July 12, 2010

TAFA: What's It All About?

Nation's premier animal advocacy conference set to begin

The Humane Society of the United States

Animal protection advocates will show strength in numbers in the nation’s capitol at the annual Taking Action for Animals conference July 23-26. Activists from all over the country are gathering to network, learn effective ways to impact public policy, and lobby their lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate for legislation to improve animal welfare.

Lobbying For Animals 101

“Taking Action for Animals is definitely a great place to go for lobbying and networking,” says Beth Levine, a school teacher and animal protection activist from Raleigh, N.C., who attended the conference in 2008. “Learning how to lobby is one of the valuable skills I learned.”

As a result, she met her senator, Richard Burr (R-NC), and asked him to support the Great Ape Protection Act. The bill would phase out invasive research on chimpanzees in laboratories and retire the approximately 500 federally owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary.

“At TAFA, I connected with a lot of other animal activists, and now, if something comes up locally and I need experts, I know enough people in different organizations that I can call people up and they know who I am.”

Guess Who's There?

The speaker line-up at this year’s TAFA offers something for everyone and promises to pack the rooms:

• Noted animal advocate Nigel Barker, a renowned photographer and producer of films, documentaries, and commercials
• Hal Sparks, stand-up comedian and member of Second City Troupe, will perform during the TAFA banquet dinner
• California radio personality Jerry Cesak will address audiences during the plenary sessions
• Actress and animal advocate Wendie Malick brings star power to the culmination of the conference—Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, a chance for newly minted activists and old pros to meet with their legislators and/or staff
• Attendees also will hear from Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, and U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), The HSUS’ 2009 Humane Legislator of the Year
• Other speakers include Jonathan Balcombe, author of Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, and Meg Daley Olmert, author of Made For Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond

Learning the ABC's

One of the strengths of the TAFA workshop series is it provides training for advocates to work on behalf of animals in a variety of different settings—corporations, the political system, the media, and in their local communities.

“TAFA is for the seasoned activist, but it is also for the new activist,” said Nicole Paquette, who is helping to coordinate this year’s conference for The HSUS.

Workshops like “Building an Effective Campaign,” “Becoming A Citizen Lobbyist at the State and Federal Level,” “Social Media 101,” “Working With Law Enforcement and Shelters,” “Building a Better Future for Farm Animals,” and “Researching Your Audience” build skills. “Don’t let Democracy Get You Down” and “Victories!” hope to build stamina for the activist’s long haul.

“TAFA is about individuals getting the tools necessary to make effective change for animals in their communities,” Paquette said. “We’re looking forward to seeing everyone and making new connections.”