Student Chapter Project Kit

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 ales@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 the Pigs and Public Health Act to 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.

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.

Change Your Profile Pic/LinkedIn Banner to a “Speak Out” Graphic

SALDF members are encouraged to show their SOFAM support by changing their social media profile pictures and LinkedIn banners!

Profile Icons:

• Cow Icon
• Pig Icon
• Chicken Icon
• Goat Icon
• Octopus Icon

LinkedIn Banners:

• Pig Banner
• Crab Banner
• Cow Banner
• Fox Banner

Contains Animals Campaign

Student chapters are invited to participate in the ALDF Contains Animals Campaign. Consumers care about what they eat and have a right to know what’s in the food they purchase. Yet, current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are inadequate when it comes to animal-derived ingredients. A recent pair of studies found that adding a “contains animal-derived ingredients” disclaimer to food packaging increased consumers’ ability to identify when foods contained animal-derived ingredients. 

To educate your community about what’s actually in the food they purchase and consume, do one, two, or even all of the activities listed below!

• Print out our fact sheets and helpful documents to display at your table. You can use provoking language to attract students, such as “Are there feathers in your food?” or “Learn more about the hooves in your candy.”
• Offer plant-based alternatives to the products discussed as giveaways. Check out the list of animal derived ingredients and select a few to highlight. 
• Trivia and prizes! Trivia is a fun way to learn and engage with others on a topic. Student chapters are encouraged to review the materials and create trivia questions to include as part of your tabling activities. Or, go big and plan a trivia night as a stand–alone event!  
• Read and discuss ALDF’s  Citizen Rulemaking Petition to the FDA  as a chapter. Make this an easy event to plan by asking everyone to read the material in advance, serve up some snacks, and discuss the study and petition. Or, turn it into a bigger event with a speaker or another tie-in project. 
• Submit a public comment to the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) supporting the petition as individuals or as a chapter! Participate in the regulatory process by planning a public commenting opportunity for interested students. There are many ways to go about this. IIncluded below are some suggestions for planning as a chapter.
  
  • Ask who’s interested in building a core working group on the commenting process.
  • Schedule a meeting to establish talking points you want to make with the comment and delegate research tasks. 
  • Each student conducts research and drafts their portion of the comment (alternatively: make a drafting party out of it).
  • Meet again to review the drafts, conduct peer reviews, and begin to combine the drafts into one document. It’s best to have one person review it as a whole to ensure that the language is aligned and reads similarly throughout.  
  • Once final, submit your comment! 

To stay on schedule, it’s best to work backwards from the deadline to establish due dates for each step in the process.

For more tips and advice, check out the Public Commenting Opportunity webinar that features student chapter officers who have planned public commenting opportunities for students.