[VeganBuddy]

Hi veggie & vegan friends

We have created a networking project known as Vegan Buddies. The aim is to provide support and friendship to people who are struggling to go vegan. You can find us on myspace, username vivaveganbuddies (soon we will have our own website, yayyy!)

This site already seems to be doing a great job, and it's really encouraging to read how many people out there are trying to dump dairy and eggs, and interesting to hear about the reasons why they haven't quite managed to do it.

It seems to be that one of the most valuable resources a "wannabe-vegan" can have is a friend. Someone to answer questions, give advice about local vegan eateries or where to get coffee with soy milk, how to make a great dairy-free mac & cheese, etc etc etc. Yes a lot of this info can be found on the internet, and the VeggieBoards community is definitely thriving, which is fantastic, but the Vegan Buddies project aims to take things one step further by initiating one-on-one relationships, basically like a mentor program. This is really important for people who don't know any other vegans, and perhaps have a somewhat unsympathetic partner/family/group of friends. Having a Vegan Buddy will show them they aren't alone, and that someone is behind them all the way.

People will be paired up by area so that they live as close to each other as possible. The mentor will be on hand to answer questions, and if things go really well, might even end up taking the "newbie" around the health food store or supermarket to show them the wide range of tasty, healthy food that is available to them.

One thing the Vegan Buddies definitely won't do is make people feel guilty!!!! People do things in their own time, at their own pace, to their own levels... we understand this and appreciate people doing *something*, even if they can't do *everything*.

So if you want us to find you a Vegan Buddy to help you on your way, get in touch

And if you are vegan, and have the time and commitment needed to take someone under your wing and help them make the transition to fully-fledged veganism, please sign up to be a mentor. We need "big vegan brothers and sisters" across the country, especially in areas where animal-free eating might not be as easy as LA or NYC.

 

[dottiehoneycutt]

So how do I do this part of what is written above ........ People will be paired up by area so that they live as close to each other as possible. The mentor will be on hand to answer questions, and if things go really well, might even end up taking the "newbie" around the health food store or supermarket to show them the wide range of tasty, healthy food that is available to them.

 

[Radharc]

I'm interested in finding vegans in my area, but wary of giving my location to a stranger. Do you pair people by city so that they can meet in a neutral, public location, or are addresses exchanged right off the bat?

 

[Suezo]

The original post is from 2006.

 

[Radharc]

The original post is from 2006.

aha

 

[no whey jose]

That's a shame. I like the idea and would be glad to be someone's buddy! Does anyone know of an existing program like this?

 

[Kelpie]

I did wonder (without looking at date) when I read Myspace! Is that even in existence now?

 

[SteveW]

I could do with a vegan friend, I literally don't know anybody near me who is.

 

[Kiwibird08]

That's a shame. I like the idea and would be glad to be someone's buddy! Does anyone know of an existing program like this?

I've met some local vegans and raw vegans through meetup.com recently. It's a site for organizing local group-events of like-minded people.

 

[Kiwibird08]

I did wonder (without looking at date) when I read Myspace! Is that even in existence now?

Haha. Me too. I haven't heard anyone talk about Myspace since I was in high school. It just "went away" in lieu of Facebook in what 2007/2008?

 

[silva]

I've yet to get together with the vegan meet-up here. The few times I've been with the AR group they've gotten under my skin really bad. One guy is so full of himself, he loves to make up witty comebacks, and when my son said he wasn't fully veg he says to me "you better watch your back, he may eat you!" I was not amused. He was way too out there and confrontational

Just because someones vegan doesn't mean you'll get along. Or like the same foods! I can only imagine being paired with avocado, cilantro, and pasta people!

 

[Kiwibird08]

I've yet to get together with the vegan meet-up here. The few times I've been with the AR group they've gotten under my skin really bad. One guy is so full of himself, he loves to make up witty comebacks, and when my son said he wasn't fully veg he says to me "you better watch your back, he may eat you!" I was not amused. He was way too out there and confrontational

Just because someones vegan doesn't mean you'll get along. Or like the same foods! I can only imagine being paired with avocado, cilantro, and pasta people!

I've had rather good luck with groups on meetup. Though there was one guy I just wanted to smack silly he was SO full of himself. One of those "level 99, infinitely better than all other vegans" vegans:whack: Other than him, everyone else I've met with thus far has been nice enough

 

[Naturebound]

I've tried to get vegan groups going on Meetup in my area. There was a whole list of people in my city who called themselves vegan and were "waiting" for a group to get started on Meetup. But when I contacted them to get something going, no response. I have traveled to the Twin Cities to meet vegans, and met a few online on Facebook and eventually met them in person. There are vegan groups on Facebook such as Vegan Peace. You could find out who lives in your area, talk to them and get to know them on Facebook, then arrange to meet.