Advocates Who Thrive

Background:
Society’s most urgent challenges are in real need of people who advocate for change. Because despite all efforts, collectively we make insufficient progress: oceans are still full of plastic, factory farming is still rife, refugees still make perilous journeys to Europe, etc. And many people are motivated and even committed to contribute to the necessary societal changes, but they're not always aware of their opportunities or may be unable to realise their potential on their own or with the resources, support and competences they have at present.

Our mission:
We are here to help such people reach their full potential in advocating for societal change, by providing them with world-class training, coaching and networking opportunities.

Our vision:
To be one of the world’s leading training and development non-profit organisations that enables people to collectively make unprecedented change on important societal challenges.

Our standpoints and the world we want to see:
A society and world where…

… in relation to inclusion (of queer people, women, people of colour and black persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, migrants, and all the intersectionalities between them) and human rights:
… everyone feels safe, empowered and dignified being themselves, is respected for who they are, and is treated on the basis of equity without bias, backed up by laws and policies;
… there’s no place for policies, practices, attitudes, norms and behaviours that promote or result in discrimination, prejudice, bias, harassment and violence against these groups;
… everyone has access to affordable and quality housing, food, clean water, health care, education, energy, and public transportation, and can move freely across borders between nations.

… in relation to sustainability / rights of the Earth:
… soils, water bodies & the air are clean and healthy ;
… biodiversity is rich and ecosystems thrive;
… products & materials are circular and ethical.

… and in relation to animal rights:
… animals have legal rights, and the intrinsic value and natural behaviour of animals are no longer subject to economic interests;
… animals are liberated from the food chain, fashion system, entertainment purposes and laboratory testing;
… animals that live in the wild are left alone as much as possible, and animals held in captivity have a habitat that closely resembles how they would live in the wild.

Activities:
The activities through which we aim to achieve our mission are training courses, coaching services and networking events. These generally revolve around non-formal education and are highly interactive and participatory in nature. Training courses are mostly multi-day events during which a group of people from many different backgrounds but with a similar drive and passion come together to work on their commitment, confidence and competences to advocate for a specific cause within the broader range of issues mentioned above.

The team:
Our team is passionate about societal progress. Collectively the team has a rich experience in practising non-formal learning approaches as part of training courses, youth exchanges and local activities with hundreds of young people participating and in collaboration with 50+ organisations. Feel free to contact us about opportunities if reading all this got you excited!