Pawsitive Impact creates and disseminates vocational education tools that integrate solidarity tourism with animal-assisted therapy. By combining evidence-based AAT practices, inclusive tourism design and AI matching technology, the project supports shelter staff, improves animals’ wellbeing and creates meaningful tourism experiences.
Objectives:
Develop a 5‑chapter Guide for VET Trainers with templates and checklists.
Produce a 3‑module digital AAT course for shelter workers with testing & certificates.
Build an AI-powered matching platform (FurEver Friend Finder).
Pilot tools in Greece, run workshops in Italy and Germany, and ensure multilingual dissemination.
Motivation & rationale: Shelter overcrowding, staff burnout and low adoption rates require integrated, evidence-based solutions. Structured human–animal interactions improve animal welfare and human wellbeing; this project provides practical VET tools, training and digital systems to scale those benefits.
Target Groups
VET trainers and educators
Shelter workers and kennel staff
Tourism operators and schools
Potential adopters and therapeutic visitors
Animals in shelters
How we work: Transnational cooperation across Germany, Italy and Greece; piloting, testing and iteration based on trainer and shelter feedback; open resources in EN, DE, IT, EL.
