Animal Advocacy Camp 2012
hosted by Liberation BC
February 25th & 26th, 2012
Speakers: Camille Labchuck, Rob Laidlaw, Lesley Fox, Sarah Kramer
Sponsors: Liberation BC, Stop UBC Animal Research, Fur-bearer Defenders, Nice Shoes, Jenni
Rempel – Creative for Change, Earthsave Canada, Vancouver Humane Society
Some discussion sessions had more than one set of notes; these notes were either combined into one set
or posted as two (a & b). Unfortunately, we are missing notes for a few sessions.
A very sincere thank you to all our amazing note-takers!
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
FIRST SPEAKER
Camille Labchuck (Green Party, HSI, Animal Rights law, seal hunt)
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AR activists in the U.S. do more stuff politically—changing laws
Legislation needs increasing focus as a good way to bring about permanent changes in case
public sentiment shifts (E.g. veal, fur, seal hunt)
Pay-off – e.g. circus protests, the circus comes back every year. Use that energy to change laws.
Strategy of political lobbying:
 What motivates politicians to give us what we want? Show them that people who care
about animals have political clout. Politicians want to get elected!!
 Keep lists of who is involved – we can mobilize supporters on election day – petitions and
addresses
 Work with the candidate, lobbying, etc. - reminds them that we helped them get elected (or
not elected)
 Spending money on ads in newspaper or on facebook shows candidates that we are willing
to spend capital to elect/defeat them.
Tips
 Focus on one issue, choose an achievable goal
 Richmond cat & dog pet store ban = immediate effect
 L.A. Recently banned sale of fur in city = less immediate effect but sends a message
 Choose target candidate– make it easy for them
 How?
 Media campaign, face-to-face meetings, letter-writing campaign, go for people who
represent others (e.g. chair of local business association)
 Do as much research on candidate as possible – link campaign to candidate's interest.
 Keep records of staffers (“gatekeepers”) of politicians
 Make records of everything during meeting, leave one page summary of info for them
post-meeting
 Be respectful of time, ask how much time they have.
 Do not assume that they are ignorant of the issue.
Discussion topics posted by attendees on Saturday, Feb. 25th, 2012
1) How to end animal research at UBC
2) What is happening with the EU ban on seal products? Plus: grey seal hunt, Yupi the polar bear,
“Surviving Animal Activism” book
3) Animal activists as political candidates
4) How to ban fur trapping and cat and dog fur
5) The relationship between animal oppression and other forms of oppression and why it needs to
be addressed
6) Anti-oppression: how to conduct campaigns without racism
7) Veganism for companion animals
8) How to get people to wake up to the plight of animals – strategies
9) How do you gain support/ recruit when ethical and environmental arguments don't work?
10) Making the connection between what is on your plate and how it gets there (without making
people defensive)
11) How to get food bans (e.g. shark fin, foie gras)
12) Offering mentors for support
13) Companion animals vs. Others (reaching out to others with overlapping concerns such as
environmentalists who don't see the connection to their own diets)
14) Sacred activism – centred & sustainable activist support circle
15) Enbridge pipeline – if the issue is jobs, can't we invest in “Reforestation” instead?
16) How to use social media effectively for animal rights/welfare issues
17) Restaurant outreach
18) Getting more men to go vegan
1) How to stop animal research at UBC (hosted by Brian)
 In the year 2010 alone, UBC reported 221,000 animals used in research.
 The very cruel procedures performed on animals at UBC are mostly funded by tax
payers, through the federal research Councils.
 All the information is confidential, and even breaches of conduct are not made public,
being dealt with by the research councils and the university. The research proposals are not made
public either. The public is not allowed to know who are the members of the animal care
committee, and these members cannot communicate with the public on matters concerning the
committee, and even reports on misconducts must be done to the university itself.
 Post-secondary research in Canada is exempt from the freedom of information act, so
they don't need to provide any information about animal use in research.
 UBC is the leading institution for primate research in Canada. The public has no
information whatsoever about the research done with these animals.
 A suggestion from yesterday session was to contact the animal welfare program at UBC
and lobby for an opt-out alternative for students to not do dissections and animal research.
 Some types of research have no substitute for animal research but inflicting pain and
suffering and artificially inducing human diseases on animals is unethical.
 Every drug for human consumption must be proved to be safe on animals before
researchers can test on humans. Thus, changing funding policies may be the ultimate way to end
animal research.
 Changing the law is very complex, therefore changing the laws on disclosure of
information seems to be a more reasonable approach for now. Emphasizing the fact that it is
taxpayers' money that pays for this research and that we are not even allowed to know where our
money goes seems like a starting point.
 Many associations that fundraise for research on various diseases provide funds for
animal research. Taking a stance against these organizations is very tricky, as people are very
emotional about their family and friends suffering from these diseases.
 What are the alternatives for animal research? Stem cell research seems like a very
viable alternative, but then religious issues get in the way.
 The discussion about legislation is so complex because of the many angles of animal
research. Thus, the focus on freedom of information seems a more viable approach for the
movement, as it may bring public into the issue and promote public awareness of the type of
research being done and whether people agree to pay for them.
 What can we do as a campaign, given our limited resources?
 One suggestion is to look into the publications that come out of UBC animal research
and reporting to the public what are the results of this research via the media, so that the public
understand that in many cases the abuse, torture and killing of animals led to no advance
whatsoever that could even start to justify or excuse these practices.
 The group has had a group of researchers in the past committed to doing database
searches of publications, but more volunteers are needed.
 There is need of more fundraising ideas so that the movement can continue to print
leaflets to be available for distribution to the public. Ad costs are also big, and need to be covered
somehow.
 Whistleblowers have been the only way to get information on animal research at UBC to
date. So we need to continue distributing leaflets in and around UBC, so that more people are
willing to leak information to the group.
 What creative, provocative act can we do with very little money to attract media
attention to this issue and bring more volunteers to the cause?
2) What is happening with the EU ban on seal products? (hosted by Ericka)
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Commercial seal hunt is hopefully on its way out
 European Union ban on seal products
 Russia ban is the same
EU ban on import but not export or transit through non-EU countries
 some seal products can get in because of trade treaties w/ other countries
 Ericka talking to different EU countries to get total bans, as well as harsher penalties for
those who break laws
Canadian government wants to kill 140,000 grey seals in 5 years
 70% population lives at Gulf of St. Lawrence
 same old (false) story: seals eating all the fish
Government wants to sell seal products to China, they aren't interested
 Chinese animal activists fighting against it
 Would be catastrophic if a deal went through
 Sale of seal penises for aphrodiasic purposes used to be an issue in 80s & 90s, not so much
anymore
Ericka sent a letter about seal hunt to PM Chretien and 8 yrs later, Harper, and received exact
same form response
Grey seals – 70,000 to be killed this year
Petitions don't work for big international campaigns
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At one point about 1% of sealers' incomes came from sealing, now it is much less
No seal hunt demo in Vancouver this year for the first time in many
 Focusing instead of other countries, lobbying, etc.
Yupi, polar bear, in Mexico's Morelia Zoo for 20 years so far
 put in former grizzly bear enclosure at 3 weeks old—no shelter from sun or heat, no cool
water, no enrichment program
 polar bears used to -50 degrees C, heat in Mexico can be as much as 36 degrees C
 Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat (not zoo) in ON wants to take Yupi, took 2 years to hear back
from Morelia
 even another zoo up north would be better if Cochrane can't take her
 Yupi considered a zoo mascot, controversy was even on gov't news program
 CATCA, Zoocheck, Born Free UK working on issue
 need 10,000 signatures by mid-March
“Surviving Animal Activism” how-to book by Ericka coming out soon (?)
3) Animal Activists as Political Candidates
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Green Party has best animal rights policies
 support protecting wildlife habitat
 against seal hunt at the federal level
Camille Labchuck's talk was inspiring re: using politics to our advantages
Bring together political activism at the big party/provincial/federal levels with student political
activism and community activism.
Animal Welfare Party: Federal level, mostly in ON, get more support in BC
Having compassion for animals is the same as having compassion for people → make sure to
have stances on wide-range of compassion-related issues, not just animal issues. Be wellrounded.
Lobby food industry re: vegan options
Advocate for healthier society
Lobby school districts for healthier food choices in school lunch programs
Reach out to Conservatives, etc., don't make assumptions.
Organize debates for next election. Vancouver Humane Society has a lot of credibility. Helps
publicize your group, too.
Getting involved at the board level in animal rights groups, have these same people get involved
in political parties.
Just being there, putting issues on table, is important.
Focus on how to make the most impact
Municipal councils
 Easy wins
 Susceptible to lobbying and influence
 Have a lot of power for change for animals
 Greater opportunities for getting our candidates elected.
Make sure existing laws are enforced; private prosecutions are an option.
 Private prosecutions
 Compile evidence, hire lawyers
 People haven't done this much yet, but it's a good idea for the future
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 Builds support for changing laws, even if charges are denied
Getting more women elected (more women are activists)
Encourage people to run, show it's not scary
Improve communication between politicians and AR groups
 Ex: send out email alerts re: political debates that will be dealing with animal issues
Good idea: website tracking animal welfare policies & positions of candidates, voting records
on animal issues
Campaign for donations for candidates who are high profile animal activists, rather than just
donating to AR groups. More funding = more research and media campaigns.
You are highly influential when you help someone get elected in terms of convincing them to
change their minds on political issues
Candidates for school board
4) How to ban fur trapping and cat and dog fur (hosted by Lesley Fox)
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Ethical, sustainable, faux fur – unregulated terms
Fur-bearer Defenders' annual budget: $300,000
 Cat/dog fur campaign
 Minor offenders: Joe Fresh, Canadian Tire, Mark's Work Wearhouse
 Bigger offenders: Winners sells Canada Goose products, which sells $100 coyote fur but
insists that they don't
Deal with municipalites; sit down with city councillors
Leg traps campaign
 Pitt Meadows, Surrey
 Under provincial law, trappers are not required to post warning signs
 Two kids in Ottawa → caught in fur trap
Proclamation: get city to declare a day (Fur-Free Day, Animal Awareness Day), leverage the
media
“Exclusive of trim” = bad
Libby Davies (BC MP) – huge supporter of animal issues and passing anti-animal cruelty laws
Brian Massey (Ontario MP)
5) The relationship between animal oppression and other forms of oppression and why it
needs to be addressed (hosted by Emily and Aylon)
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PETA: anti-feminism issues, offensive anti-obesity campaigns, etc.
 “Don't oppress animals anymore...here's someone else to oppress instead.”
 Holocaust comparisons—accurate but problematic?
How to get people who should be our allies involved, rather than alienated.
Systemic issues fuel all types of oppression.
A need to acknowledge Indigenous diets
Book recommendations
 Carol J. Adams' “Sexual Politics of Meat”
 Breeze Harper's “Sistah Vegan”
 “Sister Species” collection of essays about racism, sexism, homophobia, speciesism etc
 “World Peace Diet”
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How can we better connect with people in other social justice movements who don't realize that
animal rights is important?
False relationship between vegan diet and thinness
Getting involved with other related groups (Occupy Vancouver, etc) to spread info with likeminded people
 Draw alliances that are sometimes uncomfortable?
 We need a way to get the entire social justice community together.
Medical/pharmaceutical industries exploiting people by not being upfront about dietary
solutions to illness
People who exploit animals are often oppressed themselves
 Workers in factory farms are often oppressed, can't speak English, desperate for work
 People who work with lab animals can be “oppressed”—publish or perish. Demonizing of
researchers doesn't help anyone.
Facebook: Vancouver Animal Rights Campaign
Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge—learn, learn, learn.
Food Empowerment Project fights for rights of animals, migrant workers, chocolate slavery etc.
Veganism as a privilege is a bit of a misstatement, vegan food is cheap (when not processed)—
we need to make it easier for people to eat healthy vegan diets, but how?
 Food Empowerment Project and issues of “food deserts”
The Hive is not accessible for people with disabilities.
Capitalism → system of exploiter and exploited
 We need to make better purchasing choices
 Do we need 50 bazillion fake meat options?
 Shop local, grow own food.
 Do we need band-aids or total systemic change?
 Contact politicians to end meat subsidies, etc.
Summary
 Establish diversity in movement
 Involve ourselves in other social justice movements
 Support for people oppressed in factory farms, etc.
 Food Empowerment Project
 Issues of capitalism
 The Hive is not an accessible space for those with disabilities.
 Need to be open to criticism
6) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
7) Vegan Companion Animals
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People should make effort to veganize companion animals if possible.
There are commercially available vegan cat/dog foods
 Natural Balance (orig. made for dogs with allergies, has been around a long time and is
proven healthy.)
 Vegan cat/dog food at Karmavore in New Westminster, nutritionally complete
A bit of reluctance to discuss/a disconnect for veggies who don't think about what their animals
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are eating.
Book recommendations
 Vegetarian Cats and Dogs
 Obligate Carnivore
Taurine is synthetic these days and added to regular meat-based cat food anyway!
8a) How to get people to wake up to the plight of animals – strategies (hosted by Lindsay
and Tamara)
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Inspire, inform, have productive conversation to change minds
 Ask questions, listen to answers
 Focus less on blame and more on responsibility.
Education is key – start with youth
Live a positive life based on freedom, justice, and ethics – as a strategy
Ask questions to make people think about why it's crazy to introduce rights issues in general;
then shift to animals
Terminology
 “Harm reduction”is the goal
 Something for everybody – not focusing on the word “vegan”
Break down cultural barriers
Religion sometimes is used as justification for why people eat meat. But we can also argue that
in the bible it is said we should take care of all living forms on earth, so we can argue in these
lines, or we can show passages of the bible that are unacceptable (like stoning people, etc) and
then discuss why to abide to some principles and not all.
Recommended documentaries
 Forks Over Knives (health issues)
 Vegucated
Blend skills with other organizations
Provide ongoing support for people you have convinced to change.
Repetition is a positive thing. Keep it simple.
Leaflets!
10-40-40-10 rule: Pick your battles
 10% of people are enthusiastic about our message
 40% are receptive
 40% are apathetic
 10% are negative
Animal Advocacy Camp needs to develop specific goals
8b) How to get people to wake up to the plight of animals – strategies (hosted by
Lindsay and Tamara)
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Education is key; we have to start with little kids in schools. They will influence people around
them and they will be here longer.
Strategically, it's best to identify your audience so that we can find their soft spot. The same
message may not work with everybody. We need to find the interests of the person we are
speaking to, so that we can target the conversation and touch them.
Religion sometimes is used as justification for why people eat meat. But we can also argue that
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in the bible it is said we should take care of all living forms on earth, so we can argue in these
lines, or we can show passages of the bible that are unacceptable (like stoning people, etc) and
then discuss why to abide to some principles and not all.
Meat eating is cultural and social. People who eat meat usually come from a family where
everybody eats meat and it is really hard to change. Offering alternatives is also important.
Good vegetarian and vegan meals can convert some people, as they realize they don't have to
live on lettuce.
Talking about health is effective with lots of people. Cholesterol is a big issue, as are some of
the carcinogenic substances used in meat processing and preservatives.
Listening to people is also very important. Turn questions around and ask people about their
own reasons for doing things in a certain way.
Respect is more important than pointing fingers. Stressing the issue of responsibility and the
dangers of being silent.
Just being vegan and setting up the example changes people. If they ask you why are you
vegan, the answer is because I can. And this leads people to think about their choices as well.
Ask people to accept you and accept them as well, always being positive about your life choice,
so you are not a radical, fanatical trying to convince people, but someone happy and with a
clean conscience.
When we have a passion about something, we want to know more about it. So our knowledge
comes from our passion. Being knowledgeable is important, so we can argue with people. But
we also need to recognize that some people are not ready to discuss these issues, so we need to
let it go sometimes.
Change takes time. In the bible the use of the word dominion is problematic (as in “man has
dominion over animals”)
Ask yourself what can you do? Act locally and with the people you see you can change or have
an influence over. People we talk to are not our enemies, respect their choices even if you don't
agree with them.
People relate when they hear real stories, so get informed.
Getting in touch with where your food comes from changes your perspective. Food we eat
today in Canada is so far from the healthy animal farms of old times.
It is not enough to make the argument and leave them be. You need to provide support, because
there is a lot of pressure to fail in their attempts to become vegan.
What we see as obstacles sometimes can be opportunities. For example, someone working for
Starbucks has access to so many people and just asking the clients to try their coffees with soy
milk may make a difference.
Repetition is important. Persevere and keep talking about it, because change takes time and
sometimes it takes hearing from a lot of people to change one's mind.
Individual champions can be inspiring. But to try to move this into a larger movement is more
challenging, but really necessary. Maybe in tomorrow's session we can each form up smaller
groups to share strategies to approach people from all these different angles we have been
talking about.
Health issues seem to be the one way to go to reach lots of people nowadays.
People think that being vegan is hard. Being a role model and showing them that it is not hard
or restricting is a way to go.
There are lots of people fighting for social justice for people, but it is hard to make them realize
that it is the same thing for animals.
Getting out the message to buy locally, organic also helps. Talking about the importance of this
way of living for social justice and the end of world hunger may lead to awareness that maybe
can spill over to animal welfare too.
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Show our current food practices as unnatural and unbalanced. There is no predator-prey
relation; it is all about exploitation. People need to start thinking about their responsibility
towards the environment.
The idea that we are brainwashing people is so misleading, because the meat industry is
brainwashing people and they don't see it. So it is important to open people's eyes and minds, so
they see that vegans are not crazy or eccentric, but only people who are informed and free
enough to make their own choices.
9) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
10) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
11) Getting food bans
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Mayor of Victoria said food bans are hard to implement (e.g. foie gras)
Act bigger than you are
Develop strategies with multiple steps
 Raising public awareness
 Billboards, press releases, PSAs, TV, radio, newspaper ads; ads on buses, sky train, bus
stops; high pressure stencils
 Get support from restaurants
 Record all protests
 Inform police you'll be there.
 Ask city council for ban
 Circulate petitions to support ban to present to officials
 Use social media to beat food industry
 Plan as if you may have to do it on your own
 Create a rapport with other advocacy groups
We are missing notes for this discussion session
13a) Companion animals vs. Others (hosted by Mary-Chris)
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Extending awareness to issues with other companion animals (e.g. parrots), not just cats and
dogs
 Parrots: link habitat destruction with compassion issues to get environmentalists on board
Storytelling as a way to create connections, sharing attributes of non-companion animals.
Appeal to emotions.
Harder to protect less likeable animals (e.g. wolverines). Put a face and a story behind animals
we protect. Show photos from rehab centre: “Help animals like _____.” Give them names to
draw parallels w/ companion animals/humans.
 Ex: Beavers live with three generations of family
Understand what motivates people. Appeal to their hearts, draw attention to similarities
 Have them see animals as individuals.
Education: what cows/chickens/pigs would normally do vs. what happens on factory farms.
Breaking with cultural tradition → sensitive issue. Starts with learning about natural behaviour
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of farmed animals
Institute of Humane Education: bridge gaps between human rights, animal rights. Root cause is
oppression.
Don't preach to converted; go into schools
 Social Justice 12 classes
 Non-confrontational, encouraging critical thinking
 Expose food industry interests
 Empathy building: ask the right questions, get them to investigate on their own. Example:
“What's going on in this photo?”
 Hypocritical of people to love cats/dogs and eat farm animals
 We were in the same situation once, remember that!
 Positive vibe, be fun & inclusive to overcome people's fear of change.
 Try to understand what barriers to change are for people.
 Who is our audience?
 Build commonality.
 What medium most effective for certain audiences? Images/narratives/film/etc.
 Listen, encourage, rather than talking at. Ask questions to open dialogue
 Don't be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them.
13b) Companion animals vs. Others (hosted by Mary-Chris)
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Parrots are the third most common companion animals. There are cat & dog people who are so
passionate about their animals, but they don't know anything about other animals. Making
comparisons between cats/dogs and other animals may be a starting point.
Birds look different from us, so maybe that is why people relate more to dogs, cats, and
mammals. But then why do we eat pigs and cows?
An important strategy is trying to turn the animals into individuals - give them names, stories.
Make them special, so that people connect on an emotional level. Not necessarily humanizing
them, but giving them some human attributes. For example, with the help of Critter Care from
Langley or the Association for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals could put a face on a story
for one wild animal like a coyote that may otherwise be looked as a pest or dangerous and
therefore unwanted animal.
Explaining the life and ecology of animals can help people understand these animals and the
importance of protecting them. You fear things you don't know.
Looking into an animal's eye always makes a difference. Babies have the same effect as well.
Another way is introducing the stories of the animals first, and then presenting the facts about
their lives, for example, the suffering of farm animals.
The discussion about whether or not to eat horse meat started another discussion about why not
eat dogs and cats. The reasons given were mainly due to knowing the animal and liking them on
a personal level.
The love for dogs and cats and other so called domestic animals is cultural and comes from the
fact of us learning that they are companion animals. So maybe getting to know the cow on
another level may help.
Over exposing the plight of animals, especially farm animals, can make people apathetic.
The institute for humane education* offers courses. They say that the root to all animal abuse is
oppression.
Humane education in schools is a good strategy - don't preach to the converted. Working with
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high school kids, you start a non confrontational conversation where you talk about one type of
animal and how and why society treats them the way we do. For example: start with dogs, and
discuss where we should get the "best dog". This will lead to discussions about rescuing
breeding, etc. then move on to birds (song birds are revered and chickens are eaten - why?)
The meat industry convinced us that pork is not a pig, beef is not a cow. They make the most to
separate the meat from the animal. They also convinced us that we need to eat meat.
It is not about telling someone something - they have to come to realize it on their own. Ask
questions and brainstorm. Most people know of abuse and can identify it, they may feel guilty,
but they need to go the next step on their own.
Using a photo to discuss the suffering of animals - ask about how that animal feels. Bring
feelings to the discussion.
We don't call pig, but pork meat, however we call chicken, fish. We only separate their parts
(breasts, legs, etc). These types of meat are advertised as white meat and healthy by the meat
industry.
Most of us were there - we loved our pets but we ate meat. So people are today what we were
once. We need to be patient.
With activism, you have to stay away from racist assumptions. For example: China; there are so
many things wrong there that some may just feel like blaming everybody. When you look into
life conditions in that country, we come to realize that even achieving basic human rights is a
big deal there, so animal rights get into second place. So fostering values in general may bring
results that extend to animals.
Getting over the apathy is the hardest part. Small steps: start with getting people to understand
their choices.
Empathize with where other people are. What are the barriers to move this person? Building
communality, a bridge - what is most effective to reach that person?
We all make mistakes - don't be afraid to try. Learn from mistakes.
What do you do if you see a person wearing a full length fur coat? Some people just say nasty
things, but won't this make it easy for them to ignore you, despise you or think you are a loony?
How to react is very personal. It's good to try to be prepared. Have educational materials at
hand (leaflets, etc).
But what is the difference between fur and leather? Some people may react more to fur trade
because the animals are killed for that purpose only, whereas leather is not the case. But
building a hierarchy of suffering is problematic. Suffering is suffering. Whatever you want to
work on is fine, but take opportunity of the moment and act, whereas it is someone wearing a
fur coat or a leather boot.
Acting is important. Do something, anything. The worst is the apathy, either because you don't
know anything about the animal suffering or because you feel powerless, like you are just one
person and cannot change the world.
We cannot assume that people know about animal abuse. Politely, just ask people if they know
where their clothes, shoes, purse, meat comes from. Try to educate, rather than judge, accuse or
insult. Nowadays, with faux fur, faux leather etc it is hard to tell what is real from what is not.
Resources:
 Critter Care: http://www.crittercarewildlife.org/index.php
 Institute for Humane Education: http://humaneeducation.org/
 Humane Society University: http://www.humanesocietyuniversity.org/
 Institute for Humane Studies: http://www.theihs.org/
16) How to use social media effectively for animal rights/welfare issues
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Poll on Users of Social Media (total of 24 people present):
 -Number of personal users (16)
 Number of users on behalf of organizations/charities/NFPs (8)
 Number of non-users (1)
 Facebook users (23)
 Twitter users (6)
 Blog writers (4)
 YouTube video account holders (5)
 Other mentions: Google+, Pinterest
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5 Tips for Using Facebook for Animal Advocacy
 We discussed how to use Facebook effectively for posting/sharing content about animal
rights/welfare. Some tips included:
 Decide whether you need to set up a fan page or a group page. A fan page is more a
type of brand page where you share content/info with people who like your
company/charity/brand. A group page is more of a collaborative environment or a
community. Find out which you need.
 Use Facebook Insights (FB built in analytics; present as a tab on the page if you are an
administrator) to track which posts have been the most popular and why. Target the
demographics that like and share your content most. You should measure the most
important metrics for your FB page and track success over time.
 You can use targeted FB ads to get more fans for your page. This is very useful as
you can set it up so that you only pay for people who actually become fans (cost per
click or CPC). You can also pay depending on how much your ad is seen (cost per
impression or CPI). CPC is generally more effective. Target users based on gender, age,
location, interests etc.
 Use an effective landing page to get more likes. Try to make the landing page to your
fan page as catchy and visual as possible so that it ends up with the visitor clicking ‘like’
before they do anything else. This way you will get more fans. A way to do this is to
install a plugin or design your own landing page.
 To gain more influence over your friends so that you get more feedback on posts about
animals, make an effort to share different types of content regularly. For example,
he shares gossip about celebrities as well as posting about vivisection.
Other Social Media Tools Mentioned:
 Klout: (www.klout.com) use this to find out how influential you are in social media. It gives
you a score out of 100 based on your FB, Twitter and LinkedIn social networks. It also lets
you know who you have most influence over, who influences you most, which topics you
are influential about and lots more.
 HootSuite (www.hootsuite.com) use this as a social media dashboard for using Twitter
(especially if you have many Twitter accounts). You can set up different streams based on
different topics, direct messages, retweets etc. and you can very usefully schedule messages
for a later date.
 MailChimp (www.mailchimp.com) use this for email newsletters and share them on social
media. They have a 15% discount for NFPs.
 Vertical Response (www.verticalresponse.com ) is similar to MailChimp. There was some
discussion over which was better.
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QR Codes are the strange 2D barcode images that seem to be appearing more frequently
these days. You can generate your own QR codes with lots of hidden information to
decipher, such as contact details, text on a topic and more. Read the following article for
more information: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-qr-codes-can-grow-yourbusiness/ You can generate your own free QR code using a site like
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. You can even make one that will automatically get you more
likes on FB: http://www.likify.net/
Free Press Release (through Twitter): you can use a variety of different Twitter users for this
to disseminate your news: @PressAbout, @fpressrelease, @netpressrelease. There are lots
of other ways, too, as this blog describes:
http://www.leadsexplorer.com/blog/2009/02/01/distributing-free-press-release-andtwittering-to-journalists
17) Restaurant Outreach: Creating a Vegan Mecca in New Westminster
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New Veganminster Project (Melissa Balfour, www.thehungrytaurus.com)
 Goals
 Educate restaurant staff on what “vegan” means
 Provide minimum three vegan options that aren't veggie burgers; any veggie burgers
should be made without egg/cheese
 Mark menu with wording like “vegan options available” or even create a separate menu
(doesn't need to be fancy)
 Encourage public to dine out at vegan-approved establishments
Approaching restaurants
 with Daiya cheese (promote: it's local!) and other vegan products
 Provide list of vegan/ non-vegan products
 sushi places, Italian restaurants – bring vegan samples to these places to they are more
willing to offer vegan dishes
 new restaurants are good – twitter about them, for example
 Bring a vegan welcome/care package
 Ask them to provide vegan specials to see how people like them.
Celebrate with others – take a “tasting tour” of restaurants
Meat dishes only sell to meat-eaters, vegetarian dishes only sell to meat-eaters and vegetarians,
vegan dishes sell to everyone: lactose intolerant, kosher, some Buddhists and adherents of other
Eastern religions, health-conscious, etc.
18a) Getting more men involved in animal rights (hosted by Johnathan)
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watched PETA video bringing together domestic violence: men go vegan and have violent sex
(helps with impotence)
 end of the video is funny but the rest is potentially triggering
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0vQOnHW0Kc
discussion member who works with PETA points out that lots of people don't like it but others
do
 trying to appeal to men 20 yrs and up., showing there is virility behind veg diets
 Page with video has links to athletes, nutrition info, etc.
issues of heteronormativity and hypermasculinity
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Want to reach people without continuing to perpetuate the things we're fighting against →
find a balance
Why more women in animal rights?
 Because women have been traditionally “othered”?
 Because animals are more in the domestic sphere?
 Learned behaviours: compassion is more acceptable/encouraged in women
 Social justice/charities etc are largely dominated by women, not just AR movement
Unproven evolutionary psychology aside (“men are...because...”, “women are...because...”)
 Instead, “men can be more compassionate.”
Better tactic: using “sexy” without gender.
Men in room asked if they would like to share experiences
 Blake says meat is a luxury, men who view themselves as providers worry that going veg
knocks them out of their social standing. Was called “weak” and “a girl” by other men
when he went veg.
 Jason says he learned about battery hens from a teacher and then went to PETA website
 Aylon learned about intersectionality, social justice movements
 Nutrition was initial motivation, minimalism, desire to reduce consumption and suffering
 Johnathan used to mock vegetarians/vegans. Saw a fictitious slaughterhouse in a movie, had
just eaten meat. Later ordered chicken and saw basically the same thing as in movie.
Decided to learn more.
Need to present men and women as intelligent/athletic/whatever AND vegan
Not just showing naked women when advertising veganism—men should see themselves.
18b) Getting more men involved in animal rights (hosted by Johnathan)
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The veggie and vegan movement backlash is that more women are now eating more meat. This
may be a result of a more twisted feminist movement, where women try to do things that are not
ladylike.
PETA’s ad to promote veganism for men: It has spiked visits to the PETA's website. Although it
does not appeal to everybody, the intended message was to talk about the health benefits of a
vegan diet. It's targeted to 20's age group.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0vQOnHW0Kc)
Some of the images on the movie can be interpreted as conveying the idea of women's abuse.
The ad is also targeted to heterosexuals. The message is tied to hyper masculinity rather than
animal rights, compassion, or empathy.
Talking about cholesterol and how a meat-based diet can be harmful to our health is one way to
get to people, particularly men.
There are long standing ideas of gender, and the idea that women are naturally more
compassionate stems from this. We need to discuss the root reasons for the hyper masculinity
that is attached to the masculine gender, and how this leads to less participation in animal rights
causes.
You want to reach people, but at the same time you don't want to perpetuate the imbalance that
exists in terms of gender stereotypes.
Women were historically so oppressed that now that they are more emancipated and free they
embrace causes more easily.
It's dangerous to use the discourse of women being naturally more empathetic and
compassionate, because this perpetuates gender stereotyping. On the other hand, neurological
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research shows that there may be something physiological that makes women more
compassionate. However, the focus should be on ethical education, and what we can do to
instill values. The PETA video is not educational in this way.
Social justice movements in general are led by women more than by men. To some, this is an
issue of communication style. Men does not talk as much and do not like to talk about things
they feel they don't know enough about, they don't know or don't feel comfortable asking for
help and clarification.
Men view themselves as a provider for their family. Meat-based diet is included in this view.
Thus, culturally, not eating meat is equal to being weak and it is not acceptable.
Eating meat is related to self image, and how they need meat, red meat, to sustain their bodies.
But social practices get into this a well, like barbecuing, which is seen as a very masculine
activity.
Reaching out to people should be gender neutral.
For some men, what clicked was the compassionate approach, just like what is said about
women. But this may constitute a minority of the male cases.
The connections are important. Connecting veganism with anti-capitalism is what clicked to
some men. Tying veganism with other issues may be one way to reach men and people in
general.
The minimalist approach worked for some men. If you can reduce consuming and avoid animal
suffering then do it. If you could you should.
Shocking images also worked, especially as part of educational strategies.
Having the resources at reach, becoming knowledgeable, educated and informed seems to be a
similar way in which many of us became vegan. Using regular men in ads, not emphasizing
hyper masculinity or women, may work better than what was used in the PETA ad.
SECOND SPEAKER
Rob Laidlaw (Zoocheck Canada, also worked with Toronto Humane Society, WSPA, wildlife issues,
dogs, etc.)
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A lot of people have motivation but not sophistication when it comes to campaigning
Kids are more sophisticated when it comes to parents thanks to Animal Planet, internet, helped
to develop The 4 Things Animals Need (besides food, water, shelter)
 Space – the bigger, the better
 Freedom – of choice. We punish people by taking that away from them.
 Family – proper social context
 Things to do – they've evolved over millions of years to do things
Activism – positive actions for positive change (be a campaigner, not a complainer)
Political system gravitates towards money, power, & influence – it is inherently unfair, we
should accept that
Two components to campaigns
 Preparation for campaign
 know the issue and the process by which change occurs
 Analyze your strengths & weaknesses as individuals and as groups – do the same of the
opposition. What are their motivations, their connections?
 Plan!!
 Can be flexible – but have one
 Learn the entire political process
Good arguments do not win issues – they are necessary but don't win – it's the way
issues are framed that matters
 Read: “Don't Think of an Elephant”, “The Political Mind” (George Lakoff), “The
Art of the Possible”
 Consistent, simple, easily understandable core message.
 Think of advertising – pick “smoking gun” images, e.g. photo of seal hunter
standing on pup about to swing hakapik – doesn't require any explanation
 Be prepared to move incrementally
 Establish short, medium, long-term goals – each small step breeds enthusiasm
 Establish a paper trail – every conversation write date, time, synopsis – something
insignificant at first can turn out to be important later. Keep copies.
 Establish a network – who are your allies (businesses, celebrities, etc)
Delivery of campaign
 Engage a decision-maker. What you want from every meeting is another meeting –
establish relationships (and credibility)
 Engage your opponent. Meet, gauge their motivation, etc. Be well-prepared – research,
research, research. Do not go to a meeting without an agenda. Never tell them your
gameplan
 Media is a tool, not a goal - cultivate relationships w/ reporters, editors, as friends and
colleagues
 Stay 1 step ahead of your opponent – make them respond to you, instead of the other
way around
 Know from the outset that you will have to work harder than your opponent. But we
can because for us it's a passion, for them it's a job.
 If campaign lulls, create activity & momentum
 Conduct street polls to be given to the media, bring in speakers, etc.
 Even if you don't achieve the big goal, you can still have had a lot of influence
7 principles of activism
 Be a participant, not a bystander
 Base yourself in reality
 Know how to affect change
 Think of solutions, rather than focusing solely on problems
 Relish victories, learn from failures
 Expect nothing
 Enjoy the fight – learn to love the political process.
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Sunday, February 26th
FIRST SPEAKER
Lesley Fox (Executive Director for the Association for the Protection of
Fur-Bearing Animals)
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how to get into schools—humane education.
 You can do independent campaigns by yourself.
 Talk to teachers in terms of their best interest. How can I fit into their curriculum? (Review
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it.) You aren't the enemy—you're just facilitating critical thinking.
 Also: after-school clubs, environmental or animal rights, are sometimes looking for
speakers or guidance.
Burn-out
 Depression, massive anxiety, guilt—all normal to activism. We need to guard our mental
health and how we manage our lives.
 Ask for help, surround yourself with good people.
 Be gentle with yourself
 It's normal to feel like you can't do enough and that it's not okay to have fun when
animals are suffering, but that isn't true.
 (HUG BREAK!)
 Urgency + futility = disaster
 “I need to save the world, and I need to do it yesterday.”
 It's not about doing everything.
 Remember that we are making progress!!
Discussion topics posted by attendees on Sunday, Feb. 26th, 2012
1) Humane education in schools
2) Supporting the next generation
3) Plan to stop animal research at UBC
4) PETA
5) What do you think an animal advocacy app should be?
6) Social media (Twitter 101, fundraising)
7) Mental health and staying sane in a cruel world
8) Social events as advocacy and celebration
9) Doing our best to get our facts right
10) How Bubbles, the West End skunk, was rescued – tips for rallying your community
11) Make a difference and learn skills, leadership
12) Vegan relationships
13) Human and animal enslavement (why animal rights cannot progress until we look at the BIG
picture)
14) Coordinate vegans and other activists for social change
1a) Humane Education (hosted by Lesley Fox)
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Try to link to curriculum
Be subtle.
Be careful in choosing topics: ex. Factory farming is not appropriate for elementary school.
Work on empathy in general. High school dialogue about oppression in general.
Focus on animals in entertainment; relatable
Be sensitive to different cultures.
Be sensitive to how you present things.
International Institute for Humane Education
Acceptable words vs. not acceptable
 ex. animal rights vs. animal welfare/protection
 Having to hide who you are, animal rights isn't a bad word.
Being likeable and approachable.
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Treating animals with respect rather than food issues. Focus on learning to respect pets first.
Learn the backgrounds of your audience.
Outreach through Home Ec. Department.
Misconception that only people with teaching backgrounds can come talk in schools.
Provincial Specialist Association
 do a workshop at a PSA conference
Example: Media Literacy → comparing “Happy Cows Come From CA” ads with PETA
materials
Anybody can get involved.
Debates are a good way of creating dialogue on animal issues.
Try to be non-judgemental, be prepared for different levels of understanding and background
knowledge.
Pick one topic, let them come up with the ideas, discuss the information—what do they think?
Using milk crates upside down, shoes off, to show the amount of space chickens have (and pain
on feet)
Focus on basics: we are all part of the animal kingdom. Bringing in nature for kids who don't
get a chance to interact with nature. Start fresh with discussing animal behaviours, what they
want and need.
Use dogs and cats to start with because kids can relate to that.
Mentoring opportunities: speak to Lesley Fox of Fur-bearer Defenders. Already goes into
schools and you can volunteer with them.
Call Social Justice 12 teachers.
Offer lesson plans, blackline masters, handouts, that relate to PLOs. (Prescribed Learning
Outcomes)
Look up BC IRP's
Affiliate with an organization. Pick one issue.
Reaching kids outside of schools, less restrictive as to what you can say. Speaking to school
groups/clubs, such as Environment Club.
How do parents react to it? Send a letter home before the presentation to let parents know you're
coming.
Be credible, use appropriate language, find out how familiar the kids are with the topics.
Have a lesson plan.
Reaching out to unions (ex. VESTA -->Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association).
They have sustainability committee, etc., that would be open to presentations.
1b) Humane Education (hosted by Lesley Fox)
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go to Ministry of Education online to see PDFs of curriculums
contact BC Teachers' Federation (each subject has their own group—Google it)
 “I understand your students need to learn ____, and I have info on...”
i.e. Media Literacy: “Happy Cows” ads vs. comparison of real dairy photos. Discuss: who's
telling the truth and why?
It's about teaching students skills that allow them to ask questions, rather than dumping info on
them.
You aren't there to make them vegan.
“Let's look at some different animals. What are they like? What do they do with their time? Do
they have families? What do they like to do?”
Companion animals versus others.
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You have to be polished and play by the rules.
PICK AN ISSUE AND OWN IT (learn learn learn)
HumaneEducation.org
2) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
3) Plan to stop animal research at UBC (hosted by Brian)
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Formed 2010, approx. 6000 members
Animal liberation movement
221,000 animals used in testing 2010
 cats, piglets, mice, songbirds, primates, etc.
No limits on animal research in Canada
Funding agency decides guidelines
Evasive research: lab reports are confidential
Animal Care Committee is not allowed to divulge info found without written permission
Any post graduation facility does not have to reveal research
Ideas for change
 Improve Freedom of Information Act
 Stop the funding – stop the research.
 Budget $103,000 for Stop UBC Animal Research
 Need creative ideas to get public attention
4a) PETA (Why is PETA so offensive?)
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Why not joining grassroots membership?
What are the boundaries?
Reach a lot of people
Gets a lot of attention, sometimes too negative → half-naked people
Bring out animal rights in a dramatic way
Do they think through how they convey their message?
Challenging gender norms
PETA checks what their best views are, like what's the best way to get their message out? (with
sexy people, for example)
What's their marketing plan?
Why are they so successful with their campaigns?
Need to be less sexist
Being a good example ourselves and not doing what PETA does → other organizations using
more effective messages that get too personal
Choose for yourself which organization you can relate to
PETA makes it easy for people to be more exposed to animal rights; like ordering starter kits for
schools, concerts, etc.
They make certain messages very comprehensive, on the other hand they confuse people with
very provocative messages
4b) PETA (Why is PETA so offensive?)
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Intersectionality of other forms of oppression
doesn't consider other forms of oppression, example: sexist ads
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broad range, antagonize regular people, alienates them. Using sex to get message across makes
people angry
does affect a lot of change. Does draw attention to issues.
The models choose to be there.
Appreciate how active they are and how they make it easy for people to act. Support kids who
don't want to dissect. Good stickers, publications.
War within the movement is wasted energy, etc. People are too critical.
Does bring animal rights issues into the public in a dramatic way. No matter what you're going
to do, you're going to offend somebody.
Direct action campaigns for young people (etc.) that are good.
Using other oppressive regimes to further their own cause. Example: perpetuating the
stereotype of standard beauty.
Feminizing and sexualizing of their campaigns
Shock value; they need to re-evaluate and do better.
People become vegan just from watching their videos.
Undercover campaigns are great.
Ageist as well as sexist.
Focus on holding PETA accountable for offensive ads
 Example: “Boyfriend went vegan” ad—using violence against women is not ok.
Animal activists who are members of PETA have the power to complain, and potentially change
policies.
PETA is working a math game. We're not their audience. Go to them with ideas like, why don't
you try this out instead, see if it gets the same numbers. These ads work, and that's why they
keep using them.
Targeting white heterosexual men. Also targeting women: if you become vegan you'll become
hotter/more attractive.
Why is PETA more mainstream than other groups? Work with celebrities.
Appealing to the “ignorant masses”, targeting people on their level. Sexy stuff attracts attention.
PETA might be targeting males because they are under-represented in veg populations
Undermining the movement by contributing to objectification of women.
Society is used to those types of images.
Be critical of your own practice. Connect forms of oppression and not perpetuate gender
stereotypes.
Read Carol J. Adams' books about feminism and animal rights.
Ingrid is only concerned with animal rights. She looks at popular culture and uses it; doesn't
care about other issues.
Give our input anyway, and maybe next time they'll take it into consideration.
5) We are missing notes for this discussion session
6) Using Social Media for Advocacy
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Facebook
 Best organizer ever!
 Post, run ads
 Gives you insights into demographics
 Post office and check for hits
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Twitter
 Good but not as user-friendly as Facebook
Designing a website
 Landing page is important
 Example: www.bestfriends.org
 Use humour to attract readers, then introduce animal rights issues
Freepressrelease.com
Klout – a rating system for social media
Newsletters
 Allows for constant contact
 Vertical response (non-profits)
 Mailchimp
Bar codes & QR codes
5 Tips for Using Twitter for Animal Advocacy
 Become familiar with the Twitterverse and Twitter lingo. Use a personal account to
experiment if you are new to Twitter. Learn about hashtags, retweets, direct messages, how
to follow others., trending topics, Friday Follows, Music Mondays and much more…
 Be strategic about your Twitter usage. It could be the case that you don’t need a Twitter
account for what your goals are. Make sure if you are looking into social media for an
organization that you plan everything and base your actions on your goals, objectives and
strategy. For example, if you decide one of your strategies is to target celebrities to try to
highlight an issue to the general public then Twitter could be just the tool you need. There
are many other reasons you might use Twitter: to promote a website, blog, spread news,
engage activists and share content that are extremely relevant to activists.
 Send direct messages to stakeholders on Twitter to engage them with subjects/content.
One of the great aspects of Twitter is that it can give you direct access to celebrities and
influential people in the wider world. You can send them messages that all your followers
will see and will show up in searches for that person. Sometimes it works better to make
dialogue public but you can also send private messages.
 Get familiar with necessary Twitter tools. We have already mentioned Hootsuite which is
a great tool for Twitter administration but there is also TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)
made by Twitter themselves. Also, for developing outreach there is Tweepi
(www.tweepi.com) and Locafollow (www.locafollow.com). Decide what you need based on
your goals and then find the right tools to fulfill that need. Remember some tools are free
but sometimes you may need to pay for the tool you require.
 Use Chirpify (http://chirpify.com/) to monetize your Twitter presence. You can get
donations through tweets. Sign up for an account to find out more.
Resources & Links
 Using social media for NFPs: http://www.scribd.com/doc/74176718/DPershad-MSM-BlogSocial-Media-for-NFPs
 Social Media Tools: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/17-social-media-tools/
7) Social Events as Advocacy and Celebration
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mini-conference each month
 social and constructive
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project afternoons
something to look forward to
Liberation BC volunteer nights
groups take turns hosting
 STOP UBC Animal Research
 Earthsave
 Liberation BC
 Fur-bearer Defenders
Vegan Thanksgiving (2011) –Unitarian Church was packed!
Space –>corporate sponsors –let us use the space (community spaces?)
 LUSH?
 Neighbourhood houses
 Libraries, firehalls
 Buddhist gym – temple – contact information
Use of the word “vegan” can be a barrier
 Can't avoid it—make it a positive word.
Can we create something like a church community? Need a space to be the church.
 45 West --$100 damage deposit/$120 rental per month.
 Radha?
 Community centres --$15-$20 a night
Family festival day
Johnathan gave details about planning Vegfest with Car-Free Days. Plan costs carefully: vendor
fees, fundraising.
 Advantages and disadvantages of Car-Free Day → cost, police, experience, etc. → easier to
organize
Maybe join with Earthsave, etc. to put it on.
Plan for what you can guarantee to do and have bonus plans if you have enough volunteers.
Earthsave monthly meet-ups—they have a new space now.
Drinks nights, chili cook-offs, potlucks
Support for each other when we need to talk about stressful times—maybe we don't need to put
so much preparation into our get-togethers. Just meet to talk! Don't need an activity to get
together—just a time.
8) Staying sane in a cruel world (hosted by Tatiana)
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recommended books “Conscious Person's Handbook”, “Aftershock”, “Living Among Meat
Eaters”
Rehabs are constant but support groups are scarce
Tradition is a barrier for veganism
Videos are education but have to be viewed with discretion
There are different levels of activism—we must choose what works well with our abilities
Accepting that you are not part of the problem AND that you cannot save the world. You can
only do what you can do.
Don't watch videos, but if you do, remind yourself that the suffering of that particular animal is
over.
9) Doing our best to get our facts right (hosted by Dave Steele)
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Search for articles on databases like PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) and then
try to find the article and read it.
Most people read headlines only and don't get interested in reading long and fairly complex
articles, so the challenge is to find reader-friendly information that is still dependable.
It is not too difficult to find an original research article to confirm or clarify an issue. Before
posting or advertising anything you should check your facts, or else your adversaries can use
your mistakes against your cause.
How do people manage all the information they collect/read and can then cite it when
appropriate? Keep all files organized in your computer and make tables or spreadsheets to
manage information.
You can email authors directly to request articles. Usually they will respond quickly and
provide you with the information you are looking for, as long as you introduce yourself in
respectful terms.
You can google the title of the journals where the article was published and look for their
homepage where you can find whereas the journal is peer reviewed (meaning experts in the
field review the articles before they were published), and the impact factor of the journal (the
higher the number the better), which means how much are they cited in other publications.
How do we know how much protein we need per day? Some books, like "Becoming a
Vegetarian", provide this kind of information. The website or Facebook page of Jack Norris is a
good resource as well. (http://jacknorrisrd.com/)
Vaccines are still highly recommended for infants to curtail the resurgence of deadly and
harmful disease epidemics.
Another resource is the website of Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Food Animals
(http://www.cetfa.com/)
F.A.O. Reports: their last numbers were skewed because of the underestimation of the carbon
footprint of animal transportation.
USC.org has useful information as well. (http://usc-canada.org/)
How do people calculate carbon footprints? There are different calculations out there and they
are all very complex, so we need to be careful when using this kind of argument.
Talking only about beef production as an environmental problem can cause people to steer away
from beef and start eating more chicken.
When you do not know anything on a topic, it may be useful to look into Wikipedia for other
resources. The information there may not be accurate or dependable, but you can find links to
keep searching. Using the lay media might be dangerous, as they may be biased and
oversimplify things to the point of distortion of original information.
10) How Bubbles, the West End Skunk, was rescued (hosted by Drina)
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Patty and Drina saw a baby skunk struggling with a domed plastic cup lid that was wrapped
around her neck – they weren't sure how to help and approach the skunk without being sprayed,
bitten, or attacked by mother skunk
3 months later, they saw the skunk again; called Critter Care in Langley
Put up posters all over the West End – people in the neighbourhood responded and they formed
a group to search for “Bubbles” - Drina wrote and sent a press release out to blogs in the city –
they got on Global TV & CTV, after Bubbles was rescued, on CBC
Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue were the ones who eventually captured the skunk and brought
her to the Wildlife Rescue Association in Burnaby where she was kept for 6 weeks, operated on,
and recuperated before being brought back to West End and released
11) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
12a) Vegan Relationships (hosted by Jenn)
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Having children? Might be better to date a vegan.
Veganism reflects your personal values.
Don't convert, but model a compassionate vegan lifestyle, letting them come into it on their
own.
If they understand that this is something they value, and want to pass on to your kids.
Gender stereotypes: men are less likely to be vegan. 25% vegetarians/vegans are men. A lot are
vegan for environmental reasons.
Being understanding, looking for someone who is accepting and open to dialogue.
People who are willing to not eat meat, as in, not having it tied to their identity.
Self-care issue, someone who will eat vegan food.
It depends on the person. Are they respectful of your choices?
There's always hope that people will change.
When to bring up that you are vegan?
 Be upfront about it.
Easier if you're transitioning together.
Go on field trips to farm sanctuaries
 Hearts on Noses Pig Sanctuary in Maple Ridge
Watch Food Inc. together, plant the seeds.
Friends: okay if they don't make a big deal about it, are not obnoxious, and are respectful.
Family: cook for them, hold vegan potlucks
OKCupid website has a vegan option.
Smallness of vegan community—be sure to read dating ads carefully to avoid awkward
meetings with your friends!
Look for good character qualities in general, like caring, openness.
Understand their background, where they are coming from.
If you don't have expectations for your partner, they won't live up to them.
See yourself as a leader in the world.
12b) Vegan Relationships (hosted by Jenn)
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Should we only date someone who is also vegan?
Sometimes we feel like there is a barrier between us, vegans, and the people who do not share
our views.
The love that connects two people may be stronger than the differences in values, so that it
transcends conflicts that may arise from different views. Some of these conflicts may include
how to raise the children, for example.
Cooking and eating may be the easier part of it; there are lots of issues for new vegans and
having support from family and friends is very important, so in this way we may feel the lack of
support from these people in our lives.
Sometimes our partners get scared to see us committing to a change like veganism and animal
rights advocacy. So why are they scared? It may be because deep down there is a change of
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values happening and this potentially can change the person they know and have been sharing
their life with.
We feel like we are growing and the person who is living with us and who is not embracing our
cause or our choices may appear to us as being stuck.
An important part of love is the support, so we expect support and eventually change from the
people around us as well.
We have to look into every relationship with compassion and respect for the other person. So it
is important that the people who are with us respects our choices but reciprocally we must
respect their choices.
How people react to your passions and interests shows a lot about who they are. They should
like you for who you are and respect and support your choices.
Even when there is respect, this may not be enough and you may want a deeper connection so
you don't have to eat different dinners every night or fight over what restaurant to go to. We
might start feeling like our partner is "behind" and not open to change and learning and growing
as we think we are.
At least in our homes we want to have the sense that we have our own way, like a sanctuary.
Finding someone who appreciates ourselves entirely is very important.
The values that underlie someone's decision to become vegan are a lot stronger and deeper than
other differences between people, so this issue becomes very crucial when selecting a partner.
However, we cannot underestimate our influence on people. We may be able to change people's
minds and values, so we should not attempt to live on the vegan bubble only.
We should not look at other people as only vegans, they are human beings and as all human
beings they are very complex and may have lots of issues we may disagree with. We cannot be
prejudiced, and we need to give people a chance to get used to things and change on their own
pace.
As long as the person is creating a space for you to be who you are, then the relationship can
grow.
For relating with other family members, a good resource is the book "Living with Meat Eaters".
13) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
14) We are missing notes for this discussion session.
Paper bag projects proposed by attendees
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Lobbying & marketing plant-based food to local businesses
Develop speaking, leadership, & organizing skills with other idealists
Organize a group for schools that focuses on animal rights
Animal activism at SFU (i.e. promoting veganism or stopping animal research)
UBC Activists for Animals Club
Street art & graffiti taskforce of love
Vegan activist cooking/baking club (dinners, pop-up sales, etc.)
Langara College VEG club
Campaign to ban plastic domed lids that choke animals
Campaign for cat & dog fur trade
Vegfest Vancouver 2012
Leafletting team
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Ban homeless people from owning dogs
Publish local Conscious Living magazine
Vegu-cation tours (to change minds)
Anti-fur demos in downtown Vancouver
Van animal rights
Vegan Whistler Dine-Out Tour (in order to support Whistler Vegans)