By: Samantha

The vegan community is one that you either love or hate whether you are vegan or not, as vegans have a bad rep of being overly-judgemental and lacking compassion for fellow humans. Militant veganism turns so many people away from veganism and makes others uncomfortable publicly identifying as ‘vegan.’ It’s sad.

This impression of vegans is one I know to be true. However, it’s not true for every vegan and I have come to realise that by not just seeing that I am not a disrespectful, judgemental, hateful and inconsiderate vegan, but a loving one and one willing to hold a peaceful discussion or debate instead of yelling or preaching someone down just like many other vegans out there.

I was extremely reluctant to join a vegan group when I initially delved into veganism for the same reason many people are hesitant about it. However, I decided to take a leap of faith and join one and it has been very useful and beneficial to me on my vegan journey. After many months, I joined another group where I reconnected with a friend from back when I was in boarding school and made a new friend.

In those groups, I saw that there were many more vegans, thousands of them, who were willing to have peaceful discussions with fellow vegans, vegetarians and even those who still eat meat. I saw mothers and fathers asking for help providing for their kids who had decided to go vegan and being helped beyond what could have been imagined. I saw people encouraging and lifting each other up despite where they were on their journey to a healthier version of themselves and a healthier, happier world.

Sometimes, especially when we are the only vegans in our family, we need to have vegan friends or just people who can relate to us or who we can learn from or share ideas with. We need support. Below, I will share my favourite vegan group with you.

Friendly and Pragmatic Vegans and Vegetarians (also known as FPVV) is a Facebook Group for vegans, vegetarians and those who are curious but aren’t vegan or vegetarian. The moderators and admins on that group ensure that conversations on there stay respectful, polite and pragmatic (hence the name), while they also ensure that pseudo-scientific information is not promoted. It is the most accepting and encouraging vegan group I’ve seen.

FPVV, to me, is a symbol showing that vegans, vegetarians, and meat-consumers can get along and have peaceful conversations, learn more about each other’s beliefs, debate on various topics and share ideas.

I would highly recommend FPVV. Which groups would you recommend?