As 2025 approaches, now is the time to be thinking about how you can become a more effective advocate for our fellow animals. You could even make it your resolution, to become a stronger voice and to help in new and more impactful ways. 

It’s important to remember, though, that we all have our own unique skills and abilities. Just because one type of activism is not right for you, it does not mean you wouldn’t excel at another.  The key is to find your niche, and to use your talents in a positive way. There is a type of activism for everyone.

Here’s a list of 10 activism-focused ways to help the animals in the new year. There is a real variety, from stickering to film screenings, displaying a multitude of approaches which is precisely what is needed to create significant change.

10 way to up your activism in the New Year

1. Organise Outreach or Street Performances

Create dramatic, eye-catching events that highlight animal exploitation. Use props, costumes and television screens all to engage the public. When they react to your event, you can outreach them directly and explain what you stand for. Giving away free plant-based food samples is a fantastic way of drawing people over and engaging in conversation. This is perhaps one of the most popular forms of activism, and it’s a great place to start, but don’t let your activism end here.

2. Run a Guerrilla Sticker or Poster Campaign

Create bold and thought-provoking stickers or posters to spread your message. Target high-traffic areas for maximum visibility. You can put these up yourself or with a group of friends to cover a larger area. Your message will be seen by hundreds of people. Draw or spray paint the posters yourself for a budget-friendly option.

3. Coordinate “Chalk-tivism” Events

Use chalk to write impactful messages or draw visuals promoting animal rights in public spaces and on pavements. You could do these in a park or on city streets. Depending on the location, it may be a number of days before these get washed off. Imagine how many people you could reach with a pro-vegan message if you did this in the right spot. Head to the kid’s section in larger retail shops to find giant chalk packs which will write much better on pavements. 

4. Host an Activist Training Workshop

If you’re already an effective outreacher, and a seasoned activist, perhaps you can pass these skills on to others. Teach public speaking, outreach, protest planning, and navigating challenging conversations or confrontations. You could amplify your impact by making others more effective activists.

5. Volunteer at an Animal Sanctuary

Animal Sanctuaries are always in need of more support. You could volunteer once a week or once a month, helping to clean out the animals’ living areas or help build new shelters. There are so many sanctuaries in the UK that need your help. For example, Friend Animal Sanctuary, Brinsley Animal Rescue, Charlie’s Place Animal Rescue and Pigs in the Wood to name a few. If you cannot spare any time, how about donating monthly? Many sanctuaries have initiatives like Beneath the Wood’s ‘Pigoneer 2000 club’ donation scheme.

6. Plan a Documentary Screening

You could host public screenings of impactful animal rights documentaries like Earthlings or Dominion, followed by discussions or Q&A sessions. You can invite the local vegan community to attend along with friends and relatives. To take this to the next level, you could ticket the event charging a small fee. This could then be donated to your local animal sanctuary or pay for free food samples for your next outreach event.

7. Engage in Corporate Outreach

Pressure businesses to adopt more ethical practices through petitions, email campaigns, or in-person meetings. Use social media to expose their practices if they resist. There are a number of large organisations that do this very well, but the more people that take part the more pressure we can apply. You could even start your own campaign. 

8. Coordinate or Attend Disruptive Protests

Stage peaceful disruptions in settings like supermarkets, circuses, or animal expos to confront animal exploitation directly. These can lead to challenging situations, and it will make the public feel uncomfortable, but such tactics are needed to open their eyes to the realities of what animals face. You could go one step further and do a banner drop on a rooftop or a lock-on action. Big bold statements like these always gain media attention too, so they will reach a lot of people. These can, of course, come with legal repercussions, so they should be thought through properly.

9. Share Creative Content Online

Never underestimate this one because you never know who may be looking at your posts. You could share compelling graphics that challenge speciesism directly or videos of animals that have been rescued from the industry and taken to sanctuaries. If you have the skills, you could make this content yourself or learn how to.

10. Conduct Street Interviews

Ask people on the street thought-provoking questions about animal rights and share their responses in a compelling video series. You can add these to your own social media channels and share widely online. Your conversations could inspire others to get active or others to go vegan.

These strategies focus on direct action, public engagement and creative messaging. There are so many ways we can help the animals, and it's so important we use every single tool at our disposal. We need to be loud, and we need to be uncompromising, and we need to use the skills we have to make a difference.

As always,

for the animals