The YLC connects like-minded peers nationwide, fostering a sense of community, amplifying youth voices, and providing the resources young activists need to maximize their impact.
These Inspiring Students Are Building a Kinder Future Right Now
These Inspiring Students Are Building a Kinder Future Right Now
Farm Sanctuary’s Youth Leadership Council (YLC) empowers young people aged 13-18 to advocate for farm animals and play an active role in building a more just, sustainable, and compassionate food system. This year, YLC members are completing inspiring projects focused on bringing about change in their schools, communities, and the world.
We’re proud to share some of the capstone projects being spearheaded by this year’s YLC members. These efforts are putting compassion into action today and have the potential to create change for future generations.
Below are just two of the many YLC projects inspiring us right now!
Hannah Is Making Easy Plant-Based Cooking Accessible
Motivated to help others choose kind, sustainable meals and inspired by what she learned from the team at Farm Sanctuary NY’s vegan cafe, Hannah is creating a guide to simple and affordable plant-based cooking at home.
Q: Can you share about your capstone project?
A: My capstone project is to create a Value Veggies plant-based cooking guide. I am compiling recipes that are all easy to make, affordable, and tasty. My search has mostly involved Google searches and finally trying saved Instagram reel recipes. So far, I have designed a format for my PDF cookbook and received some helpful advice from the cafe team at Farm Sanctuary about plant-based eating! Now, I am trying out different plant-based recipes and receiving feedback from my family on which ones I should add to my guide.
Q: What inspired you to complete this project?
A: I only recently entered the plant-based world a couple of years ago. I knew what vegan and vegetarian diets were, but I did not know anyone who practiced them. As a result, when I decided there were an overwhelming number of reasons to limit my meat intake, I struggled to know how to start without relying on prepackaged grocery store meals or hours of meal prep. This project was inspired by the guidance that I lacked from the people around me, but ultimately found in the plethora of online resources and social media chefs.
Q: What impact are you hoping to make with this project?
A: I am hoping this project will encourage others to take this practical guide and start implementing changes in their life to form a more sustainable diet. I hope this project will help others gradually phase out meat from their diet. Most importantly, I aim for this project to be accessible and easy for all. I am designing my guide with the intention of making every recipe affordable and simple to make.
Abby Is Exposing Speciesism and Inspiring Compassion
Following a stay at Farm Sanctuary, during which she watched the powerful film Speciesism, Abby felt empowered to raise awareness. She is making a film to expose why so many people see some animals as friends and others as food—and what we can do about it.
Q: Can you share about your project?
A: My capstone project is focused on the concept of speciesism and why people see commonly exploited animals as lesser beings than humans and common pets like cats and dogs. My plan is to conduct research through interviews with people from different perspectives. My hope is to see patterns of thought emerge that I can more thoroughly research and present to the YLC. I plan to debunk some of the moral inconsistencies as part of my Zine project. The stage I’m in now is finalizing questions and setting up interviews.
Q: What inspired you to complete this project?
A: My big inspiration for this project was the documentary Speciesism. I first watched this film during a stay at Farm Sanctuary. Before my stay there, I had never heard of speciesism, and the documentary really opened my eyes to a whole new form of prejudice, one against animals. It troubled me that we are given so many rights that animals will never get to experience. My experience and new knowledge ultimately led me to go from vegetarian to vegan. I thought that if I could make this change, others could too with the same awareness and knowledge.
Q: What impact do you hope to make with this project?
A: My hope for this project is to educate and inspire people like I was during my first stay at Farm Sanctuary. I want to educate people on the concept of speciesism and bring awareness of how it affects them and commonly exploited animals. I hope to inspire and give more information and tools to others who also want to make a difference.
Be a Youth Leader
You have the power to make a difference! Would you like to join Farm Sanctuary’s Youth Leadership Council? Submit our quick form to express your interest for the 2026-27 school year, and we’ll contact you once applications open in August 2026.
“Joining the YLC set the stepping stones for my advocacy. I felt seen as a youth advocate and loved connecting with other students who shared my passion, says former member Ava Cuevas. “I continued to join the program year after year because of the support from everyone, alongside the education, resources, and different opportunities students have to further their advocacy.”
We hope you’ll be part of the YLC, too!
