Zoos and aquariums are incredible places to educate the youth about the beauty of nature and all that this planet has to share. An opportunity for zoos and aquariums to build care and conservation within society would be to focus on the youth, the rising generations in society. These organizations can create centers and programs for youth to get more fully involved. This could work through a number of facets, such as school field trips which then provide an introduction to deeper education/involvement opportunities. The ability to bridge the “fun” of attending these attractions into an ongoing learning opportunity will be huge in creating future generations to care for and conserve the planets animal life.
Building volunteer opportunities for youth to care for and support animal habitats will engrain a deeper connection and hopefully put a lasting impression on these generations to come. One method to pull people in would be to advertise this not only to youth, but also to adults and parents. Pulling that kinship idea of caring for those close to us, parents will see a large benefit of helping their children grow and prepare for their futures. And in turn, this will help the overall future of animal conservation. Advertising these options with youth as the spokespeople would show the target audience that this is something others of their age and demographic are already participating in. Creating opportunities for youth will also remind adults about the value behind caring for our surroundings.
Change is happening now, and with that, we must educate our youth to prepare them for the future, to instill in them values of care for animal conservation.
