In many schools, afterschool programs, and libraries, children in middle school, junior high school, and high school have formed clubs to help shelter pets, with educators or librarians serving as advisors. The goal for these Mutt-i-grees^® clubs is to provide opportunities for children and teens to participate in a variety of service learning activities. The Mutt-i-grees^® Cat Club Activities are a series of ideas for community outreach and service learning that complement Cats Are Mutt-i-grees^® 2.

Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, community service and service learning are different. Community service is just that: service to the community. Service learning, on the other hand, includes planning and thinking about the activity before initiating action and following up after the activity with discussions and opportunities to reflect on the experience and its value on personal and academic growth.

A primary focus of the Mutt-i-grees^® Curriculum and Cats Are Mutt-i-grees^® 2 is social change. Many of the core lessons enable students to think about and participate in activities conducted in and out of the classroom.

The Cat Club Activities are designed to extend this goal and encourage students to connect formally to their community. Included in the Cat Club Activities are opportunities for students to engage in longer-term projects that promote community awareness of shelter cats and their needs. Although some students are too young to volunteer, we include various other ways for students to become involved in helping shelter pets. Some activities are best suited for individual outreach and others require group participation.

The list of activities is not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it expected that every class will conduct every activity. Rather, we suggest that teachers review the possibilities with students and, as a class or individually, make a selection and/or use the activities to inspire other ideas. Given individual differences, teachers may allow several groups of students to undertake different activities rather than choosing one to be completed by the entire class. These activities may be virtual or in person, depending on the resources available in your area. For students who want to go above and beyond a single activity, consider nominating them for our Global Student Ambassador program.

Teachers may want to document student efforts or encourage students to do so themselves by taking notes, photos, or video of their progress. Consider inviting local journalists to cover students’ experiences. We encourage educators to recognize all students who participate in Cat Club Activities. Recognition can positively influence reluctant students and can contribute to increased self-esteem.

We also encourage teachers to institute an awards program for those students who participate in multiple activities. For example, students who engage in more than two Cat Club Activities may receive a Mutt-i-grees^® Silver Award and students who engage in five or more Cat Club Activities may receive a Mutt-i-grees^® Gold Award. Award templates are available for download here.