Voiceless Grants Program inspires the next generation of changemakers for animals
In 2022, Voiceless continued to work towards a just and equitable world where animals can flourish by investing in changemakers, visionary organisations and initiatives that reform our social and political systems. Below were the next generation of changemakers for animals that we selectively hand-picked and partnered with in 2022:
Little Oak Sanctuary Australian Alliance for Animals Israeli Human and Animal Institute Farm Transitions Australia City of Dogs, Ukraine
Voiceless and Little Oak Sanctuary inspiring today’s youth to be tomorrow’s changemakers
Kate and James Luke, co-founders of Little Oak Sanctuary, were our first grant recipients for 2022.
Like Voiceless, Little Oak Sanctuary believes in the power of education to create a brighter future for all animals. Little Oak has recently launched an empathy-based education program for primary school-aged children called ‘The Compassionate Classroom’. The program connects educators and parents with the tools and resources they need to help kids explore and understand farmed animals and the issues that impact them. Voiceless has partnered with Little Oak to help the program thrive and reach a larger audience so that kids from a young age can make kinder, more empathetic choices for all animals.
Learn more about upcoming courses at The Compassionate Classroom and Little Oak Sanctuary.
School-aged children participating in Little Oak Sanctuary’s Compassionate Classroom program with rescued ex-farmed animals, Charlotte the pig and Molly the mule.
Voiceless and the Australian Alliance for Animals to fix our broken animal welfare system
We were proud to partner with the newly formed Australian Alliance for Animals by supporting their animal law and policy reform program with a Voiceless Grant. Voiceless has also joined forces with the AAA as a core member.
In Australia, the systems used to create laws and policies concerning animal welfare are broken and outdated. Australian animals deserve action to end cruel practices and industries, and a decision-making process that includes establishing an Independent Office of Animal Welfare ensures their interests are increasingly heard and respected.
Voiceless campaigned for creating a national independent animal welfare office for many years. We are thrilled to collaborate with the Alliance to achieve historical and beneficial reforms for Australian animals.
Australian Alliance for Animals Co-Founders from left to right: Dr Meg Good, Dr Bidda Jones AM and Dr Jed Goodfellow.
Voiceless and the Israeli Human and Animal Institute work together to change the curriculum in Israel
We have always believed that today’s youth are tomorrow’s changemakers. If we can educate and inspire them to show greater kindness and empathy to all living things, the world will be a more just and equitable place for all animals.
We were proud to partner with the impactful, youth-focused organisation, The Israeli Human and Animal Institute, to support their primary school, empathy-based education program by awarding them a Voiceless Grant. The grant funded the second rollout of the Animal Studies education program from 2nd and 3rd grade to 4th and 5th-grade students in early 2023.
The ‘Animals With Us’ coursework program encourages human and animal connection via video and web-based tools. It is approved for the Science curriculum and is a partnership with the country’s biggest textbook supplier, and will be available for teaching in up to 600 primary schools across Israel.
Quote from 3rd Grade Teacher who taught the ‘Animals with Us’ coursework program.
Voiceless supports farmers in embracing a plant-based future
Voiceless was proud to invest in Farm Transitions Australia (FTA), a unique and innovative organisation providing free assistance, tools, resources and business support services to animal-based farmers wanting to transition their farms and embrace new opportunities in plant-focused agriculture Krystal Camilleri’s (Founder of FTA) vision is to create a sustainable and ethical plant-focused food system for Australia. A food system that is economically, environmentally and socially aware. A food system that respects all life – farmers, animals and our climate, and one that promotes biodiversity, uses less land and demonstrates how cruelty-free values and business interests can work together to create a food system that benefits all.
Krystal speaks about your personal motivations for creating FTA and what fueled her determination for large-scale systemic change: “I had a deep connection with my original dairy rescues, Frankie and Fletcher, who remain in my care. Every day, they remind me how beautiful and sentient these animals are. But most of all, I feel morally obligated to the dairy mothers and babies I have left behind on dairy farms over the last three years. Each rescue fueled my determination to do more, and very quickly, I learnt that rescue and rehoming would never be enough. I also feel a strong sense of urgency that veganism alone is too slow. Dairy mothers need help now. I started searching for ways I could impact their lives on a much faster and more significant scale. I started changing my approach with farmers, spending more time asking them questions, building friendships, and trying to understand the issue from their perspective better. I quickly discovered that they are also victims of a broken system. They, too, need rescuing”.
To learn more about how they are supporting a sustainable and ethical food system, visit FTA’s website, watch their explainer video and download their farmer information brochure.
Founder of Farm Transitions Australia, Krystal Camilleri with her rescued bobby calves.
Voiceless emergency grant for impacted animals in war-torn Ukraine
Voiceless has been deeply saddened about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its impact on our human and animal friends. We recently took the opportunity to send an emergency grant to The City of Dogs shelter to fund their monthly food, heating and medicinal costs. The shelter oversees the care of 165 dogs, 22 cats and 2 lambs, all abandoned and left behind in the city of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, after the Russian invasion.
Abandoned dog now rescued by the Ukrainian shelter, The City of Dogs.