Benjamin Araya, from the Animals of Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York, recently presented a lesson on humane education during a skills class at the Meadowbrook Alternative Program, giving students the opportunity to visit the sanctuary right from their classroom seats.

The focus of the pilot study was titled “Meet the Animals: A Virtual Tour of Farm Sanctuary.”

“We take students on a virtual tour of the sanctuary through photos and video and introduce them to the animals who call Farm Sanctuary home,” said Araya. “For 60-minute presentations, we even provide the chance for students to experience Virtual Reality technology using VR headsets to watch a Farm Sanctuary production that transports viewers right into the pastures of our farm and brings them face to face with the animals”

As part of telling the animals’ histories, Araya shares background on the conditions these animals came from and the realities of the modern food system in an age-appropriate way.