Student Chapter Project Kit

We encourage student chapter officers to present on farmed animals or Ag-Gag laws, either by following an Animal Legal Defense Fund presentation or creating your own.

The event format is flexible! Feel free to supplement your student presentation by streaming the 13 minute video on Ag-Gag laws before or afterwards.

The logistical and creative suggestions listed below will help you get started:

• Assign a student to be the presenter, or multiple students to each take a portion.
  • During practice, work on your phrasing and pacing. It isn’t only what you say but how you say it, and practicing sentence structures, pauses, and inflections can be a big help in gaining confidence.
  • To help calm any nerves, take a deep breath before beginning! Remind yourself that your audience consists of your peers and that they’re likely impressed by your leadership and drive.
  • Once prepared, trust that you understand the information that you’re presenting. A speaker is not required nor expected to know everything. Write down the question and facilitate a response after the event.
  • Speak slower than what likely comes naturally. Try to replace verbal pauses with silent pauses. The extended silence might seem awkward at first, but it’s barely noticeable to the audience. It keeps your communication clear.
  • If you notice that you’re talking too fast and struggle with slowing down, it’s time for a pause! I recommend having a glass of water nearby and remembering to take another deep breath. It’s OK to take a few seconds to recenter.
  • Feel free to insert your own experiences or insights into the presentation to make it feel more personalized.
  • If you have any specific questions or would like to chat with someone, reach out to us at alp@aldf.org. We are happy to work with you to prepare.
• Schedule a date and time for the presentation, and reserve a room on campus.
• Arrange for lunch, and apply for a project grant to cover plant-based food costs. Or combine the presentation with a potluck social!
• Create a flier or share graphics to promote the event to chapter members.
• Practice the presentation with fellow chapter officers to gain confidence!
• If needed, seek additional information on Ag-Gag to help prepare.
• Assign a student to introduce the presenter, moderate the Q&A discussion, and assist with any technological issues.
• Present and have fun! After the presentation, consider leaving time for Q&A. Have a couple questions prepared in advance in case the audience is shy.

Below is a list of available documentaries that can be screened virtually through Teleparty and Amazon, or in-person with a license. Please be mindful of the platforms’ Terms of Use ⁠— they do not allow public performance, and there are restrictions on the educational exemption. Some require a screening license to show the documentary to your chapter. Main campus and law school libraries are a great resource and may have access to several films with performance rights.

Recommended Documentaries:

• NEW: Smell of Money follows Elsie Herring and her rural North Carolina community as they take on the multi-billion-dollar pork industry to demand cleaner air, safer water, and better living conditions. This documentary is available for community screenings and your chapter can request to host one locally.
• Hog Haven has been screened at several Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter events. The Hog Haven team also offers speaking engagements that can be planned in-person or virtually. If you are interested in screening this documentary, reach out directly to the director, Christopher Beeson (Be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom!)
• Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is a documentary that discusses the destructive animal agricultural industry and its effect on the animals and the environment. This documentary can be streamed on Netflix through Teleparty. View the Cowspiracy discussion guide.
• Seaspiracy dives into the harm that humans cause to marine species, including the fishing and aquaculture industries. This documentary can be streamed on Netflix either through Teleparty or in-person through the Netflix Media Center. View the Seaspiracy discussion guide.
• End of Meat is a documentary that envisions a future where meat consumption belongs to the past. The filmmaker embarks on a journey to discover what effect a post-meat world would have on the environment, the animals, and ourselves. This documentary can be streamed through Amazon Prime as a watch party. View the End of Meat discussion guide.
• For more film screening ideas, check out our full list of documentaries. We recommend reviewing the screening rights and restrictions in advance.

Apply for a Student Chapter Project Grant to help cover plant-based food costs.

We have a speaker event scheduled specifically for Speak Out for Farmed Animals Month. This event will be virtually presented and recorded. Student chapters can plan to host lunch and a watch party of the recordings. Discussion questions will be provided for a chapter roundtable post-presentation.

A Long Road to Legislation: the New Jersey Gestation Crate Ban Story

Presenting Kathleen Schatzmann, Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager

On July 26, 2023, New Jersey became the 11th state to ban the extreme confinement of mother pigs and calves used for veal. Join Animal Legal Defense Fund Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager Kathleen Schatzmann and learn about the long journey to pass this important legislation – and how advocacy made it possible.
This webinar was presented live on October 10, 2023, and is available to watch on demand.

 
This bill’s success was made possible through an extensive coalition co-led by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Humane Society of the United States — comprising over 60 businesses, environmental organizations, and animal protection groups on the local, state, and national levels. We will cover the challenges faced and the lessons learned during this decade-long fight for better protections for animals in New Jersey.

Student chapters are encouraged to plan a SOFAM event around the webinar. Be sure to apply for a project grant to help cover plant-based food options for lunch. Individual students are also welcome to attend!
Student chapters are encouraged to host a watch party to watch the webinar live and ask questions. If the scheduled date and time does not work, the recording will be made available and can be part of a scheduled SOFAM event later in the month.

• 101 on the (lack of) laws that protect farmed animals in the U.S.
• Animal issues relevant to your local area or state
• Ag-Gag laws and/or whistleblower protection
• False advertising and “humane washing”
• Aquaculture
• Environment and animal protection
• Workers’ rights and public safety
• Animal rescue story, or sanctuary animals expressing natural behaviors
• Farmed animals’ treatment

Cow graphic

• Instagram post
• Instagram story
• Twitter
• Facebook

Fish graphic

• Instagram post
• Instagram story
• Twitter
• Facebook

Pig graphic

• Instagram post
• Instagram story
• Twitter
• Facebook

• Organize your table so that farmed animal brochures and freebies are visible.
• Have at least one action item. Some examples include:
  • Signing up for the chapter’s email list
  • Signing up for the Animal Legal Defense Fund email updates
  • Signing the Ag-Gag Hurts Animals petition
  • Watch a video by the Animal Legal Defense Fund on Ag-Gag laws, biogas, or dairy farm cruelty
• Have fun and be responsive! Sometimes people can feel unsure coming up to a table, so put their mind immediately at ease with a welcoming vibe, snacks, and freebies that they can take with them.
• Encourage chapter members to join in tabling. It’s an easy way to practice and gain confidence discussing animal issues, as well as learn what interests other students.
• Take pictures!
• Apply for a project grant to help cover plant-based snacks for the table.

Download the full instruction sheet.

1. Find an area on the floor or on a wall near your Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter table that will accommodate at least one two-foot-wide by seven-foot-long rectangle
2. Using a tape measure, mark off the above measurements with a writing utensil intended to be used for temporary purposes, not permanent.
3. Use your roll of orange tape to overlay the rectangle, being careful to follow the measurements you marked.
4. If at all possible, repeat the process three or four times so that students may see not only how small the crates are, but also how close mother pigs are to each other.

• Create a sign-up sheet in Google Docs with categories for appetizers, main dishes, and dessert. We recommend adding a column to note common allergies, such as nuts and gluten.
• Send this doc link around to your chapter. Feel free to also include professors and law school peers who you may think are interested.
• If you want to add the recipe swap component, ask everyone to add their recipes to the Google Doc, or bring them the day of the event.
  • Once the dishes have been selected and recipes received, a board member can compile all recipes and create a compiled recipe book to be shared with the chapter. This is a fun way for members to learn new plant-based recipes!
  • Alternatively, recipes can be set near each dish at the potluck.
• Apply for a Student Chapter Project Grant to help cover food costs!

Research adjacent student groups at your law school. Those with common interests could be open to collaborating on an event or campaign. Some cause areas might include:

• Environmental law
• Workers’ rights
• Public health
• Food law

Feel free to search our list of active Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapters for other nearby or regional groups to partner together on events.

Bar Association Animal Law Sections and Committees are a potential source of speakers, mentors, and collaborators.