Building Local Connections

Connecting with local animal advocates is a strategy that I would recommend for anyone moving to a new city—or for anyone, honestly, who hasn't connected with their local pro-animal community.

Here are some strategies that I use for connecting with people in a new city:

• Look through my phone and my social media for animal advocates I already know (if there are any). These people can be great connections to the local scene.
• Go to local Meetup events.
• Go to local grassroots activism events (if there are any), like events by Anonymous for the Voiceless, We The Free, Save Movement, etc.
• Search around for local animal advocacy organizations: from big nonprofits, to smaller community groups.
• Keep an eye out for any larger nonprofits (like The Humane League, Mercy For Animals, PETA, etc.) that might have local events.
• When I meet someone new, ask them what else I should know about and who else I should know.

By taking this approach, you can pretty quickly get a feel for what groups exist, who some of the "super-connector" animal advocates are, and what type of advocacy is being done. Then, you can choose to what extent you want to participate in local advocacy, and which people you may want to deepen relationships with.

This approach may only expose you to the most public groups and forms of advocacy (like protests, community meetups, etc.)—but it's usually the case that well-connected advocates in a city know about some of the less-public advocacy going on (like behind-the-scenes policy work, tech activism, etc.), and they can point you in the right direction if you don't find a good fit for you at first.

And of course, there's a ton of animal advocacy work you can do that isn't dependent on where you live, and there are wonderful pro-animal people all over the world who you can connect with virtually. In fact, for most people, some of the most impactful work you could do probably doesn't depend on where you live at all, which is great news for folks living in smaller cities or towns.

If you don't feel as connected as you would like, think about trying some of the strategies listed above to get more connected to the pro-animal community. And whether you connect locally or virtually, the Connect For Animals events page and groups page can help you find things that are a right fit for you. 🙂