Young people often believe they have to wait until they are older to have a voice, influence policy, or make a meaningful difference for animals. Danielle Hanosh sees something very different.
In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast, Cheryl Moss talks with Danielle Hanosh, co-founder and executive director of LEAP, Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet, about the power of humane education, the many ways young people can advocate for animals, and why their voices are needed now.
A major focus of their conversation is the upcoming Youth for Animals Summit, a free virtual event co-hosted by Cheryl and Danielle and presented by Better Life for Animals and LEAP on Saturday, September 19. Register here: https://betterlifeforanimals.com/blfa-leap-2026/
Together, they discuss why they created the summit, who it is for, what participants will experience, and how it can give young people practical ways to turn their concern for animals and the planet into meaningful action.
Why LEAP Was Created
The idea for LEAP grew from something Danielle and other sanctuary leaders were seeing repeatedly.
Students participating in traditional agricultural programs such as 4-H and FFA would spend months caring for animals, form deep relationships with them, and then decide they did not want
those animals sent to auction, slaughter, or breeding programs.
Some contacted sanctuaries hoping to save the animals they had raised.
Even when an animal could be saved, another question remained. Where could these young people go next?
Many shelters, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and other animal organizations require volunteers to be at least 18. Young people who wanted hands-on experience helping animals had surprisingly few options.
LEAP was created to provide another path.
Today, students participate in LEAP programs through sanctuary chapters across the United States and Canada. They combine classroom education with hands-on workshops covering areas such as farmed animal care, wildlife conservation, rewilding, plant-based cooking, and advocacy.
LEAP has since expanded into middle school programming and is launching a wildlife conservation pilot that reaches children as young as kindergarten.
Building the Youth for Animals Summit Together
Cheryl and Danielle also talk in detail about why Better Life for Animals and LEAP joined forces to create the Youth for Animals Summit.
Both organizations recognize that creating a more compassionate future requires reaching young people early, giving them credible information, introducing them to mentors, and showing them that there are many ways to advocate for animals.
The Youth for Animals Summit takes place Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific and is completely virtual and free to attend.
While young people are at the heart of the event, Cheryl and Danielle emphasize that the summit is also for parents, teachers, mentors, sanctuary leaders, volunteers, educators, and adults who want to help young people become effective advocates.
Participants can attend the entire day or choose the sessions that most interest them.
REGISTER HERE: https://betterlifeforanimals.com/blfa-leap-2026/
More Than Another Day of Screen Time
One of the concerns parents may have about a virtual event is whether their child really needs another Saturday in front of a screen.
Cheryl and Danielle address that directly.
The Youth for Animals Summit is being designed around participation rather than passive watching. Sessions will generally run between 15 and 25 minutes, followed by an activity or action step that allows participants to put what they have learned into practice.
The intention is for young people to finish the day with more than information. They should leave knowing something they can actually do.
That could mean learning how to identify and contact an elected representative, beginning a petition, exploring an animal-related career, using social media more effectively, connecting with a mentor, or starting an advocacy project in their own community.
Young People Have More Power Than They Realize
One of Danielle’s central messages is that young people frequently underestimate their influence.
She has watched teenagers attend Senate hearings and public meetings where nearly everyone else speaking is an adult. When one young person gets up to speak, the room pays attention.
As Danielle says, “Young people have a superpower they’re not aware of.”
Young people bring a different perspective to issues involving animals, the environment, climate change, and the future they will inherit.
The challenge is helping them recognize that power and showing them where to direct it.
Careers With Purpose
One of the summit tracks focuses on careers, an area Danielle believes needs a much broader conversation.
For generations, children who loved animals often assumed that becoming a veterinarian was the primary way to turn that passion into a career.
Veterinary medicine remains critically important, but it is only one possibility.
Animal advocates are also needed in law, government, public policy, education, wildlife rehabilitation, sanctuary management, rescue, nonprofit leadership, communications, social media, writing, research, and many other fields.
The summit will expose young people to possibilities they may never have considered and help them see how their existing interests and talents could become part of creating a better world for animals.
AI Ethics and the Future of Animals
Another summit topic takes participants directly into one of the fastest-changing areas of modern life: artificial intelligence.
Danielle recently participated in an AI fellowship with Electric Sheep, a nonprofit focused on helping animals through AI.
Her position is practical. AI is already here. The question for animal advocates is how to maximize its potential to help animals while minimizing the ways it could cause harm.
For young people who will grow up alongside this technology, understanding those ethical questions is increasingly important.
The summit will give them an opportunity to begin thinking critically about technology rather than simply consuming it.
Using Social Media for Good
Social media is another area where young people already have tremendous potential influence.
During the conversation, Cheryl and Danielle discuss moving beyond simply scrolling and helping young people recognize that their own platforms can become tools for advocacy.
They can challenge stereotypes, educate friends, introduce people to plant-based choices, share information about animals, and bring important issues to audiences that traditional animal organizations may never reach.
Danielle also talks about finding ways to educate and empower rather than relying exclusively on disturbing images of animal suffering.
The goal is not simply to show young people what is wrong. It is to help them believe they can be part of changing it.
Mental Health, Nature, and Connection
The summit also makes room for something that can easily be overlooked in advocacy: the wellbeing of the advocate.
Danielle talks about the constant flow of information young people experience and how much of life now happens behind a screen.
One LEAP student responded by creating Take a Hike, a program that brings young people together outdoors without technology.
Students were not the only ones who benefited. Parents began realizing how much they needed that connection too.
Spending time in nature, building relationships, and stepping away from constant information can help young advocates remain grounded and potentially reduce burnout as they continue this work.
When Young People See the Disconnect
Danielle shares a recent story that illustrates exactly what youth advocacy can look like.
During a LEAP Youth Advisory Council retreat, students visited a marine rehabilitation facility and learned that fishing line, fishing hooks, and entanglement are among the reasons sea turtles arrive there needing treatment.
Then the students walked into the facility’s cafeteria and discovered fish being served.
They immediately saw the disconnect.
Several approached employees and asked why an organization teaching visitors about the harm caused by fishing was also selling fish.
Instead of stopping with criticism, the students began discussing how they could respectfully write to the organization, encourage plant-based options, and open a larger conversation.
No massive campaign was required. They noticed something. They asked a question. They started a conversation. Then they considered what they could do next.
It was advocacy happening in real time.
Practical Tools Young People Can Use Immediately
The Youth for Animals Summit is designed to create more of those moments.
Participants will learn practical skills they can begin using immediately, including how to find their local representatives, locate contact information, write an email, create a petition, and communicate effectively about an issue they care about.
They will also have opportunities to learn from speakers and connect with people working in areas they may want to explore further.
For young people who do not live near a participating LEAP sanctuary, the summit will introduce another possibility: starting a LEAP club at their school.
Students can receive mentorship from LEAP while developing community service projects that benefit animals and the environment.
A Summit for Young People and the Adults Who Support Them
Cheryl and Danielle make it clear that adults have an important role in this conversation too.
Parents can watch with their children. Teachers can bring what they learn into their classrooms. Sanctuary leaders can discover new ways to involve younger advocates. Mentors and volunteers can better understand how to encourage young people who want to help but do not know where to begin.
The summit is not simply about telling young people that they are the future.
It is about giving them opportunities to participate right now.
Join the Youth for Animals Summit
The Youth for Animals Summit, co-hosted by Cheryl Moss and Danielle Hanosh, takes place virtually on Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific.
The event is 100% free, and space is limited.
Come for the entire day or attend the sessions that interest you most. Bring your children, students, family members, or anyone who wants to learn how the next generation can become a powerful voice for animals.
Register here: https://betterlifeforanimals.com/blfa-leap-2026/
About Danielle Hanosh
Danielle Hanosh is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LEAP, Co-Founder of Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary in Northern California, and also serves on the board of the wildlife conservation NGO, Women for Wolves. With a teaching credential, MA in Education, a decade of experience as a public school teacher, and ten years of experience running a non-profit farm sanctuary, she is delighted to be using her unique background to ensure children and teenagers across the country have access to critical hands-on humane education and leadership development. She is also a professional ghostwriter, passionate storyteller and animal advocate, and the author of several children’s books about animals.
https://leapforanimals.org/
https://www.blackberrycreek.org/
Social media handles
@leap4animals
@blackberrycreek
@_mother_of_chickens
https://www.facebook.com/leap4animals/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackberryCreekSanctuary
https://www.facebook.com/danielle.hanosh/
About Cheryl Moss
Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. She is also the founder of the Funding Blueprint for Sanctuaries summit, designed to empower those involved with sanctuaries to create sustainable funding streams.
A passionate advocate for animal welfare, Cheryl is dedicated to ending factory farming and supporting underrepresented sanctuaries.
Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy, she recently added Vystopia Transformation to her resume. The Vystopia work, created by psychologist Clare Mann, focuses on the emotional impact many people experience after becoming aware of animal suffering and exploitation. The training offers tools for resilience, communication, and emotional well-being while continuing to advocate for positive change.
Through her books, Gabriel, Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, Cheryl inspires young readers to embrace kindness, sustainability, and compassion for animals.
When not advocating, she enjoys Pilates and spending time with her rescue dogs and grandchildren. Through her work, writing, and activism, Cheryl continues to inspire positive change for animals and the planet.
https://www.facebook.com/BLFAnimals/
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https://www.instagram.com/betterlife4animals/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylmossabetterlifeforanimals/
