Active 4 Animals is a Grey Lynn-based youth group for vegetarians, vegans and other young people who care about animals.
It’s been running for about 10 years now.
The group meets the first Tuesday of the month from 6.30pm to 8pm at The Trades Hall on Great North Road. At each session the kids are involved in activities like creating art or music, movie making, learning about food, nutrition and cooking, watching movies, playing games and more. The group aims to support youth to become and remain vegetarian and vegan by giving them a place to be themselves; where they are the norm and in the majority, not the minority. The kids have a lot of fun at the meetings and really look forward to meeting up. Some have passed the age limit but they just don’t want to leave the group!
Their members range in age from 8 to 13 years. They also have occasional external trips for example at the start of the year they hit the streets to walk down to the Ponsonby Food Court where the kids have a budget and get to order their own vegetarian food at any of the stands. They often go to Kelmarna Gardens to learn about gardening and where food comes from. Sometimes they visit the Animal Sanctuary in Matakana to get some hands on experience with animals and make a donation to their work. All meetings involve food whether it be getting involved with preparation or competing in MasterChef challenges!
They have a Facebook page filled with the kinds of activities they get up to: www.facebook.com/Active4Animals
The meetings are run by volunteers Amanda Sorrenson, Pia Alderson and Madeleine Bella. Amanda retires this year to start a new youth group on Waiheke island, leaving the group running in the capable hands of Madeleine who is a new entrants teacher at Balmoral School and Pia who is the Events Manager and sales rep for vegan food producers Angel Food.
The group is sponsored by the NZ Vegetarian Society who administers the group. Anyone wanting to make enquiries about joining A4A can contact the Vegetarian Society:
E: active4animlas@vegetraian.org.nz, T: 09 523-4686,
or visit www.vegetarian.org.nz/active4animlas