According to the Vegan Calculator, each vegan saves the lives of 365 animals per year. This is huge, but if it doesn't feel enough, you can increase your reach by taking up vegan activism.
Vegan activism raises awareness of the benefits of being vegan and encourages people to try veganism. This can look different to different people. It might be a vegan cake stall giving out free vegan cakes to encourage people to open their minds to veganism. It might be a peaceful protest against animal suffering to raise awareness of how animals suffer for our food. It might be going into schools educating children about your vegan lifestyle and why you feel veganism is the diet of the future.
Key Takeaways
1. Get Informed
You can’t be a successful vegan activist until you know what you’re talking about. To effectively debate veganism, you need to know your facts. You need to be able to talk about farming methods, environmental impact, and the scientifically-backed health benefits of a vegan diet.
When you start debating veganism with people, you’ll quickly realize that most people talk rubbish. They lie, spout nonsense, and generally make no sense. Having the facts to tear them down will put you in a strong position. Knowing the facts allows you to call out mistruths when you hear them.
That's not to say you have to be an expert to become an activist. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. It's just as valid to say you don't eat meat because you don't want an animal to die unnecessarily as it is to quote farming practices.
2. Assume The Best In People
I remember, as a new vegan, finding the horrors of the world completely overwhelming. As a new vegan in a non-vegan world, I felt like I was one of the minority able to see clearly (I still think this). I found it hard not to feel frustrated with people who refused to accept their part in animal suffering. It’s easy to form a ‘them and us’ battle in your head.
As somebody who was once not vegan, you should be able to remember what it’s like on the other side of the veil. Back when you were eating meat and dairy, you weren't doing it because you enjoyed animal suffering; you just didn’t know the price paid for your food. Most people are entirely ignorant of the reality of the meat and dairy industries, and it’s up to vegan activists to expose the hard truths and encourage change.
Vegan activism is a slow burner. You might hand somebody a leaflet today, and it might be twelve more months before the final puzzle piece falls into place and they go vegan. Don’t assume you’ve failed just because nobody ran up to you on day one to say you changed their life. All you can do is provide the information; it’s up to the individuals to make changes in their lives. See yourself as a librarian; you can’t force people to read but can ensure free, convenient, and non-judgemental access to information.
3. Team Up With Experienced Vegan Activists
You don’t have to go it alone. Learning the ropes from experienced vegan activists is the perfect way to dip your toe into the world of activism. Go to a vegan day of action in a nearby city, and tell the organizers you’re a keen newbie looking to learn activism skills. Watching how experienced vegan activists handle themselves will influence your activism style. Maybe you’ll be impressed with their friendly demeanor, or perhaps you’ll see behaviors to avoid. Either way, you’ll see what vegan activism looks like in practice and how you can fit into the scene.
4. Motivate Yourself
As a vegan, you’re already doing your bit to prevent animal cruelty. You’re taking yourself out of the equation by abstaining from meat and dairy products. However, you could do more. Vegan activism can change minds, create new vegans, and save even more animals. The planet needs people to swing towards a plant-based diet, and you can be a driving force behind that change.
Vegan activism is about creating change outside of yourself. Every person you educate has the potential to save more animals than you can alone.
5. Sign Up To Mailing Lists
Many organizations, charities, and local campaigning groups are fighting for a vegan future. Join the mailing lists, follow their socials, and look out for campaigns you want to get involved in. There might be local protests or days of action near you that you can join, or you might be able to organize something in your local town (this might feel daunting, but all you need is a couple of vegan friends to make this work). Be on the lookout for activism opportunities near you.
6. Put Your Own Spin On Vegan Activism
Vegan activism can mean standing in a city center holding up photos of animal suffering. It can mean creating a business that promotes plant-based eating to a new audience. It can mean writing to big companies and asking them to stop testing on animals, to sell more vegan products, and to consider their impact on animals. It can mean creating and sharing animations that promote veganism.
Your unique set of talents can determine your activism. You might be a documentary maker, a writer, or an artist. You might be an outgoing people person, a talented events organizer, or a computer whizz—or all those things at once. Whatever your unique skills and talents are, look for ways to use them for the greater good.
7. Get Online
If the idea of face-to-face vegan activism is daunting, get online. Set up social media accounts to promote veganism, support local vegan businesses, and expose animal cruelty.
Vegan activism looks different to everybody, so don’t worry about trying to fit in; instead, focus on authenticity. What does your vegan activism look like? You might spend your weekends at slaughterhouse vigils, post vegan leaflets through neighborhood doors, or bake tasty vegan cakes for everyone in your office. Whatever your brand of vegan activism looks like, share it online to reach a wider audience.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In some ways, all vegans are activists. Even the quiet, unassuming vegan who simply bakes plant-based cakes for her local school fair is helping to increase the presence of veganism in the mainstream. We need to be seen to be believed. You probably have people in your life who don’t know you’re vegan and mistakenly think they don’t know any vegans. Break down barriers by taking up space in the world.
Vegan activism is crucial for encouraging more people to adopt a vegan lifestyle. For the sake of the planet and the animals, we need as many vegans as possible. Figure out what kind of vegan activism you’d be comfortable with, whether it’s giving talks, handing out flyers, or organizing a local vegan bakesale, and get stuck in. Find some other local vegans who want to get involved and work together to create a local vegan campaigning group.
0 comments