For information on a vegetarian student in Costa Rica, see
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2012/06/01/can-an-exchange-student-live-on-a-vegan-diet-in-costa-rica/

Sarah Alper, a VRG volunteer who is a sophomore in college and is planning to study in Latin America next year, writes:

I’m not sure that I know any vegans who’ve studied abroad in Costa Rica, especially through programs for high school students. The main program that comes to mind as being a possibility is Living Routes (http://www.livingroutes.org/), which focuses on sustainability and has semester programs in CR as well as summer programs in Brazil, Peru, and Australia. I know they accept gap year (before college) kids; I am not sure about students under 18. From their website, it sounds like they’re very amenable to vegan participants:

“Q. What is the food like on the programs?
A. Almost all meals are included in the cost of the program, and consist of healthy vegetarian fare made from local ingredients. There are vegan options and a good deal of the food is organically grown in the host communities. Homestay families make an effort to accommodate special dietary needs as well.”

The School for Field Studies (http://www.fieldstudies.org/) has a summer program in Costa Rica, but I think it’s intended for undergrads–perhaps something to keep in mind for the future. According to their website, vegan students have successfully participated in the past:

“Student Dietary Preferences, such as a vegan or vegetarian diet may be accommodated, but the variety of food may be limited due to the location of the program, travel schedules, etc. Due to the group nature of the SFS experience, the cooks are unable to prepare individual meals. Although past vegan students have found our meals to be both delicious and sufficient, please be prepared to bear any additional costs associated with veganism or any special dietary requirements.”

Based on what I know about the typical Costa Rican diet, which includes lots of rice and beans, as well as fresh fruit, as opposed to that of other countries in Latin America where meat is more central, it seems relatively easy to follow a vegan diet in Costa Rica.

How can you peacefully share a kitchen space with non-vegetarians?

Moving into a place with new people, whether they are your friends or people you’ve never met before, can be hard, especially if they are new to the concept of vegetarianism. How can you explain to them what your boundaries are, and how can you respect theirs? After a year at college, living with three people, I have some advice to offer on peaceful cohabitation:

Decide what your boundaries are, within reasonable limits:

• What are you comfortable with? If you’re sharing dishes and kitchenware, make a set of rules that everyone can follow, like, “If you use my pot to cook meat in, please clean it yourself afterwards,” or “Please mark things in the fridge that aren’t vegetarian.” If your requests seem arbitrary to them, then explain, politely, why you feel that way. One analogy that I’ve found works well is telling them to act as if you’re “allergic” to animal products.

Keep communication open, and be polite:

• If something comes up that you’re not happy with, let them know. If one of my roommates forgot to clean a dish of mine after cooking with meat on it, I gently reminded her, and no one ever made the same mistake twice.

Respect their food:

• However you personally feel about meat, what they do in the kitchen is their business. Moralizing about the ethics of eating animals is not something your roommates should have to hear every time they sit down to dinner. Telling them that the steak they’re about to enjoy might shorten their lifespan isn’t likely to do anything but annoy them. There’s a time and a place for arguments, and it’s not at the dinner table.

Share!

• Nothing breeds converts like showing people how tasty animal-free food can be. If you have time, bake some vegan cookies and put them out for the people you’re living with. You can find lots of recipes online here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/index.htm#Recipes

As long as you and your roommates are willing to respect each other and open about how you’d like to keep the kitchen, living together isn’t really that difficult. It may take a few weeks for them to remember your system, but above all, be patient. A little positivity can go a long way!

Written by Rebecca Kaplan while interning with VRG

Starting a vegetarian club in high school is a powerful way to spread the word about the nutritional benefits, animal rights issues and the ecological advantages of vegetarianism. Bringing together individuals with similar ideas and interests makes advocating more enjoyable and productive. When it comes to activism, numbers are important. Every person brings something new and different to the table. Having a multitude of diverse perspectives and skills is valuable when it comes to formulating and executing successful advocacy efforts.

The first step in starting a vegetarian group is to identify the purpose of the club; it could be as simple as educating your peers about the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Later in the process, when you meet with school administrators about starting the club, it will be helpful to be prepared for the questions they will ask. If you can, seek out a core group that can help you start the club. If you do not already have people in mind, you could hang up posters with your contact information around school asking for volunteers who are interested in helping start the club.

Next, you should speak with a school administrator about the necessary steps in starting an official school sponsored club. When I started a vegetarian club in high school, I went straight to the principal to get the necessary forms. Many high schools require that the student interested in founding the club finds a teacher who is willing to serve as the sponsor. In some cases this means that the teacher should also be willing to hold the club meetings in his or her classroom, but this is not always the case. If you do not have a teacher in mind, try asking your friends if they have any ideas. Some schools require signatures in order to demonstrate that students are interested and willing to attend the club’s meetings; these should not be difficult to gather. Kitty Jones, a recent high school graduate, says that her high school required 5 primary members, a mission statement, and the completion of a small form.

The following list includes vegetarian club activities and projects initiated by Kitty’s animal rights club and my high school’s vegetarian club:

• Contact a vegetarian organization and ask for them to send you free flyers, pamphlets, and stickers, or print the PDF handouts that can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/.
• Vegan bake sales are a great way to raise money for animal rights or vegetarian organizations, and for letting people taste how delicious vegan food really is. You can even have a group baking party so everyone can be involved and become better acquainted.
• Give away free vegan samples at school or in the community; you can also attach a vegetarian pamphlet to the food.
• Movie screenings are a great way to educate and bring people together. Forks Over Knives, Earthlings, Food, Inc. and The Cove are great movies for those interested in vegetarianism and animal rights.
• Organize a group work day at a local animal sanctuary or shelter.
• At a local fast food or other type of restaurant give out flyers or coupons promoting their vegetarian options; for example a veggie burger at Burger King, a vegan burrito at Chipotle, or the testing of a vegan sandwich at Subway.
• Hold a cat toy and dog treat making party for local shelters.
• Conduct a supply drive for local animal sanctuaries.
• Start a school-wide petition against dissection.
• Petition for the school to offer more vegan options, such as soymilk and veggie burgers in the cafeteria. For more information, see: http://www.vrg.org/teen/high_school_cafeteria.php.
• Campaign for district-wide Meat Free Mondays.
• Host dinner nights where members of the club can cook a vegetarian meal together, relax, and hang out.
• Organize a raffle fundraiser to raise money for the club in order to cover the cost of food handouts and bake sale supplies.
• Promote a “kindness to animals week” where students can sign pledges of kind things they will do for animals (like go vegetarian for a day, week, or forever, boycott the circus, etc.) and post them all over the school.
• Prepare a discussion topic or theme for every meeting to help keep things structured.
• Take turns bringing in vegetarian-related articles to promote an environment of collaborative learning.
• Take group photos holding signs that address a particular company, followed by “stop testing on animals,” and mail it to that company.
• As a group, host an animal rights information table in the student lounge or other area with a lot of student traffic.

Invite guest speakers such as local activists in your community or leaders in local animal rights organizations.

• Make animal shaped posters advertising the club, meeting time, and location.

If your school uses video announcements, make a creative video to promote your club. If you do not have a video camera, use photos to create a stop motion video using fruits and vegetables. For inspiration, check out the one I made in high school: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHDneuS4vY

• Prepare PowerPoint presentations to help inform the club about issues such as animal testing and the hidden animal ingredients that vegetarians sometimes overlook.
• Ask your librarian if your club could create an animal rights library display complete with vegetarian books, cookbooks, and vegetarian pamphlets.
• Ask the activities director at your school if you could sell vegan snacks at school events, and be sure to include a sign indicating that the food is cruelty-free and vegan.
• Use some of the club’s earnings to purchase an animal suit to wear to help bring attention to your campaigns and advocacy efforts.
• Organize events to celebrate World Vegetarian Day on October 1st and National Meatout Day on March 20th.
• Create a design for a club t-shirt and take it to a local shirt screening business. Wearing cool vegetarian shirts around school is a great way to make the group known.
• Create a Facebook page for you student group where you can post up-to-date information about the vegetarian movement and send out invites to activities and events.
• Contact local vegetarian/vegan restaurants and ask if they would be willing to donate food to your group meetings. A bakery near Kitty’s school donated over-baked vegan donuts which helped boost the meeting turn out.
• Start a vegetarian mentoring program within your school. Interested club members can serve as mentors to those looking for guidance as they make the transition to a vegetarian diet. This program is also useful for vegetarians who are looking to become vegan.

Be creative about the promotion of your club and the activities you plan. Feel free to think of things not listed in this article and be sure to ask your group for ideas. An important thing to always emphasize is the inclusiveness of the club; an open membership is the best way to reach the most people. Never exclude someone from your club because they are not vegetarian. It may be helpful to hold elections at the second or third club meeting. It is a good idea to elect a president who will lead the meetings, a vice president who plans events, a treasurer who handles funds, and a secretary who records and reads minutes. If your club is smaller, you may want to combine officer tasks to only a few positions; if your club becomes larger, you may want to add additional officers, such as a publicity officer.

Remember that even when only a few people attend, you are still making an impact. Even on days when nobody showed up at meetings, Kitty sat by herself writing letters urging companies to be more compassionate toward animals. Independent projects such as this are still tremendously helpful, and Kitty’s friends later told her how her dedication inspired them. Starting a vegetarian club is hugely rewarding and easier than you would think. A single vegetarian holds great potential in terms of who he or she may influence; a group of vegetarians working together holds even more. Vegetarian clubs are a powerful force for the vegetarian movement. Though you may get frustrated at times, remember that if you work hard enough, your group will only gain momentum, the going will get easier, and you will accomplish more than you ever thought imaginable.

For more information about starting a student group, see: http://www.vrg.org/activist/student.htm and http://www.vrg.org/blog/2012/06/25/how-can-you-start-a-vegan-club-in-high-school/.

Designing your own service project that engages with an issue you and your friends care passionately about can be an extremely rewarding and enjoyable experience. In high school, my friends and I distributed free vegetarian burritos to the homeless. Our project was simple: we would fundraise, use the money to purchase and prepare burritos, and distribute them to the homeless.

This project was an informal operation, and sometimes my friends and I would use the ingredients we found in whatever house we happened to be hanging out in. Other times, we would ask our friends and family for money or we’d contribute from our own pockets. Burritos are just about the easiest and cheapest thing to make, and how you make them can really just depend on what ingredients are available at the grocery store. Its saves money to buy unprepared, bagged beans, and you can cook, drain, and mash them up to create your own refried beans. Spread them on some flour tortillas with a bit of chunky salsa, sautéed peppers and onion, and you’ve got a delicious, nutritious, cheap meal. You can use wax paper to wrap the burrito and secure it with a rubber band. My friends and I drove to the locations where homeless people were known to be, and we passed the burritos out to anyone who wanted one.

Some cities have strict regulations when it comes to feeding the homeless, so be sure to do a bit of research before you get started. Depending on where you live, it might be a good idea to work with an already established organization. You can work with them to incorporate healthier, meat-less options. Find cheap vegetarian recipes that can be easily prepared, and share them with the organization providing the meals. Inform them about the nutritional benefits of meal-less meals, and advocate that the homeless deserve better, more nutritious foods.

Though my friends and I would often eat burritos together, and the project was initially an extension of this time we spent together, Operation Burrito was also something that was very meaningful to us. My first year as a vegan was a time of great confusion, realization and frustration. Before becoming vegan, I was vegetarian for four years. Motivated by a deep appreciation and love for animals, I was not yet aware of the environmental degradation coinciding with an omnivorous diet, the health benefits of a vegan diet, or the implications meat eating has on global food distribution. The latter was what inspired me to become vegan, and my new found understanding of my relation to such pervasive global food inequity was difficult for me to comprehend. I could not understand why the astounding nature of global food disparities – and how truly unsustainable meat consumption is – had not been revealed to me sooner, and worse, why nobody seemed to care.

Operation Burrito provided me a way to channel my frustration with such widespread food injustice in a way that would allow me to help my community. It was a platform for critical discussion among my friends, and was a way for us to make a small difference in the lives of those unable to attain enough food. Our efforts were appreciated by those who ate our burritos, and we were, in a small way, able to feel slightly better about our place in the global scheme of things.

From its start when she was in third grade, Gretchen’s vegetarianism was a struggle for her family to understand. “Being from Iowa,” says
Gretchen, “the diet is typically a ‘meat and potatoes’ type of meal.” Gretchen began to question this lifestyle that was so inherent to her
family from a young age. To her, the idea of eating something that was once alive and breathing seemed “like the most selfish thing,” and she
decided to stop eating meat.

In her first year of high school, Gretchen began working at Fresh Café and Market, a restaurant serving fresh and seasonal smoothies and sandwiches. Before Gretchen was employed at Fresh Café and Market, it did serve fish and chicken, but since she joined their staff, she encouraged and assisted them to stop selling any meat or fish. This job has demonstrated and increased Gretchen’s awareness about vegetarian issues, knowledge about vegetarian health, and dedication to the vegetarian lifestyle. Through her job, she talks to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike about the health benefits of vegetarianism and the reasons for living a meat-free life.

Gretchen also has devoted over 200 hours to community service during high school. She worked on the student board of Meals from the Heartland, a group that provides vegetarian meals to hungry people in Des Moines, as well as Haiti and some parts of Africa and the United States. This year, Gretchen helped organize fundraisers and made over $1,500 for the organization. She also has given her time at a local animal shelter, as a dog volunteer, making sure the dogs stay happy and get an adequate amount of attention each day.

Gretchen hopes to continue influencing people to lead healthier vegetarian lifestyles throughout college and plans to study dietetics. “I know I can make a huge difference in the lives of people by promoting natural and vegetarian living,” says Gretchen.

For more information about The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships, see http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To donate towards future scholarships, please visit http://www.vrg.org/donate

By Hillary Blunt, VRG Intern

Kitty is an activist every day of her life, because, according to her, “animal and environmental rights are what my life is based around.” From
passing out vegan samples in a cow suit at the local farmers market, leading a vegan bake sale at her school, handing out vegan starter
packs, preparing for vegan outreach events, to leafleting to the general public, Kitty keeps herself busy with vegetarian grass roots activism.
Kitty has educated countless individuals about the benefits of a vegetarian diet through hosting animal rights film screenings, dedicating many hours to volunteering, urging her school to collect more vegetarian products for the food drive, passing out recipes, collecting and distributing vegetarian food to the homeless, hosting fund-raisers, and campaigning for a district wide Meatless Monday school menu. Kitty’s
unyielding commitment to making the world a better place is remarkably inspiring.

Kitty has introduced compassionate eating choices to her classmates by holding vegan potlucks, passing out vegan samples with pamphlets
attached, taking friends out to vegan restaurants, and inviting animal rights speakers to give presentations at her school. Kitty is founder
and president of her high school’s animal rights club and conducts outreach with the Seattle Animal Defense League, Northwest Animal Rights Network, Action for Animals, and The Humane Society. As campaign intern for The Humane Society, Kitty gathered over 10,000 signatures during the summer of 2011, more than any other volunteer in the history of that organization’s initiative campaigns. Additionally, Kitty started a “Housecleaning for the Greater Good” business in which all proceeds are donated to animal rights organizations.

Kitty plans to pursue environmental science so she may protect the rainforest and work to alleviate the unsustainable and environmentally degrading effects of factory farming and animal agriculture. Veganism is a critical aspect of Kitty’s life; in order for her to live happily, she feels she must do all she can to encourage others to take social responsibility and put the lives of others and the health of the environment before their own personal pleasures. An unstoppable catalyst for the animal rights, vegetarian, and environmental movements, Kitty’s impeccable perseverance, dedication, and enthusiasm will undoubtedly promote change for the better.

VRG sponsors two annual $5,000 scholarships for graduating high school seniors who have promoted vegetarianism in their communities. For more information on the scholarship, visit http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm.

To donate to the scholarship fund, go to www.vrg.org/donate and write scholarship in the comments.

By Shelby Jackson, VRG Intern

SUBJECT: 2-3 page essay on any aspect of vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is not eating meat, fish, and birds (for example, chicken or duck). Among the many reasons for being a vegetarian are beliefs about ethics, culture, health, aesthetics, religion, world peace, economics, world hunger, and the environment.

Entrants should base their paper on interviewing, research, and/or personal opinion. You need not be a vegetarian to enter. All essays become the property of The Vegetarian Resource Group.

ENTRY CATEGORIES:

• A. Age 14-18.
• B. Age 9-13.
• C. Age 8 and under.

PRIZES: A $50 savings bond will be awarded in each category.

DEADLINE: Must be postmarked by May 1 for each current year of judging.

SEND ENTRIES TO: The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

FAX: (410) 366-8804. Include your name, address, telephone number, age, grade, school, and teacher’s name.

Click here to read essays from past winners.

My school cafeteria has veggie burgers but they're cooked on the same grill with hamburgers, which makes me not want to eat them. What can I do?

This is an issue that many vegetarians face. It can be awkward and uncomfortable to voice your concerns, especially in a forum like your high school cafeteria. Do not fear – there are numerous steps you can take to rectify this problem, and people are often more willing to alter their ways than you might think!

If this works for you, one suggestion is to ask whoever it is that does the cooking whether they'd be willing to clean the grill before heating your burger. Make sure to be kind and respectful – they have a lot on their plate! I have made this request even in sandwich shops, and the cooks are always more than happy to create a fresh slate on which to warm my cruelty-free patty.

If that doesn't work, contact your school's foodservice supervisor. If there is a problem with this, or you feel uncomfortable going against the grain, arrange a meeting with the school principal. Explain to the principal that since vegetarian lifestyles are becoming more and more common, it would be good to address this in the cafeteria's menu. The principal will hopefully have the interest to either speak to the cafeteria staff directly, or to schedule a meeting with the direct supervisors of the cafeteria staff about this issue.

If you are not comfortable with just cleaning the grill, you may want to prepare the burger in a microwave. Another idea is to incorporate a separate wok or something of that nature to use atop the general grill for the vegetarian selections. This way you won’t have to endure a microwaved lunch when the hamburgers are prepared in a superior fashion!

Yet another approach you could do is find out from the school principal or vice principal whether your school would be willing to add a vegetarian station, or acquire a new grill – even a small one, for veggie burgers. Think of this as a collaboration – the foodservice supervisors have a great deal of financial restrictions and guidelines that need to be met. Work with them and try to assist in finding a solution that benefits all parties involved. If you feel uncomfortable going to someone like the principal or vice principal on your own, talk to a trusted teacher. The teacher could be willing to broach the subject for you with the school administrators.

If for some reason those you contact are uncooperative (and I don't think they will be), you can move up the ladder and contact the foodservice head at the school district level or your school district's administration about the issue. You could take this on by writing a letter to the superintendent and/or school committee members in your area.

For best results, stay positive and supportive of the school food service staff. Ultimately, you want them to buy into the changes that you are requesting and to feel good about these new ways of doing things. Understand what they are up against. The idea is to help them solve issues and meet needs.

Written by Amanda Matte while interning with VRG

The Rules:

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about vegetarianism and/or veganism.

Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and vegetarianism, vegetarianism and animal rights, or other vegetarian topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already made.

Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to share the video with others.

Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and share the video with the media.

DEADLINE: April 20, 2012

Please e-mail to vrg@vrg.org:

1. Your name
2. Street Address, City, State, Zip
3. Phone number
4. E-mail contact
5. Indicate if 18 or older. If you are under 18, please include a parent or guardian's permission for entry and use of the video.
6. A brief statement on why you are interested in vegetarianism.
7. A link to your video.
8. Include Vegetarian Video in the subject line of the e-mail.

Click through to read the rest of the scholarship rules »

Share VRG’s Video!

Check out VRG’s video, "A Hunter’s Guide to His Vegetarian Daughter and His Vegan Son," and share with your friends!

Check out other vegetarian videos here »

For information about VRG’s scholarship for high school seniors, see http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

For information about our internships, see http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

VRG also offers The Eleanor Wolff Scholarship which is a paid summer internship ($2,500 plus $1,000 toward housing) at VRG’s Baltimore office. Here’s what our interns have had to say about their experiences: http://www.vrg.org/student

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Link to our scholarship on the web!

Copy the text below to use this image to promote our scholarship on your website!

<a href="http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm"><img src="http://www.vrg.org/img/home/scholarship_banner.jpg" width="195" height="135" alt="Vegetarian Resource Group College Scholarships!" /></a>

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Would you like to sponsor a scholarship or internship? This provides a tremendous opportunity for students who are doing some great work promoting vegetarianism.
Click here to read about past scholarship winners (right-hand side).
Click here to read about past Eleanor Wolff Scholarship winners.