SPARC Theory of Change
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The Well-being of Our Communities
Human and animal health are deeply connected. When we care for animals, we care for people. By supporting people, we help animals. This shared well-being creates happier, healthier communities for us all.
Realizing this goal requires attitudes and ideas that support well-being. This begins with better stories, messages, and narratives about animals and people.
People & Animals Have What They Need to be Healthy and Well
People want to take care of their pets. Owners must be able to access essential services and resources to do this.
Pet owners use the organizations and services available to them. Their use is affected by things like costs, distance, transportation, open hours, and whether owners encounter bias and judgment. These factors can prevent caring people from getting what their pets need or using the services that exist.
True access to care ensures support and resources are available to people in the way they need and want them. This is how pets and people have what's needed to be healthy and well.
Support for Animals & People
Social systems and human interactions significantly impact whether care is available to pets and their people.
Social systems determine what options are available, to whom, and when. They can make care more accessible or create barriers.
How we interact with pet owners affects whether someone will engage with us. It can draw people in to work with us or drive them away.
How We Treat People
Different forces affect how we treat people.
Forces inside us: Attitudes, biases, feelings, mindsets, and motivations shape how we respond to people and situations.
Forces outside us: External pressures, hurdles, and options can dictate what we can do and the choices we can make. People, organizations, and institutions around us can exert these forces.
Forces can steer us towards kindness, treating people with dignity, and providing meaningful support. They can also make us impatient, judgmental, and limited in how we help.
What We Feel & Experience
Impact of Systems
Social systems and interactions deeply impact people in the animal care and well-being sector. Weak or broken systems leave us overwhelmed and exhausted. No matter how hard we work or what we do, the needs and problems never end because a dysfunctional system keeps them going.
Human Interactions
How we are treated by those around us (the public and people within our sector) can cut us deeply or lift us. Verbal and online attacks cause harm and break relationships. Alternatively, kindness and empathy can get us through difficult times. Interactions impact a lot of of our efforts - if we can work together; whether we stay at a specific job; if we continue working animal care and well-being at all.
Our Experience
Systems and interactions affect mental health, including compassion fatigue and burnout. We are strong and capable of overcoming many difficult things, but we cannot expect self-care to overcome the chronic challenges of dysfunctional systems. We can only do our best work for animals when we're at our best. Better systems and interactions are critical for our well-being and success.
Social Systems We Build & Perpetuate
Social systems are built and maintained by people. They are made of different organizations, institutions, policies, and norms that interact and influence each other. Systems create the environment where we live, work, make decisions, and try to take care of ourselves and animals.
Consider the "healthcare system" or "education system." Animal care and services are also a system. It includes animal organizations, local, state, and national governments, municipal agencies, policies, legislation, veterinary professionals, businesses, and individuals. This complex system affects owners and pets every day!
When systems work well, pet owners can take care of their animals. When systems do not work well, they create hurdles, limit options, and can harm pets and their people.
Not all systems work the same way for everyone. A system can benefit one group of people but hurt another. We need systems where everyone has options and resources for their pets.
What We Believe to be Right & True
What is right and what is wrong?
Who is telling the truth?
The stories and messages around us affect our mindsets and biases.
Our mindsets are beliefs about ourselves and the world around us.
Our biases influence our thoughts and feelings about a particular person, group, or thing.
They can make us for or against someone or something. Mindsets and biases are powerful. They shape our understanding of reality and what we think is true. They inform our deep beliefs. They influence how we respond to people and situations.
Our Attitudes & Ideas
What we hear and read affects us on a deep level - influencing what we think, feel, and do.
Attitudes are formed when we settle into ways of thinking or feeling about someone or something.
Ideas are our understanding, thoughts, or the pictures in our minds.
We experience other peoples' attitudes and ideas all the time. We often get them through the stories and messages people share with us. Similarly, other people experience our attitudes and ideas from what we share with them.
Messaging, Stories, Narratives
What are messages?
Messages can be statements, images, taglines, or even nonverbal ways we communicate information and ideas.
Here are examples:
"Spay and neuter your pet!"
"If we're going to have animals around, we all have to be concerned about them and take care of them." (Bob Ross)
Someone smiles and makes friendly eye contact to welcome you as you enter a space.
What are narratives?
A story describes people, animals, and situations. It includes a series of events with a beginning, middle, and end.
Narrative is the meaning we get from stories. Meaning comes from the details included or left out, the order of events, and what is emphasized or minimized. A narrative is built from multiple stories.
For example, pet stories often leave us with specific ideas about owners:
Stories of people who surrender a pet to the shelter suggest the owner was heartless or uncaring. Someone who can't afford their pet's veterinary care is depicted as irresponsible. When these stories are shared repeatedly, our minds create meaning, such as - "people are terrible," "those people don't take care of their animals," or "if you can't afford a pet, you shouldn't have one."
We can intentionally create narratives or unintentionally pass along what has been shared. Narratives sit deep in our minds and cultures, so we often spread them without realizing it.
Messaging, Stories, Narratives
What are messages?
Messages can be statements, images, taglines, or even nonverbal ways we communicate information and ideas.
Here are examples:
"Spay and neuter your pet!"
"If we're going to have animals around, we all have to be concerned about them and take care of them." (Bob Ross)
Someone smiles and makes friendly eye contact to welcome you as you enter a space.
What are narratives?
A story describes people, animals, and situations. It includes a series of events with a beginning, middle, and end.
Narrative is the meaning we get from stories. Meaning comes from the details included or left out, the order of events, and what is emphasized or minimized. A narrative is built from multiple stories.
For example, pet stories often leave us with specific ideas about owners:
Stories of people who surrender a pet to the shelter suggest the owner was heartless or uncaring. Someone who can't afford their pet's veterinary care is depicted as irresponsible. When these stories are shared repeatedly, our minds create meaning, such as - "people are terrible," "those people don't take care of their animals," or "if you can't afford a pet, you shouldn't have one."
We can intentionally create narratives or unintentionally pass along what has been shared. Narratives sit deep in our minds and cultures, so we often spread them without realizing it.
Our Attitudes & Ideas
What we hear and read affects us on a deep level - influencing what we think, feel, and do.
Attitudes are formed when we settle into ways of thinking or feeling about someone or something.
Ideas are our understanding, thoughts, or the pictures in our minds.
We experience other peoples' attitudes and ideas all the time. We often get them through the stories and messages people share with us. Similarly, other people experience our attitudes and ideas from what we share with them.
What We Believe to be Right & True
What is right and what is wrong?
Who is telling the truth?
The stories and messages around us affect our mindsets and biases.
Our mindsets are beliefs about ourselves and the world around us.
Our biases influence our thoughts and feelings about a particular person, group, or thing.
They can make us for or against someone or something. Mindsets and biases are powerful. They shape our understanding of reality and what we think is true. They inform our deep beliefs. They influence how we respond to people and situations.
Social Systems We Build & Perpetuate
Social systems are built and maintained by people. They are made of different organizations, institutions, policies, and norms that interact and influence each other. Systems create the environment where we live, work, make decisions, and try to take care of ourselves and animals.
Consider the "healthcare system" or "education system." Animal care and services are also a system. It includes animal organizations, local, state, and national governments, municipal agencies, policies, legislation, veterinary professionals, businesses, and individuals. This complex system affects owners and pets every day!
When systems work well, pet owners can take care of their animals. When systems do not work well, they create hurdles, limit options, and can harm pets and their people.
Not all systems work the same way for everyone. A system can benefit one group of people but hurt another. We need systems where everyone has options and resources for their pets.
What We Feel & Experience
Impact of Systems
Social systems and interactions deeply impact people in the animal care and well-being sector. Weak or broken systems leave us overwhelmed and exhausted. No matter how hard we work or what we do, the needs and problems never end because a dysfunctional system keeps them going.
Human Interactions
How we are treated by those around us (the public and people within our sector) can cut us deeply or lift us. Verbal and online attacks cause harm and break relationships. Alternatively, kindness and empathy can get us through difficult times. Interactions impact a lot of of our efforts - if we can work together; whether we stay at a specific job; if we continue working animal care and well-being at all.
Our Experience
Systems and interactions affect mental health, including compassion fatigue and burnout. We are strong and capable of overcoming many difficult things, but we cannot expect self-care to overcome the chronic challenges of dysfunctional systems. We can only do our best work for animals when we're at our best. Better systems and interactions are critical for our well-being and success.
How We Treat People
Different forces affect how we treat people.
Forces inside us: Attitudes, biases, feelings, mindsets, and motivations shape how we respond to people and situations.
Forces outside us: External pressures, hurdles, and options can dictate what we can do and the choices we can make. People, organizations, and institutions around us can exert these forces.
Forces can steer us towards kindness, treating people with dignity, and providing meaningful support. They can also make us impatient, judgmental, and limited in how we help.
Support for Animals & People
Social systems and human interactions significantly impact whether care is available to pets and their people.
Social systems determine what options are available, to whom, and when. They can make care more accessible or create barriers.
How we interact with pet owners affects whether someone will engage with us. It can draw people in to work with us or drive them away.
People & Animals Have What They Need to be Healthy and Well
People want to take care of their pets. Owners must be able to access essential services and resources to do this.
Pet owners use the organizations and services available to them. Their use is affected by things like costs, distance, transportation, open hours, and whether owners encounter bias and judgment. These factors can prevent caring people from getting what their pets need or using the services that exist.
True access to care ensures support and resources are available to people in the way they need and want them. This is how pets and people have what's needed to be healthy and well.
The Well-being of Our Communities
Human and animal health are deeply connected. When we care for animals, we care for people. By supporting people, we help animals. This shared well-being creates happier, healthier communities for us all.
Realizing this goal requires attitudes and ideas that support well-being. This begins with better stories, messages, and narratives about animals and people.
Don't Be Judgy!
Using our energy to shame and vilify people undermines our ability to help animals. Let’s drop the judgment and channel our passion into what matters most.
