From Idea to Impact: Interview with Elly Nakajima, Director and Co-Founder of AAA
We’re more than excited to introduce you all to the latest feature of our website: our Blog! 🎉
For our first post, we’d like to give you an overview of AAA and of what we do. And what better way to do it than with an interview with our co-founder and director, Elly Nakajima?
Elly will take us on a brief tour of her journey, from her activism before the AAA era to our present days, and give us a peek at what we can look forward to in the future.
Hi, Elly! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 😀
Hi, my name is Elly (she/her). I am originally from bustling Tokyo. I found my calling in animal justice advocacy immediately after going vegan whilst living in London, where I found ample opportunities to immerse myself in advocacy training.
Before founding AAA, I worked as a cinematographer, and like many people in the creative industry, found myself needing to work for products and industries I didn’t feel comfortable supporting. When I turned vegan, I became one of the first YouTube content providers in Japan dedicated to animal justice advocacy.
Outside of work, you can find me exploring hidden vegan eateries and adding food photos on Happy Cow, watching fiction movies where justice triumphs over injustice, or soaking in onsen whilst spacing out ♨️
Can you tell us about the founding of AAA? What were the reasons behind your decision to start, and how was it in the beginning?
“The founding of AAA was a labour of love driven by a desire to fill the gap in animal advocacy in Asia. As one of the co-founders, compared to what was available in Europe, I personally experienced the struggle to find opportunities for growth as an advocate in Japan, and the other co-founder from Hong Kong also experienced something similar. So we wanted to become pioneers in providing this much needed space of learning for animal advocates across Asia.”
Soon after we launched AAA, we were overwhelmed with advocates from different countries across Asia reaching out to us, telling us how much this space was needed, wanting to join the team.
It didn’t come without challenges - I remember working everyday at a vegan cafe (Thank you Vantra!) until 10 pm when they had to close after coming back from my day-time full-time job, and it was similar for all staff at the beginning - everyone including myself was volunteering until we got funded in 2021. Despite this struggle, the passion and shared mission among our team kept us going. Our grassroots beginnings laid the foundation for what AAA is today, and some of our original volunteers have continued their journey with us, which is incredibly rewarding and I am very grateful for that.
How important is the movement-building work that AAA is doing for the animal justice movement in Asia? 🤔
“I firmly believe that the movement-building work by AAA is crucial for the animal justice movement in Asia now. It’s a growing movement, but it is still very small compared to what we see in the West. Why is that? To understand this, we conducted research to identify the current gaps in the movement, culturally specific challenges advocates are facing, and which types of interventions are making more impact.”
Based on the findings, we have designed our programs to fill critical gaps such as funding shortages, limited training opportunities, lack of strategy planning support, and lack of local organisations, groups and advocates in general.
Through ReRoot Asia Fund, we funnel international funding to local talents and leaders, and support them in local languages to incubate their ideas as projects. By providing training for culturally relevant interventions through Fellowship, AAA is helping to nurture a stronger leadership and a more inclusive advocacy movement across the region.
What is the main uniqueness that AAA brings to the movement?
AAA stands out as a unique organisation led by advocates from various Asian countries, united in their commitment to fostering a culturally relevant animal justice movement.
Our core belief is that impactful and long-lasting change requires the inclusion of individuals with firsthand experience in on-the-ground advocacy in the decision-making processes.
“By prioritising Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we create an alternative, nurturing, welcoming, empowering and collaborative environment where underrepresented voices thrive, ensuring our movement reflects the communities it serves.
With a focus on Asian leadership and movement building, AAA pioneers a locally led approach to animal advocacy, leveraging the expertise of our Country Coordinators on the ground in the complexity of social issues that are directly connected to the farmed animal exploitation.”
Looking forward to 2024, what main highlights can we expect from AAA? 🤩
2024 will be a year of big change for AAA! We are working on Fellowship programs across seven countries. They all reflect our commitment to strategic and effective advocacy, but each program is tailored to focus on impactful interventions based on our research and expertise - so they will look very different from one another. They range from school meal campaigns, vegan menu mentorship, university canteen projects, and campaign training for students.
Additionally, we'll continue our ReRoot Asia Fund, directing resources towards diet change initiatives across the region. Please sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media to let us keep you updated here!
That sounds really exciting! Anything you’d like to tell aspiring animal justice advocates in Asia before we go?
Discovering the unbelievable scale of animal cruelty and transitioning to a vegan lifestyle can feel like an overwhelming journey, especially when surrounded by those who may not fully understand your choices and messages. Especially in countries where the animal justice movement is still laying its foundation and animal exploitation is the everyday norm, navigating this path can indeed be very challenging.
But please remember, you are not alone in this journey. The good news is, there are many of us here in the AAA community who share similar experiences as you, and there are countless ways to advocate for animals, regardless of your skills or background. We're here to walk alongside you and explore these avenues together. Please consider joining us at our programs, and don't hesitate to share your ideas with us. Together, we can make a difference for the animals!
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Thank you, Elly, for sharing your story with us today. And to our followers, we hope this interview helped you understand better what AAA is all about, and feel as inspired as we are to become leaders of change in our own communities. Let’s keep empowering each other’s voices, and supporting each other’s growth in the animal justice movement! 🌱 🐾
➡️ Next up on our Blog:
Interested in Vegan Art? You’re going to love our next article, courtesy of our Philippine Country Coordinator Stef.
Stay tuned!
