Animal Save Movement is an international organization and consists of many groups of people around the world who want to speak up for animals in the industries in a peaceful way. The goal is to raise awareness about farmed animals, to help people become vegan, and to build a massive grassroots animal justice movement.
Animal Save Movement was founded in December 2010 with the start of Toronto Pig Save: bearing witness of pigs on their way to slaughter. By filming and photographing the animals and sharing this on social media consumers are (re)connected to the forgotten individuals of their food choices.
Our events are accessible to everyone who supports our mission and approach. Even if you are not yet completely vegan, you are welcome to join. You can participate in the formation and listen to other conversations. This way you can learn more about veganism and you may find the right help and tools to make the transition to a plant-based lifestyle. Please do not bring any animal products to the event.
We are an inclusive movement that recognizes that all forms of discrimination are interconnected. Please read our Code of conduct.
No registration is required, you can just attend the event. If possible, hit ‘Going’ on the Facebook event to help us get an idea of the number of participants.
Join our Facebook group to stay up to date with the latest news and to join the conversation. Please visit this page to read more about participating in our events.
Sure! With the start of the event we will check if there are any non-Dutch speaking participants and if so, we will run the briefing in English. You can also do outreach in English, most Dutch people like having conversations in English 🙂
A Save Square is a form of street activism with a tight formation that attracts the attention of the public. With videoscreens and catchy signs we invite bystanders to take a closer look.
People with a see-through blindfold will stand in a square formation (the Square), while others will talk to bystanders watching the footage (outreachers). The participants regularly switch roles.
When you’re standing in the Square you can raise your hand to alert an outreacher in the following cases:
If you want to take a break or want to switch roles to do outreach
If a bystander talks to you
If you see an interested bystander who has not yet been approached by an outreacher (describe an appearance (e.g. red coat) without pointing)
If you see a child under the age of +/- 12 watching the footage without parental supervision (if applicable: tilt your screen)
Every Save Square will start with a briefing by the organizers: they’ll explain everything you need to know about how the event will be run. If you’re left with questions, please feel free to ask them.
We ask you to preferably wear plain black (top) clothing for a uniform but casual look. If you don’t have any black clothing, you can wear any other dark color.
We want to avoid vegan prints or logos of animal rights organizations to prevent revealing our message prematurely.
Please make sure you don’t wear clothing with animal materials (leather, wool, fur, silk).
When you participate for the first time it can be a bit exciting. We recommend starting in the Square with a sign or laptop. This way you can listen to conversations and get an idea of how this event works. You can also shadow experienced outreachers.
If you feel confident and want to do outreach right away, please feel free to do so. And also, as long as you don’t feel comfortable about doing outreach, that’s fine too. You can always participate in the Square.
Inspiration
Inspiration and examples of outreach conversations can also be found online: watch some videos from well-known vegan activists, such as That Vegan Couple en Earthling Ed.
Earthling Ed also wrote an e-book with 30 non-vegan excuses and how to respond to them. To equip you with the knowledge and communication tips that you need to positively and confidently advocate for veganism. Don’t feel like reading? Check out his video series.
No, in the center of the Square is space to store bags and our materials. We may cover it with a dark cloth to create a tight formation. Please pack as lightly as possible, so that the amount of visible items is limited.
Note: bags and other personal belongings that you bring to the event are your own responsibility, so always keep an eye on them (especially after the event ends).