Flagship Infrastructure · Knowledge Exchange

Learning & Exchange

Building Stronger Advocates, Stronger Organizations, Stronger Movements

Across Global South, animal advocates often work in isolation. Organizations face similar challenges, yet opportunities for structured learning, mentorship, and collaboration remain limited.

The Accord exists to change that.

Through the Mentorship Programme and Exchange Programme, we help organizations, professionals, and advocates strengthen their skills, share knowledge, build relationships, and accelerate progress for animals.

Two pathways. One movement.

The twelve exchange fields of the Accord

At a Glance

	Mentorship Programme	Exchange Programme
Purpose	Learn a new form of advocacy or organizational practice	Share skills, perspectives, and experience
Structure	Mentor → Learner	Reciprocal learning
Focus	Structured skill development	Exposure, collaboration, and cross-learning
Approach	Guided mentorship	Peer exchange
Geography	Primarily Asia & Africa	Global
Participants	Organizations seeking specific skills	Organizations, professionals, and volunteers

Both programmes contribute to the Accord's mission of strengthening movement capacity, collaboration, and resilience.

The Mentorship Programme

Learn from those who have done it before

The Mentorship Programme connects organizations with experienced mentor organizations that have demonstrated success in a specific area of advocacy, campaigning, welfare work, movement building, or organizational development.

The goal is simple: Help organizations develop practical skills they can confidently implement themselves.

This is structured, outcome-focused learning designed to build long-term capacity.

How It Works

1. Apply

An organization identifies a skill, strategy, or area of work it wants to strengthen.

2. Match

The Accord identifies an appropriate mentor organization with relevant experience.

3. Learn

The mentor and learner engage through structured sessions, resource sharing, assignments, and feedback.

4. Implement

The learner organization applies the new knowledge through real-world activities, campaigns, or programmes.

5. Share

Lessons learned, resources, and tools contribute to the wider Knowledge Exchange Library for the benefit of the movement.

Areas Available for Mentorship

Advocacy & Outreach

· Street outreach
· Public engagement
· Demonstrations
· School and community campaigns

Digital & Communications

· Social media strategy
· Video production
· Storytelling
· Media engagement

Legal & Policy

· Policy advocacy
· Legal reform
· Litigation support
· Enforcement monitoring

Animal Care & Welfare

· Rescue systems
· Sanctuary management
· Veterinary access initiatives
· Foster programmes

Movement Building

· Student organizing
· Volunteer management
· Coalition building
· Community leadership

Research & Knowledge

· Research projects
· Documentation
· Toolkit development
· Translation and knowledge sharing

Resilience & Wellbeing

· Burnout prevention
· Peer support systems
· Leadership sustainability
· Organizational resilience

Need Something Different?

Not every organization fits neatly into a category.

If your organization wants to learn a type of advocacy, campaigning, or organizational practice not listed above, we encourage you to contact us.

Together, we can develop a mentorship pathway tailored to your context and needs.

Apply for Mentorship → Propose a New Learning Area →

The Exchange Programme

Learn with peers across the movement

The Exchange Programme creates opportunities for organizations, professionals, and volunteers to share knowledge, experience, and perspectives through reciprocal learning.

Unlike mentorship, there is no teacher and student.

Both sides contribute. Both sides learn.

The programme is designed to strengthen relationships, break silos, and encourage collaboration across countries, disciplines, and advocacy approaches.

What Makes It Different?

Global Reach

Open to participants from anywhere in the world while maintaining a strong commitment to strengthening animal advocacy across Global South.

Reciprocal Learning

Every participant brings expertise, experience, and value to the exchange.

Same-Field Exchanges

Organizations working in similar areas learn from one another. Examples: Welfare to welfare · Vegan advocacy to vegan advocacy · Animal law to animal law.

Cross-Field Exchanges

Participants learn from different approaches within the movement. Examples: Vegan advocacy and animal welfare · Legal advocacy and grassroots outreach · Veterinary practice and sanctuary management.

Volunteer Matching

Individuals with valuable skills can support organizations that need them while gaining practical experience themselves.

Future Placement Opportunities

As the programme grows, longer-term staff and organizational placements may be developed.

Exchange Formats

Same-Field Exchange — Organizations working in similar areas share strategies, systems, and best practices.

Cross-Field Exchange — Participants learn from different forms of advocacy and organizational work.

Professional Shadowing — Individuals spend time observing and learning from practitioners in another organization or specialty.

Volunteer Placements — Volunteers contribute skills such as communications, law, research, veterinary support, fundraising, or project management.

Cross-Border Learning Partnerships — Custom exchanges connecting organizations and professionals across different countries and regions.

Future Organizational Placements — Longer-term placements involving staff exchanges between partner organizations.

Who Can Participate?

The Exchange Programme is open to:

Animal rights organizations

Animal welfare organizations

Animal law groups

Veterinary professionals and clinics

Sanctuaries and rescue groups

Academic institutions and researchers

Student organizations

Grassroots community groups

Environmental and social justice organizations

Individual volunteers with relevant skills

Funders and philanthropic partners

Any participant can host, participate in, or initiate an exchange.

Our Geographic Approach

The Accord's primary mission is to strengthen animal advocacy infrastructure across Global South.

For this reason:

· The Mentorship Programme prioritizes organizations in Global South.
· The Exchange Programme welcomes global participation while maintaining a strong focus on learning opportunities that benefit the Global South.

We believe meaningful collaboration happens when knowledge flows in all directions.

What Success Looks Like

Strengthen organizational capacity

Develop new leadership

Improve collaboration across borders

Reduce duplication of effort

Increase access to knowledge and expertise

Reduce isolation within the movement

Support advocate wellbeing and resilience

Accelerate the spread of effective practices

Build a more connected and effective movement for animals

Which Programme Is Right for You?

If you want to...	Choose...
Learn a new advocacy skill from an experienced organization	Mentorship Programme
Receive structured guidance and support	Mentorship Programme
Develop a specific organizational capability	Mentorship Programme
Exchange knowledge with peers	Exchange Programme
Volunteer your skills with another organization	Exchange Programme
Learn from a different area of advocacy	Exchange Programme
Connect with organizations in other countries	Exchange Programme
Explore collaboration opportunities across the movement	Exchange Programme

Ready to Get Involved?

Whether you want to learn, teach, exchange, host, volunteer, or collaborate, there is a place for you within the Accord.

Apply for the Mentorship Programme → Request an Exchange → Register as a Host Organization → Join Volunteer Matching →

Building knowledge. Strengthening organizations. Connecting movements.