Thanks to all the EAs who attended Gabby's memorial in Wellington and showed their support in other ways. It's been wonderful to see the outpouring of love from our community.
I liked listening to Gabby performing “Aidoni Ton Platron” with ACAPOLLiNATiONS.
The breadth of your love through voice burst the sound barrier in moments like these - those in the room that day will remember three women, in all of their vulnerability and love power, bringing the house to a standing ovation. You are loved, not just for shining, but in your darkness also. And we share this trace of your voice as an encouragement - to you on your journey beyond, and to those left behind, wondering... all our love.
I am deeply saddened to share that Gabrielle Young, a much-loved member of the EA NZ community and personal friend, died last month. This is an absolutely devastating loss, and our hearts go out to Gabby's friends and family, including her parents and her sister Brigette.
While most of us knew her through EA, Gabby was an incredibly vibrant person with a diverse range of interests. She brought an infectious enthusiasm to everything she did, from software development to parkour and meditation. Music was also a huge part of Gabby’s life. She performed with multiple groups— including ACAPOLLiNATiONS, the Medena ensemble and Gamelan— and enjoyed recording original music with friends.
Though EA was just one part of Gabby’s life, it was an important one. Like many of us, she cared deeply about alleviating suffering. And in her short life, Gabby had an amazing impact on the world. She was incredibly generous with her time, volunteering countless hours to set up EA NZ’s CRM and donation systems. She was also a long-time donor, supporting both the Against Malaria Foundation and the EA NZ Maximum Impact Fund. Altogether, her giving via EA NZ funded:
Based on GiveWell’s estimates, it’s likely that Gabby’s donations saved at least one life, if not more. That’s a wonderful legacy to leave behind, and one I hope we’ll all continue in her stead.
Of course, none of this erases the tragedy of Gabby’s death. If anything, it makes it worse— and the EA NZ team wants to offer our support to our community at this difficult time. If you're struggling with Gabby’s passing, or for any other reason, please feel free to reach out to one of the people below:
Do note that while we’re happy to offer you a listening ear, we’re not mental health professionals. If you’re struggling with your mental health, we encourage you to consult these resources:
Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
AI Use Note: Main body text entirely human written. Claude (Opus 4.8) helped develop models of animal life histories in the appendix.
Cross-posted from Good Structures.
Executive Summary
* Animal advocates sometimes make claims like “there are X of this animal...
“How long have you been v*g*n?”
This is one of the most common icebreakers at animal protection events. It’s a baseline assumption, and it mostly holds true: if you’re out advocating for animals not to be tortured or abused, realistically these days you are v**n, or close. And it makes for good conversation. It seems fairly safe to assume when you meet strangers.
But this assumption is hurting the movement in a way which we don’t always notice: someone new comes into the sp...
Summary
Back in November 2023 I posted here to launch Spiro and raise our first $198k. Two and a half years later this is an update and a fundraiser for the next step.
The short version: we've now reached over-5,900 people with TB preventive medicine, including over 3,000 children under five years old. Our early results have held up well an...
Thanks to all the EAs who attended Gabby's memorial in Wellington and showed their support in other ways. It's been wonderful to see the outpouring of love from our community.