30 Second Summary
This article shares We The Free’s origin story—from the early excitement of street outreach to the tough realization that many activists were burning out, facing hostility, and struggling within fragmented groups. A major global survey confirmed these problems and inspired a small team to build what the movement was missing: community support, effective training, and data-driven strategy. Despite early challenges that nearly stopped the project before it began, WTF pushed forward under renewed leadership and officially launched in 2021. Today, it has grown into a global network empowering thousands of activists to create meaningful change for animals.
2018 has been referred to by many news outlets as the year that veganism “went mainstream”, with record signups for Veganuary, labeled vegan options being the norm in restaurants and supermarkets everywhere, and a string of high profile celebrity endorsements.
There were thousands of active street outreach teams sparking conversations with people about veganism. Many activists, us included, felt excitement and hope that this was a turning point in the battle against animal exploitation, and yet, in our hundreds of conversations with members of the public, things didn’t seem to be getting better.
I traveled across the UK, getting involved in all kinds of activism—marches, disruptions, farm investigations, and street outreach. I had thousands of conversations with strangers, hoping to spark some compassion. But by 2019, I was heartbroken. I saw most people show utter indifference to unimaginable suffering. Fellow advocates, trying to make the world kinder, were met with ridicule and hostility. Worst of all, the very activist groups trying to create change for animals were tearing themselves apart with toxic communication and in-fighting. The result? Some of the most experienced activists I knew left the movement, and animal slaughter numbers were still rising every year. - James Hattersley, Executive Director of We The Free
In Autumn 2019, a group of peers launched the “Animal Rights Activism Survey,” the largest of its kind, completed by over 1,100 vegan activists globally. The results confirmed our fears: one-third of activists reduced or stopped their work after just two years, citing burnout and toxic communication. Less than 10% of leaders felt adequately trained, and fewer than 5% of activists were collecting data to measure their impact. Over half reported issues with leadership. These findings were a wake-up call.
Using the survey as a blueprint, We The Free (WTF) was born. Our mission was clear: build a resilient, supportive community of animal defenders, provide free professional-level training to the movement, and use research and data to maximize our impact for animals. But it wasn’t easy. A founding team member was accused of serious misconduct, which nearly destroyed the organization before it had a chance to launch. Volunteers left, and our reputation was in jeopardy. James Hattersley, a deeply introverted manager from the social care sector, had no intention of leading the organization, but for its survival, he stepped into the role of Executive Director. He recruited two brilliant new leaders, Zachary Champoux and Jen Deighan-Schenk, and in Autumn 2021, We The Free officially launched.
We’ve faced our share of challenges, but we’ve learned from every mistake. Over the past few years we built the infrastructure to support thousands of activists globally. Today, We The Free is the fastest-growing vegan street advocacy organization in the world, empowering activists to lead and create real change for animals.
