Effective Vegan Advocacy
Online Course
This course includes:
- 20 short videos
- Exercises and Resources Booklet
- Certificate of completion
- Full lifetime access
This course is free of charge.
Is your vegan advocacy having the greatest possible impact?
When we’re advocating veganism, we’re advocating moral consistency, compassion, and health—values that most people share. Yet when we talk about veganism, many people respond negatively.
The good news is that it is possible to approach conversations about veganism in a productive way that increases the chances that people will hear your message the way that you intend it to be heard.
How this course can help you
You’ll learn a wide range of practical tools and strategies for effective communication that can make your conversations about veganism healthier and more impactful. You’ll come to better understand the psychology of eating animals, helping you avoid getting stuck in unproductive debates. And you’ll discover techniques for creating a sense of connection when discussing veganism in order to reach mutual understanding.
By learning the evidence-based approaches in this online course, you can significantly increase the effectiveness of your vegan advocacy.
Developed by leaders and educators with decades of experience in animal advocacy, this course features short, engaging videos accompanied by activities and resources to help you deepen your learning.
Who will benefit from taking this course?
- Vegan advocates and other vegans who find that their conversations about veganism aren’t as productive as they would like them to be
- Vegans who are passionate about the cause but need guidance on how to advocate veganism effectively
- Advocates working with vegan groups or organizations—including leaders, other team members, and volunteers—who want to improve their advocacy skills in order to increase their impact
What we’ll cover
- The four key obstacles to effective vegan advocacy
- The psychology of eating animals—and how it influences your interactions with nonvegans
- What relational literacy is and why it’s important
- The key principles of effective communication
- How to create a sense of connection while advocating veganism
- How to use language effectively when discussing veganism
- And much more!
Course Curriculum
Getting Started
Effective Vegan Advocacy
Your instructor
Dr. Melanie Joy
Dr. Melanie Joy is a psychologist, educator, and international speaker. She is the author of eight books, including the award-winning Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows; Beyond Beliefs: A Guide to Improving Relationships and Communication for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Meat Eaters; Getting Relationships Right; Strategic Action for Animals; The Vegan Matrix, and How to End Injustice Everywhere. Melanie has developed and implemented advocacy trainings for over a decade, and she specializes in strategic vegan advocacy; effective communication; resilient teams and leadership; inclusivity and diversity; relational literacy; the psychology of social transformation; and sustainable advocacy. She is the eighth recipient of the Ahimsa Award—previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela—for her work on global nonviolence, and she is the founding president of Beyond Carnism.
This Course is Free
At CEVA, we are committed to providing high-quality training resources for advocates around the world, no matter their circumstances. This is why are courses are free of charge. If you’d like to make a donation to support our work, you may do so at carnism.org/donate. Your contribution will help us offer more courses like this one to more advocates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time will I need to dedicate to the course?
In order for you to get the most out of the course, we recommend that you pace yourself as you progress through the video content and allow time to fully engage with the reflection activities. The reflection activities are designed to deepen your understanding and also to help you consider what steps you might take to make your advocacy more effective.
Can I complete the course in my own time?
Some people find that setting themselves a goal of completing the course within a certain time frame helps them stay on track, but we encourage you to pace yourself and give yourself time to fully process an exercise before moving on to the next video. This could take hours or even days.
Can I retake the course?
Will I receive proof of having completed the course?
I’ve previously attended an in-person CEVA training. Will I still benefit from this course?
What does CEVA mean by “effective”?
CEVA uses the term “effective” for two reasons. Effectiveness reflects our focus, and it informs which methods we recommend.
We focus primarily on results. This means, for instance, that we may advocate using messages other than “go vegan” if there is reason to believe that those messages will lead to swifter and more sustainable change (as long as these messages don’t reinforce other problems or forms of oppression). Furthermore, much of our focus is on process, not content. We are not simply promoting one strategy or another but rather encouraging advocates to ask questions and approach issues in a way that increases the chances that they will make effective decisions when promoting veganism—decisions that will do the most good. We seek to enhance strategic thinking, not simply to discuss which specific strategies may be most effective.
The methods we recommend are, whenever possible, based on empirical evidence, as well as on our experience as vegan advocates. Melanie Joy has extensively researched strategic methods for social change and authored books covering vegan strategy, effective communication, and social change. Furthermore, she holds a PhD in psychology and specializes in the psychology of social transformation and in relational literacy. She has consulted for vegan organizations around the world and has a strong track record of success.
How does CEVA try to ensure that its courses are appropriate for all cultures?
We have delivered in-person trainings around the world, working closely with members of vegan organizations in local communities who have provided us with feedback and guidance. We try to ensure that the research on which we base the methods we advocate is as culturally diverse as possible. And we have found that the vast majority of the issues we discuss and the challenges vegan advocates face are similar across cultures.