A PAWWerFUL Start for YAS

Yangon Animal Shelter has started off strong this school year. Unlike previous years, YAS has organized its members into different groups (such as Finance, Fundraising, Design, Human Resources, and Communication) for increased efficiency. This group is also engaged in several projects this year, including a documentary on stray dogs in Myanmar, releasing merchandise for the first time to raise funds for the shelter, and organizing first-hand experiences for the members with the dogs.

Photograph Taken By Shwe Waddy

“We are going to have our first merchandise release,” said Myat, one of the YAS leaders. The merchandise will not only include the regular T-shirts, but also limited edition pins in four different Halloween-themed designs. YAS will attempt for the merch to be produced in a sustainable manner. This project is currently in the planning stage and more information will be disclosed soon.

Photograph Taken By Shwe Waddy

The first fundraising event is also coming up, which follows the same Halloween theme. YAS wants to make events enjoyable for both middle and high school students, so stay tuned for more information to come. The events are designed to focus on advertising YAS and raising awareness. “(We strive to) get fundraising events out to the audience … movie nights and other usual events often don’t get people’s attention as they often don’t know why we are doing it or why they’re important,” they added. This year, they are trying to raise more awareness of the purpose behind their service and to welcome more student participation. YAS plans to organize three big shelter visits this year. Thondari, YAS president, said, “We go there to have fun with the dogs… when we show members what we are doing, they gain motivation and connection with the dogs themselves, which is a very important aspect to our purpose.” She also talked about how the ISY community has a lot of good ideas to share and hopes for them to be brought out by this service learning group.

The group also updated Global on the documentary in progress, also known as Dogumentary, which Global reported on a few months ago. Currently, YAS is working with various NGOs and videographers who are eager to record the dogs in their shelter. The final product will soon be released somewhere between October and December. “Stay tuned!” the student leaders reminded.