LEAP: A Humane
Alternative to
4H and FFA
By Beth Lily Redwood
LEAPers like Jason with rescued cow Maple learn hands-on animal care at sanctuaries.
LEAP (Leaders for Ethics, Animals, and the Planet) is a revolutionary, first-of-its-kind, humane education program providing high school students with a compassionate alternative to traditional agriculture programs like FFA and 4-H. Two Oregon vegan animal sanctuaries—Veganville Animal Sanctuary in Elsie (Seaside) and Wildwood Farm Sanctuary & Preserve in Newberg are participating in the program.
On Sunday, September 10, Michelle Blake, Board VP of Wildwood, is the guest speaker at the NW VEG Orenco potluck, and she will share Wildwood’s hopeful vision for their future, which includes participating in LEAP.
How LEAP Began
It started in 2017 with the courage and compassion of Audori, a California high schooler enrolled in an FFA class, who did not want to send Sebastian, the pig she raised, to slaughter. Determined to save her young friend’s life, Audori launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy Sebastian from the school program and then found a safe, forever home for him to live out his natural life at Blackberry Creek Sanctuary.
Audori’s commitment to save her pig friend Sebastian’s life was the inspiration for Blackberry Creek to create the LEAP program.
When FFA and 4-H students realize that the farm animal they’ve gotten to know is just as friendly, feeling, trusting, and full of personality as their dogs and cats at home, many become deeply traumatized that the programs require them to send their young friend to slaughter. A University of Colorado study found that these students often suffer profound moral and emotional distress over the deadly betrayal of their animal friends.
With the understanding that children are innately compassionate towards animals, the founders of Blackberry Creek were inspired to nurture that compassion by developing a humane alternative that emulates the positive aspects of 4-H and FFA, and they partnered with Rancho Compasión Sanctuary and Jameson Humane to create LEAP. With a $150,000 matching grant, this year LEAP expanded nationwide to include 25 vegan animal sanctuaries in 13 states.
Caring for goats is part of the LEAP curriculum at Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York, a participating sanctuary.
The LEAP Program
In a recent interview on Voices for the Animals on KBOO-FM, Danielle Hanosh, Executive Director and Co-Founder of LEAP and Blackberry Creek Farm, explained: “LEAP is a deep dive into teaching leadership and ethics surrounding anti-speciesism which means not exploiting animals for any human purpose. It’s much more than just animal care; it’s helping students learn about the overlap of environmental issues, climate change, commodification of sentient beings, human rights, and animal agriculture. Since ethical veganism is at its foundation, teachers and organizations need to align with that mission and mindset.”
Through a comprehensive, interactive curriculum, LEAP participants (LEAPers) have many of the same learning opportunities that other agriculture programs offer—hands-on animal care, leadership skills, public speaking, competing for scholarships—but without the financial and emotional burden of raising and sending an animal friend to slaughter.
Local sanctuaries help implement LEAP’s curriculum which, in addition to farm animal care, includes caring for our environment, rewilding the land, habitat restoration, permaculture-type projects, plant-based cooking and eating, advocating for a sustainable food system, ocean conservation, and tools to lead a life aligned with their ethics. LEAP’s mission is “to prepare the next generation of changemakers to tackle the challenges of animal cruelty, climate change, food deserts, and habitat loss, and encourage them to devise solutions for a more compassionate, sustainable food system.”
Veganville founder Cecilia LaBar Mialon shared, “Veganville’s mission includes community education about the consequences of the animal agriculture industry. We’re excited to collaborate with LEAP starting this academic year to enlighten local high school students about how animal agriculture influences animal suffering, the environment, and personal health.” Veganville is currently accepting five LEAPers in their program.
At Veganville Animal Sanctuary, LEAP participants will work with Coquette and Annabelle, two social, smart turkeys who were saved from an FFA project.
Although Wildwood is hoping to move off their founder’s property, they are committed to accepting six LEAPers this year and would like to accept more in the future if they purchase a new property. Shauna Sherick, CVT, Wildwood founder, said, “I’m really excited to be a part of LEAP’s mission. It’s an amazing humane educational program, the kind that Wildwood has been looking for, one that fits with our own mission. It’s a chance to offer kids interested in learning about farm animals and their care an alternative to the standard 4-H program that is so prevalent within the farming community, especially ours, which ends with children required to relinquish their beloved animal friend to slaughter. We want to change that narrative.”
Veganville and Wildwood are accepting applications to the LEAP program for the 2023-2024 school year until October 1. Click here to apply.
LEAP Co-Founder Monica Stevens with LEAPers and a pig friend at Jameson Humane.
Learn more about LEAP.
KBOO interview with LEAP Co-Founder and Executive Director, Danielle Hanosh.
Beth Lily Redwood is a photographer, digital artist, graphic designer, writer, and animal rights advocate.
At Wildwood Farm Sanctuary & Preserve, law students hold friendly roosters.