For almost fifty years I have been building community, starting with supporting the cooperation of the members of one of the first natural foods co-ops in Arkansas. Over and over I have seen good people who care about the same things work in separate corners, sometimes even compete, and burn out alone. Animal advocates are no different. We have Save vigils, Anonymous for the Voiceless cubes, DxE chapters, shelter volunteers, beagle rescuers, sanctuary supporters, people writing to legislators, and people quietly trying to eat a little more plant-based food. Many of them don’t know each other exists, even in the same town.

I want to help start something that brings all of us together: an umbrella network where every animal rights and animal welfare group, and every individual who wants to help animals, can find friends, support and a place to belong.

You don’t have to be vegan to belong

If you want to help animals, you are welcome. Maybe your heart is with the beagles bred for laboratories. Maybe it’s the dogs and cats at your local shelter. Maybe you are curious about veganism, or you have been vegan for decades. All of you are welcome here.

Our potlucks and shared meals will always be vegan. That is how we honor the animals at our own table. Nobody is asked to be vegan to come, and nobody will be shamed. Many of us remember the meal that first opened our eyes, and it was usually a delicious one shared with friendly people.

An umbrella, not a competitor

This network does not compete with any organization. It exists to strengthen all of them. We will help members find the groups that fit them, show up for each other’s events, share calendars so events don’t clash, and celebrate each other’s wins. When a group needs people at a vigil, a march, a legislative hearing or an adoption day, the network can help spread the word.

Every group keeps its own name, methods and decisions. The network itself stays legal and nonviolent in everything it organizes, so that people of every background, including people new to the cause, can feel safe joining. Groups that choose other tactics do so under their own banner.

Chapters that are umbrellas too

The network will grow through local chapters, and each chapter will be an umbrella in its own town or region. A chapter doesn’t replace the groups already working there. It gathers them: the vigil group, the shelter volunteers, the sanctuary, the student club, the vegan potluck, and the person who just wants to help. Each chapter keeps a shared local calendar, welcomes newcomers and points them to the groups that fit them, and brings everyone together a few times a year. Our first chapter is a pilot in Northwest Arkansas that meets online. When it works, we will write down what we learned so anyone, anywhere, can start an umbrella chapter where they live.

Time for unity

Our movement has not always been kind to itself. Groups have competed for the same volunteers and donors, argued over whose methods are right, and sometimes put each other down in public. The animals pay for every hour we spend fighting each other.

I have been part of that. For years I was openly critical of one group, Direct Action Everywhere. I even wrote about its weaknesses online. I have since taken that blog down, because I have watched the group grow and change, and I may put it back up with a note saying I see real improvement. I want to practice what this network stands for: believing people can learn, giving second chances, and reaching out instead of keeping score.

No group has to agree with every other group’s methods. In this network we only ask that we speak about each other with respect, celebrate each other’s wins, and remember that we are on the same side. If you have been hurt by another group, or your group has been criticized, you are especially welcome here. Let’s start fresh together.

Everyone pursues their own project, and everyone gets support

Years ago I was involved in the Ron Paul Meetup groups. One thing worked beautifully there: everyone was encouraged to pursue the project they cared about most, and then the group and its leaders supported them voluntarily. Nobody was told what to do. People supported each other because they built trust with each other.

We will work the same way. You might want to start a monthly Community Connect event, organize a shelter supply drive, host a transitioning-to-vegan cooking night, or write letters about animal testing laws. Bring your idea, and the network will help you find people, resources and encouragement.

Our values, simply stated

• Compassion for all. Every animal, human and non-human, deserves to thrive.
• Nonviolence. In our actions, our words, and how we treat each other and those who disagree with us.
• Welcome. All diets, backgrounds, faiths, ages and political views are welcome. We meet people where they are.
• Cooperation over competition. We lift up every group sincerely working for animals.
• Freedom and initiative. Members choose their own projects; the network supports them.
• Integrity and trust. We keep our commitments, and if we can’t, we say so.
• Honest, kind communication. We speak the truth with love and talk directly to each other.
• Care for the whole person. Body, mind and soul. We prevent burnout instead of rewarding it.

Circles for every interest

Some people want to stand at a vigil every week. Others want to bake for the shelter fundraiser. Both matter. The network is organized into small circles, and you can join as many or as few as you like. Here are some ideas. This circle organizing is inspired by Sociocracy 3.0.

• Transitioning to veganism: recipes, encouragement, and a buddy for anyone exploring plant-based living.
• Shelter and rescue support: volunteering, fostering, supply drives and adoption events.
• Animals in laboratories: beagles and other animals used in testing, and the laws that affect them.
• Political and legislative engagement: contacting lawmakers, testifying, and tracking bills, across party lines.
• Emotional support: a confidential space for grief, compassion fatigue and the weight of what we see.
• Dedicated activists: for those deeply involved in direct advocacy, a circle of peers who understand.
• Community events: potlucks, the monthly Community Connect, film nights and field trips.
• Jobs and business networking: helping members find work, hire each other, and grow kind businesses.
• Families: activities for members’ spouses, children and relatives, whether or not they are vegan.

Anyone can propose a new circle.

Many ways to connect

Travel is hard for many of us, including me. So every chapter offers several ways to take part: in-person gatherings, Zoom meetings, phone-in conference calls for people without good internet, an online group for everyday conversation, and an email newsletter. Our first chapter is a pilot that meets online, based here in Northwest Arkansas, so anyone in the region can join from home.

Gatherings

We plan to use Meetup to make the network easy to find, with small dues to cover that expense. Ideal meeting places are vegan restaurants or restaurants friendly to vegans, plus community rooms, libraries and members’ homes.

One project I hope someone takes on is a monthly Community Connect gathering. I have been refining this event for many years. It opens with a welcoming circle where each person briefly shares who they are, then people propose breakout conversations on whatever they care about (veganism, the environment, animal rights, health, jobs), and it closes with a short circle where everyone can share what they appreciated. It always includes a delicious vegan meal.

Supporting the whole person

We want people to leave every gathering more energized than when they came. That means real friendships, help when life gets hard, rides, meals when someone is sick, job leads, and celebrations. It means honoring people’s families, including relatives who don’t share our views. It means encouraging rest. Activism is a lifelong commitment, and we want people to still be here, healthy and joyful, years from now.

Many of us draw strength from faith or spiritual practice, and individuals are encouraged to nurture theirs. When we are together, we keep shared practices simple and open to everyone: a moment of silence, a few calming breaths, a word of gratitude.

How decisions are made

Not everyone wants to sit through business meetings, and nobody has to. If you just want to come and take part, wonderful.

Each chapter has a small core group that handles planning. It uses a simple form of consent decision-making: a proposal moves forward unless someone has a reasoned objection that it would harm the group, and objections are used to improve the proposal. Over time, chapters that want to can grow into the circle structure of sociocracy.

Anyone can give feedback at any time through a short form, at the end of any gathering, or by talking to the facilitator. Feedback is always read and answered. When a decision is needed and the group can’t reach consent, the designated person for that area makes the final call and explains why.

Facilitators, not bosses

Each chapter leader is a facilitator who serves the group. Facilitators apply, are interviewed like a job applicant, give references, and are mentored weekly by the founding facilitator, currently me, with my dear friend Barbara Hulley serving as an advisor. Facilitators from every chapter support each other in an online group. They serve set terms and can be replaced simply and without drama if the role isn’t working. No one person can take over the group.

Come help build it

This is just the beginning, and it needs many hands and hearts. If something here speaks to you, whether you want to help start the Northwest Arkansas pilot, start a chapter where you live, lead a circle, host a gathering, or simply come and enjoy the company, please reach out. A text is the best way to reach me: Patricia, (479) 313-0414.

Read more: A New Purpose for All Beings Sanctuary: Bringing Animal Lovers Together and A Directory of Animal Rights Organizations.

A few insights

• An umbrella doesn’t do the work of the groups under it. It keeps them dry long enough to keep going.
• Unity grows from small, repeated kindnesses between groups: sharing a calendar, showing up for each other’s events, giving credit in public.
• Letting people choose their own projects, then supporting them, builds more lasting energy than assigning tasks.

How we wrote this together

This article was written by Patricia Mikkelson, a resident of the Living Springs Log House, together with Claude.ai, an AI assistant made by Anthropic. Patricia brought nearly fifty years of community building, from a natural foods co-op to the Vegan Network of Arkansas, the Community Connect gatherings, and the Ron Paul Meetups. Claude helped gather those lessons and research how other movements organize, then shaped them into one welcoming invitation in Patricia’s voice. What stood out to both of us was how the same few ideas kept coming back across every project: welcome everyone, support people’s own initiative, and never compete with the people you are trying to help.