New Roots Institute

💼 Join our team! We're hiring for multiple roles including: 🌱 Organizing & Campaign Specialist 🌱 Digital Marketing Specialist 🌱 Development Manager If you are looking to work towards a mission of empowering the next generation to end factory farming, we encourage you to apply! https://hubs.ly/Q02THtT40

At the end of August, New Roots Institute employees gathered in Seattle for Big Rocks Week, a staff retreat centered on strengthening our culture and solidifying our 2025 strategic plan. 📋 💡 We tackled big questions, like how to reach highly-engaged students across the country, witnessed each other’s talents during game night, and explored the outdoors on group hikes. Our role in connecting the movement starts with building strong relationships among our staff. And after carefully planning our objectives and spending quality time together, we’re feeling a surge of momentum heading into the fall. Flip through our moments of intense focus and intense joy here. ☀️ #newrootsinstitute #foodsystem #nonprofit #teambuilding #endfactoryfarming #staffretreat #strategicplanning

Building a just and sustainable food system starts with building community. 🌱 Last week, New Roots Institute community members and movement leaders connected over plant-based BBQ dishes, courtesy of chefs Babette Davis and Chris Tucker. At the sunny outdoor event in Los Angeles, attendees enjoyed meeting new advocates, participating in a live cooking demo, and discussing the impact New Roots Institute fellows are driving in their communities. 🌟 "The event brought together individuals from all walks of life to celebrate food as a powerful and transformative force for change. I saw New Roots student leaders actively engaging with one another and strengthening the student advocacy community in Los Angeles," said Natalie Amezcua, M.A Humane Education, New Roots Institute's lead educator in Los Angeles. She continued, "New Roots is not just about educating and training the next generation of leaders; it's about positioning them at the center of the movement. We aim to provide every platform possible to ensure their voices and contributions are amplified and recognized." We look forward to hosting more events that bring together people from a variety of industries, all united in the mission to end factory farming. Thank you for joining us! 💜

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been accepted into the New Roots Institute 2024-2025 Academic Year Fellowship! 🎉 As I continue my journey with New Roots, I’m looking forward to working on impactful projects that focus on extending protections for animals through the ballot initiative process. This fellowship is an incredible opportunity to deepen my skills in campaign strategizing, mobilizing team members, recruiting volunteers, fundraising and to collaborate with a network of passionate individuals dedicated to making a real difference. Over the course of this fellowship, I aim to develop innovative strategies to advance a grassroots ballot initiative campaign. I’m eager to learn, grow, and contribute to meaningful change within my community and beyond. Thank you to the team at New Roots Institute for this amazing opportunity—I’m excited to get started and make a positive impact! #NewRootsInstitute #Leadership #Fellowship #Ballotinitiative #Endanimalcruelty

I’m excited to share that I’ll be attending Climate Week in NYC and moderating a thought-provoking discussion at #FoodDay. 🌱 It means a lot to me that factory farming, one of the most destructive industries on the planet, is an area of focus within climate spaces and conversations. I’m motivated by the recent climate-friendly eating initiatives in NYC, like the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge from NYC Office of the Mayor and the New York University Plant-Based Food Festival. Joined by dedicated leaders Natalia Paine (Rare), Emilie Fitch (People For Better Food), and Samantha Derrick (Plant Futures), I’ll be moderating a panel on “Fostering a Plant-Rich Culture: Strategies for Widespread Dietary Change” on Tuesday, September 24th. Sign up to attend here! https://lnkd.in/gYVuTCCr Food Day at Climate Week NYC is hosted by Tilt Collective, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Bezos Earth Fund. During the panel, we’ll explore the complexities of fostering social change within the food system. Despite evidence that plant-rich diets benefit people, the planet, and animals, and a surge in plant-based innovation and interest, consumption of some plant-based products has started to wane, and demand for meat continues to rise.    To complement supply-side tactics like policy, product innovation and increasing availability, what needs to happen on the demand side to catalyze a mainstream, lasting shift toward plant-rich eating? We’ll dive into this question and more during our conversation. We hope to see you there! #foodsystem #climateweeknyc #climateweek #newrootsinstitute #cultureshift #foodday

I learned about the 8-week leadership program by the New Roots Institute and applied immediately when I read the words "end factory farming" - what a grand goal to work towards.🌱 Interacting with motivated and like-minded people was both reassuring and encouraging. I'm ready to explore my place and learn how each of us will find ours in the movement.🌿 Thanks to Shayna Rowbotham and Ryan Bulzan for answering all my questions in the Advocacy Amplified sessions. And the effective communication workshops by Jesse Tandler were superb! Special thanks to Tanwi Wangikar and my discussion group leader, Claire Deshaies for their support throughout. Thanks to my discussion group for the enriching conversations and to everyone who made this fellowship valuable for me. I highly recommend this program to anyone exploring their fit in this space, there's so much to gain! Feel free to reach me with any questions. Here's to a better world for ourselves, the animals, and the planet.🌎

This summer, I participated in a transformative 8-week fellowship program at the New Roots Institute through their Leadership Academy. Over the course of the program, I connected with aspiring leaders from more than 12 countries who share a commitment to ending factory farming. We were privileged to hear from over 70 experts across a range of fields, including health and wellbeing, policy and law, innovation and entrepreneurship, media arts and journalism, and organizing and campaigning. These sessions have equipped me with valuable skills to become a more effective leader, organizer, and communicator. Among the standout guest speakers were Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Joyce Tischler, and Robbie Lockie🚦. Several sessions particularly resonated with me, including: - The Power of Poetry in Activism - Intersection of Race, Gender, and Species in the Food System - Meat and Masculinity - An Introduction to Misinformation - Nothing About Us Without Us: Centering Disability in the Movement Against Factory Farming Before this fellowship, I knew I wanted to work in the food justice industry but was unsure of my specific focus or the scope of possibility within the movement. The New Roots experience has left me feeling inspired and hopeful about my future career and the possibility of contributing to a kinder, greener world in the way that best optimizes my own skills and interests. I am immensely grateful for the connections I've made and the support I've received. Special thanks to my discussion group leader, David Burnett, and my fellow group members: Raizzi Stein, Avani Srikanth, Bruni Fischer, Madisyn Gaither, Olman Pineda, Bhart Lal, Rebecca Zewdie, and Meghan Johnston, for their meaningful discussions and debates. I also want to extend my gratitude to the entire New Roots team behind the scenes, who worked tirelessly to organize such a wonderful and well-structured program. A special shoutout to Monica Chen, Lauren Ferrucci, Leo Balik, Tanwi Wangikar, Ryan Gourley, Brece Clark, Rowdy Keelor, Caroline Kraus, Natalie Amezcua, M.A Humane Education, Jesse Tandler, Keith Allison, Josh Kidwell, and Eleanor (Ellie) Grondin. And June O., thank you for introducing me to this opportunity. When one door seems to close, another opens. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this fellowship impactful for me. I look forward to seeing how each of us will forge our own paths toward the common goal of ending factory farming. It is an honor to embark on this journey with such strong support behind me. Now, let's go make the world a better place for one another, the animals, and the planet. It's something we all need. 🌎🌿

We're thrilled to announce the graduation of our latest cohort from the New Roots Institute Summer Leadership Academy! Over eight weeks, these exceptional high school and college students honed their skills to drive systemic change towards a more equitable and sustainable food system. Our diverse community spanned: 🌎 4 continents 🌎 21 U.S. states 🌎 12 countries Key focus areas included: 🌱 Environmental impact 🌱 Animal welfare 🌱 Social justice 🌱 Public health 🌱 Interventions to address factory farming Thank you to our exceptional partners and speakers for leading meaningful discussions for emerging leaders in the movement to end factory farming. Fellows engaged with expert speakers, exploring: ✏️ Policy & Law ✏️ Health & Well-Being ✏️ Media, Arts & Journalism ✏️ Innovation & Entrepreneurship ✏️ Organizing & Campaigning This academy serves as a springboard for emerging leaders. Through ongoing support systems, we ensure our fellows remain connected and empowered to create lasting change in the food system. We're excited to see how our graduates will transform their communities, locally and systemically. Learn more about the Leadership Academy: https://hubs.ly/Q02Mj1tB0 #LeadershipDevelopment #SustainableFood #GlobalImpact #NewRootsInstitute

We just wrapped up our 2024 Leadership Academy, the summer phase of our Leadership Development program. 🎉 From here, fellows will work on campaigns to drive change on their campuses and in their communities. Executive Director Monica Chen reflects on the importance of building a supportive community and seeking out moments of celebration.

🌱Planting New Roots 🌱 This summer, I had the privilege of being part of the New Roots Leadership Academy—a transformative 8-week experience. The academy brought together over 80 fellows from different backgrounds, all united by a shared commitment to making a difference. The diversity of perspectives provided a global view of the challenges we face and the solutions we can create together. Throughout the program, we delved into the complexities of factory farming and explored its connections to the environment, animal welfare, public health, and social justice. We had the chance to learn from nearly 70 experts from diverse fields, and I left each session feeling more informed, inspired, and ready to take action. Some of the sessions that stood out to me were 🌟 "Seeding Innovation" with T.K. Pillan, founder of Veggie Grill by Next Level and GroundForce Capital 🌟 "The Power of Communication and Language" with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, host of the Food for Thought podcast and founder of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge 🌟 "How One Little Nugget Can Change the World" with Christie Lagally of Rebellyous Foods These conversations gave me practical tools to apply in my work and inspired me to think more strategically about how I can contribute to this movement. One of my biggest takeaways? Activism isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey. We all have unique strengths, and the best way to create change is to lean into what drives us. 🌍✨ Thank you Becca Rogers for encouraging me to apply and being an incredible source of support throughout the program. I also want to thank my group leader David Burnett and my cohorts Sophie Cazares, Avani Srikanth, Bruni Fischer, Madisyn Gaither, Olman Pineda, Bhart Lal, Rebecca Zewdie, and Meghan Johnston for providing an engaging space for meaningful discussion. Lastly, I'd like to thank the entire New Roots team (Monica Chen, Lauren Ferrucci, Tanwi Wangikar, Leo Balik, Ryan Gourley, Brece Clark, Rowdy Keelor, Caroline Kraus, Natalie Amezcua, M.A Humane Education, Jesse Tandler, Lucy Whitney, Jessica Cohen, Lilly Smith, Abigail Crawford, Claire Deshaies, Keith Allison, Josh Kidwell, Eleanor (Ellie) Grondin, and Sara Wilson for creating such an inclusive and supportive environment for students to tackle tough topics and become proactive problem solvers. The connections I’ve made and the skills I’ve developed have been invaluable, and I’m excited to continue growing as a leader in this space. 💪 #Leadership #SustainableFoodSystems #Community #Growth #EndFactoryFarming #PlantBased