Make a real-world impact toward ending factory farming.
You have the power to transform the future of our food system. The Leadership Academy is an interactive six-week educational fellowship designed for high school and college students who are passionate about creating sustainable, ethical food systems. By participating, you’ll build the knowledge, skills, and relationships to challenge industrial animal agriculture and drive meaningful change both on your campus and within your community.
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Apply by the priority deadline, Tuesday, February 25 to increase your chances of securing your spot in the program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Join our live info sessions to ask questions about the program and hear from alumni about their experiences.
Learn how civic engagement and the legislative process are leveraged to create a more just food system.
Explore how technology and business can come together to build momentum toward ending factory farming.
Understand the harms factory farming inflicts upon human and ecological well-being, and how to foster flourishing communities.
Discover the power of storytelling to influence public opinion and create real-world impact.
Deep-dive into the environmental consequences of factory farming, and how to create a more sustainable food future.
Explore the power of education to drive social change and build capacity in the movement to end factory farming.
In the last two years, our students had successful plant-based default campaigns at Cornell University, the Issaquah School District in Seattle, Pomona College, and University of San Diego.
One of our fellows organized a broad-based coalition at New York University to lock in the plant-based commitments secured by former New Roots Institute students on campus.
In the last year, our fellows organized very successful veg fest events at the University of California Los Angeles and Pomona College. These events were attended by over 1100 people!
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The Leadership Academy connected me to peers who are just as passionate as I am about ending factory farming and creating a more just and sustainable world. Hearing from guest speakers in the movement made me realize that I, too, can make a difference for the planet, animals, and humans in my future career. This community equipped me with knowledge, confidence, and new perspectives. Leaving this experience, I can say that I feel confident embarking on future endeavors with a solid support system behind me.”
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I always thought before it was difficult to contribute my opinions and thoughts in a larger group vs a smaller one while being afraid to be challenged and judged, but during this program, I felt my answers and other input did matter, which helped me build confidence. Moving forward, I don’t think I’ll be that person in the back who is anxious to contribute my thoughts. Instead, I’ll think that what I have to say does matter and could be beneficial to someone in the room. Overall, this makes me feel brave and empowered.”
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If you are passionate about learning, interested in food sustainability or animal welfare to any degree you should definitely consider joining the Leadership Academy. I’ve learned so much through this opportunity, which expands past knowledge and skills in my toolbox to talk about factory farming and food systems, but also how to approach difficult conversations and how to improve as a leader, listener, and advocate. New Roots Institute is a community of caring and passionate educators who are more than happy to help you learn as you navigate through your own personal journey.
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“Joining this program was critical for my development as an advocate against factory farming, not only because of the knowledge and skills I’ve gained or the wide network to which I’ve been connected, but also because it opened my eyes to the diversity and power of the many paths in this movement. New Roots Institute connected me with the Greener by Default Coalition at NYU, which became my focus of my campaign for the Academic Year Fellowship. I collaborated with New Roots fellows, alumni, and other invested advocates on my campus to introduce plant-based defaults into on-campus catering and hosted a plant-based food festival that served food from almost 40 brands to over 400 attendees.”
