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-218 A REASON FOR HOPE: FRIDAYS AT THE DOG SHELTER summary While working on free time activities with seven- and eight-year-old participants in the day care program provided at the “Mladost” Primary School in Osijek, I created an integrated program for developing childrenʼs complete personalities, based on the principles of drama and relax pedago". Within the program, I carried outa project entitled “Fridays at the Dog Shelter” which brings together social sciences and the humanities, natural sciences, art, and practical activities. $e goal of the project is to develop aconsciousness of the connection between and the importance of all living beings on Earth (in Space), as well as of individualsʼ personal power and responsibility to encourage the development of tolerance and sympathy, to free their desire, will, and imagination, and transform them into artistic and humanitarian action. In this paper, I will first describe the process which directed children from games, emotions, and inner needs, to different types of performance. $en I will describe the process of working on an engaged contemporary play with interactive elements entitled ”Ljudi upoznaju pse – TV show” (People meet dogs: A TV show). $e aim of working on this show was to discover the quality and joy of living with Others, with difference and otherness. Interaction, helping the dogs in the shelter, playing, and putting on the play helped participants develop understanding, self-confidence, tolerance, and sympathy, learn to work in a team, free their emotions and use them as a source of creation, and enhance their spirit of exploration, creativity, citizenship, and humanitarianism. $e paper is accompanied by an attachment which includes an example of our drama lessons and photographs that document the process of working on the select play. Keywords: abandoned dog, emotion, game, drama