I've written before about how mystified I am about the giving culture, or funding structure, of the animal advocacy movement. Apart from the tradition of people paying for millions of euros/dollars/pounds worth of duplication, the real problem is that the grassroots of the movement - the backbone of the movement - is starved of funding even though they can do the most vital work that's needed to be done.
For example, the group I co-founded and volunteer for, the Vegan Information Project, in association with VEGO (Vegan Education on the Go), are currently involved in what's likely to be the most prolonged and intense street vegan education in the world.
This is no-nonsense vegan - vegan-only - street education, every week, at least 10 hours of it, and usually more. For example, at the moment we have the full gazebo stall (literature, videos, "tea station," vegan-friendly plant-based food samples, posters, badges) every Thursday in Temple Bar Square, the very heart of the Irish capital, Dublin. This event officially starts at 1pm and ends at 6pm.
VEGO/VIP also have tables in Westmoreland Street, Dublin - a busy city thoroughfare - every Saturday, featuring many of the features of the full gazebo stall - and developing all the time. This event officially starts at 1pm (but usually starts earlier) and ends at 6pm (but usually ends a little later).
In addition - throughout August - we have been invited to the Culture & Arts Festival taking place in Dublin. This means something like 15-18 hours of vegan education on the streets of Dublin.
You can watch short video diaries of our work HERE.
Both groups are run entirely by volunteers - no wages, no fancy offices, no huge expense budgets, no flying around the world telling vegans not to be vegan. Because of the broken funding structure of the movement, we struggle financially all the time - yet, this is the sort of work that is needed the most: community activism - direct to the public - no mass media distortion and manipulation: DIY cultural activism.
This is the sort of work that the animal movement should be encouraging everywhere and all the time - instead, however, we have millions tied up in national groups who duplicate each other's work.
If you support national groups, please ask yourself why. What can they do that your local groups - with your support - cannot? This is the age of the internet. Anyone can now make videos, design leaflets and posters, have t-shirts printed, organise events and demonstrations.
Well-funded ground-breaking grassroots activism is way overdue. Please support your local groups.
You can help the Vegan Information Project maintain its work H E R E.
For example, the group I co-founded and volunteer for, the Vegan Information Project, in association with VEGO (Vegan Education on the Go), are currently involved in what's likely to be the most prolonged and intense street vegan education in the world.
This is no-nonsense vegan - vegan-only - street education, every week, at least 10 hours of it, and usually more. For example, at the moment we have the full gazebo stall (literature, videos, "tea station," vegan-friendly plant-based food samples, posters, badges) every Thursday in Temple Bar Square, the very heart of the Irish capital, Dublin. This event officially starts at 1pm and ends at 6pm.
VEGO/VIP also have tables in Westmoreland Street, Dublin - a busy city thoroughfare - every Saturday, featuring many of the features of the full gazebo stall - and developing all the time. This event officially starts at 1pm (but usually starts earlier) and ends at 6pm (but usually ends a little later).
In addition - throughout August - we have been invited to the Culture & Arts Festival taking place in Dublin. This means something like 15-18 hours of vegan education on the streets of Dublin.
You can watch short video diaries of our work HERE.
Both groups are run entirely by volunteers - no wages, no fancy offices, no huge expense budgets, no flying around the world telling vegans not to be vegan. Because of the broken funding structure of the movement, we struggle financially all the time - yet, this is the sort of work that is needed the most: community activism - direct to the public - no mass media distortion and manipulation: DIY cultural activism.
This is the sort of work that the animal movement should be encouraging everywhere and all the time - instead, however, we have millions tied up in national groups who duplicate each other's work.
If you support national groups, please ask yourself why. What can they do that your local groups - with your support - cannot? This is the age of the internet. Anyone can now make videos, design leaflets and posters, have t-shirts printed, organise events and demonstrations.
Well-funded ground-breaking grassroots activism is way overdue. Please support your local groups.
You can help the Vegan Information Project maintain its work H E R E.
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