange a joint online meeting.
2. Choose a school that has already submitted an application
You can review the applications from schools that have joined the initiative, choose a potential partner and contact them directly to agree on the date, format and topic of your online meeting.
Your partner can be either a Ukrainian school or a school from another country. We encourage you to connect with any participating school that you find interesting!
If your school has already agreed on a meeting with a partner school, please return to your submitted application and change the status in Question 8 from “Waiting for a partner” to “We already have a partner”.*
* How to edit your application response?
After submitting the application, you will receive a copy of your responses by email. Open this email and find the “Edit your response” button. Click it, make the necessary changes, and then click “Submit” again.
Share your experience with us!
After the meeting, we would be very grateful if your school could share some feedback with the Happy Paw Charity Foundation.
Please tell us how the meeting went, what activity you organized, what the students enjoyed most, and what impressions the students and teachers had.
Your feedback will help us show how valuable international and interschool communication can be when children come together to discuss kindness, responsible attitudes towards animals and possible solutions to the problem of homeless animals.
You can also share your impressions of the online meeting on your official websites and social media. Post photos, videos, and stories about how the meeting went, and use the hashtags #урок_доброти2026 #happypaw #OnlineMeeting so that we can see and share your posts!
Let’s connect schools, bring children together and make kindness international! 🐾🌎
We invite schools from Ukraine and around the world to join the initiative and make the International Humaneness Lesson even more meaningful!
Questions?
For additional information, please contact: lecturer@happypaw.ua Hanna Plavan Project Manager, Bioethics Project Happy Paw Charity Foundation.
Thank you for supporting the promotion of humane and responsible treatment of animals!
Glory to Ukraine!
