Committed Vegan And Activist

A gathering of Veg Youth in the park at Takoma Park, MD.

Chloe Falkenheim, still a teenager, is a committed vegan and activist. She could probably date her love of animals back to age three when she saw the movie Chicken Run and realized that chickens could become meals for people. That outlook and compassion continued through age nine when she looked at the meat on her plate and realized that she could no longer eat it. That's when she went vegan.

Chloe had the support of her parents, who served her meatless meals, despite the fact that they never gave up eating meat. Growing up yet some more, at the age of fourteen, she saw some videos about factory farms and the cruel treatment that the animals received and knew that she had to go beyond her personal choice of being vegan.



At the age of sixteen and in the eleventh grade, Chloe decided to form VEGYOUTH, especially designed to address the issues of youth like her, who are committed to the animals suffering mistreatment and wanting to change their diets. Most teens still live with their parents and have to handle how to break the news to parents that they want to become vegan in a household where they don't control significant aspects of their lives. Then also there is the issue of how to meet others their age with the same desire. Then, there are the difficulties of operationalizing their views into something that is expressed in the world around them, without a large amount of financial resources.

The website is Vegetarian and Vegan Youth and it addresses the issues that Chloe identified. There is an entire section under the header Choosing Veg that addresses the what veganism involves and how to address the issues and objections involved in being part of a family that may not share your views. The section under Student Clubs gives the reader guidelines about creating their own school clubs and helps their developers and other students get together with others who share similar feelings and commitments.

Then under Get Involved is the connection through social media to make contact with others, who share the same commitment. Youth can even share their own journeys with their peers. Then there is the Donate button, which leads to fundraising ideas and places for businesses and individuals to donate. The website takes an individual decision and commitment to a vegan lifestyle into the wider world of school and even worldwide activism. This is a teen who put her commitments into action.

Chloe Falkenheim (left) with Jane Velez-Mitchell at 2015 NYC Veg Food Fest.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/chloe-falkenheim-youth-vegetarian-alliance/ and information from the above link.

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