It’s important to take stock of the many ways we can stay active as abolitionist advocates. For a thorough discussion of the nature of IVA’s advocacy work and the importance of abolitionist vegan education, see our new position paper entitled What Do IVA Advocates Do?

As abolitionist vegans, the most important advocacy work we can do is to speak with other people about why respecting animals requires us to adopt veganism and reject all forms of animal use. Of course, the form that this communication can take varies. Here are just a few examples:

1. Talking with Friends and Family, Classmates and Coworkers Your familial and social circles, as well as your educational and professional networks, provide ongoing opportunities to talk about your reasons for being vegan and for being an abolitionist. For a friend or colleague, hearing the arguments from someone they know and trust can go a long way toward opening their mind.

2. Letter Writing Letters to the editor–as well as other written public responses, such as comments on social media, web forums, and blogs–provide an opportunity to publicly discuss issues already receiving media attention. When issues concerning animal rights are discussed in these forums, it is important to provide an abolitionist perspective on why these issues are concerning, how we should be thinking about animals and animal use, and how to appropriately respond.

3. Leafleting/Tabling Using materials such as the IVA’s Vegan Starter Kit, finding areas with high foot traffic in your community, engaging with the public, and distributing animal rights literature is an excellent way to engage in abolitionist dialogue in a friendly, casual manner.

4. Getting Involved with A Local IVA Chapter If you live near or in Boston, there is already an IVA chapter where you live. We hope that you’ll consider attending group meetings, joining a reading group, and volunteering to participate in the chapter’s outreach activities. If you live somewhere else, we hope that you would consider founding an IVA chapter in your community. Organizing a chapter is a fantastic way to work with other local abolitionists to better understand the challenges facing the animal rights movement and to collaborate on effective outreach efforts. These are just a few of the ways that you can engage in vegan education and work to encourage people to adopt veganism in their own lives.

Through these means, and others, we can collectively make meaningful social change toward the end of bringing about the end of animal use. For more information about what IVA advocates do, we encourage you to read our position paper.