Mission & Core Values

Mission

Animal Think Tank’s mission is to support the building of a broad-based anti-speciesist movement that has the power, resilience and longevity to ensure all individual animals have their rights to life, liberty and the security of person protected in UK law and embraced by society. We aim to achieve this by organising and mobilising people to engage in constructive work and nonviolent civil disobedience. Alongside this, we aim to assist the strategic direction, capacity and innovation of the wider movement, seeding any needed organisations, and supporting the many others working towards Animal Freedom in their own diverse ways. Our main areas of work include: Movement Building and Unity; Anti-speciesism; Strategy; Narrative Framing; Organising Structures; Culture; Nonviolence; Leadership Development; and Training.

Find out more in Unpacking the Mission.

Our Core Values and Associated Behaviours

HUMILITY

We work in service of animals—not ourselves, and not our egos. We embrace our role as one part of a bigger picture.
We recognise we can’t change the world alone. Everyone is needed and collaboration is key.
We know there’s no one right way. Our vision demands a diversity of approaches
We keep curious and open minds. We seek to understand different perspectives to learn and grow.
We take responsibility for our mistakes and value them as important learning opportunities.

Examples of what living HUMILITY looks like at ATT	Examples of what not living HUMILITY looks like at ATT
Putting the needs of the organisation and mission above your self-interest	Refusing to follow someone else’s lead when it’s needed
Acknowledging your mistakes and learning from them	Not seeking out and listening to diverse perspectives
Working with other individuals and organisations to make change even if they have different ideologies or theories of change	Dismissing the efforts of other individuals, groups and organisations in the movement

COURAGE

We do what’s needed to achieve Animal Freedom. We act from a place of possibility, not fear.
We know greatness isn’t found in our comfort zones. We unapologetically commit to bold and audacious goals to change the world.
We dare to lead. We take individual and organisational risks, practice nonviolence, engage in civil disobedience and make sacrifices for the cause.
We practice vulnerability. We speak our truth, engage in difficult conversations and openly face our fears and failures.
We persevere, even when it’s hard.

Examples of what living COURAGE looks like at ATT	Examples of what not living COURAGE looks like at ATT
Giving and receiving feedback with empathy and grace	Staying silent when witnessing an injustice, unacceptable behaviour or actions inconsistent with our values
Walking towards conflict and reconciliation	Withholding ideas, feedback, questions, proposals and objections out of fear of what others might think
Building necessary alliances even if they are controversial and we receive backlash	Doing work that's irrelevant to ATT's mission to please funders, supporters etc.

EFFECTIVENESS

We focus on our long-term mission and the impact we strive for. We seek to do the right thing and do it well.
We believe disciplined people, thought and action are essential for creating visionary change.
We act strategically, maintaining an awareness of the whole.
We continuously learn, experiment, improve and adapt. We learn from our mistakes and build on our strengths.
We go slow so we can go fast when needed. We balance action with reflection, learning, planning and rest.

Examples of what living EFFECTIVENESS looks like at ATT	Examples of what not living EFFECTIVENESS looks like at ATT
Working towards clearly defined goals and objectives	Jumping straight into planning and doing before investing time into conceptualising what’s needed
Consulting others before making important decisions	Focusing on efficiency, productivity and ‘busy work’ rather than doing the right thing
Making strategic decisions based on our organisational mission and priorities	Following or being distracted by every opportunity that comes along

POWER

We support every individual to step into their full power. We maximise our collective power through collaboration.
We have a bold vision for change. We need to bulid power to achieve it.
We distribute power and responsibility in the day-to-day. We use our power ethically, authentically and effectively.
We take responsibility for our feelings, thoughts, needs, actions and lives. We stop giving our power away.
We celebrate that we are each powerful in our own ways. This difference is a strength.

Examples of what living POWER looks like at ATT	Examples of what not living POWER looks like at ATT
Taking the initiative to address a problem without asking permission	Resisting taking a leadership role when it’s needed
Staying grounded even when emotions are high	Expecting others (or ATT) to meet our needs and blaming them when they don’t
Understanding, embracing and leveraging our own and each others’ strengths	Coercing or controlling others through weakness or passive aggression (‘power-under’)

LOVE

We trust in the ever-present possibility of the transformation of people and society. We believe changing the world requires extending love and care to everyone—even those we find hardest to love.
We seek to bring people together to demand a better world, not to divide, destroy or be victorious over others.
We care for the whole by balancing individual needs with those of the organisation and its mission.
We have healthy boundaries and hold each other accountable to our values and agreements without blaming and shaming.
We strive to treat everyone, including ourselves, with compassion, kindness and empathy, while also standing up to injustice.
We peacefully resist violence to turn our love into an unstoppable force!

Examples of what living LOVE looks like at ATT	Examples of what not living LOVE looks like at ATT
Giving both appreciative and constructive feedback to others	Judging, excluding and/or ‘cancelling’ those we don’t agree with
Investing time and energy into relationships and supporting and caring for each other	Tolerating unacceptable behaviour
Empathising with others’ perspectives and feelings, including those of our opponents	Violent expressions of anger directed at an individual

"One of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites, polar opposites, so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic... power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

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