How can I make a real difference in the world? How can I truly help others? – Effective Altruism offers new perspectives on these questions: Based on scientific methods and careful considerations, the goal is to help people and animals as much as possible with limited resources. In the introductory course on Effective Altruism offered by the non-profit organisation Effektiver Altruismus Deutschland e.V., you can learn the basic principles of Effective Altruism. Together with a small group of like-minded people and an experienced facilitator, you will discuss global problems such as poverty, factory farming or risks posed by future pandemics – and find out how you can contribute to effective solutions.
What is Effective Altruism?
Effective Altruism (EA for short) is a way of thinking, a field of research and a young social community launched around 2010 by students at the University of Oxford and has since gained increasing attention. The aim is to use scientific methods to substantially improve the lives of as many people and animals as possible with our limited resources. This matters because, while many attempts to do good fail, some are enormously effective. For instance, some charities help 100 or even 1,000 times as many people as others, with the same amount of resources. This means that by thinking carefully about the best ways to help, we can do far more to tackle the world’s biggest problems.
People inspired by Effective Altruism have worked on projects ranging from funding the distribution of 200 million mosquito nets against malaria among the poorest people in the world, to raising awareness of the risks posed by artificial intelligence, to researching how to prevent the next pandemic.
Effective Altruism in practice: reducing factory farming
One example to showcase Effective Altruism in practice are the efforts to reduce the number of animals suffering in factory farming: About 720 million animals live and die in factory farms in Germany alone every year. The living conditions of these chickens, pigs and cows are largely subordinate to production conditions. The resulting cruelties range from the denial of basic needs (social contact, retreat, movement) to beak shortening, tail docking and torture breeding – often they are unable to physically turn around their entire lives, or castrated without anaesthetic. Lots of people agree we shouldn’t make animals suffer needlessly – but most of this attention goes towards pet shelters: In the United States, for example, pet shelters receive around $5 billion in financial support per year – compared to only about $100 million on advocacy to end factory farming.
© Centre for Effective Altruism
However, in the US, about 1,400 times more animals pass through factory farms than pet shelters.
© Centre for Effective Altruism
So, the figures tell us that the suffering of animals in factory farms is a massive, but highly neglected issue – which means there’s a lot we can do to improve the lives of an almost immeasurable number of animals with reasonable effort.
One very effective strategy to reduce factory farming is advocacy: The Open Wing Alliance, which received significant funding from funders inspired by Effective Altruism, developed a campaign to encourage large companies to commit to stop buying eggs from caged chickens. To date, they have won over 2,200 commitments, and as a result, over 100 million birds have been spared from a life in cages. See here for the sources of the figures mentioned above.
Learn the basics of doing good effectively
The Introductory Program to Effective Altruism offered by the non-profit organisation Effektiver Altruismus Deutschland (EAD) e.V. from 2 June to 27 July 2025 is the perfect place to start your journey of making a real difference in the world. This free 8-week course will explore facts-based ways to do good. You’ll learn from experts, connect with like-minded people, and gain practical tools to increase your positive impact. You’ll discuss global issues such as poverty, factory farming and the risks posed by climate change, future pandemics or artificial intelligence – and find out how you can contribute to effective solutions and make a more positive impact on the world through your donations, work and other projects.
The course can be particularly useful for students and young professionals because it opens up new perspectives for your studies and/or career path. After the program, you will receive an offer for a personal chat with a member of EAD e.V. to discuss your next steps and connect you to national and international organisations or experts.
© Effektiver Altruismus Deutschland e.V.
Course format and requirements for participation
You’ll be grouped with 4-8 participants and an experienced facilitator for a weekly 1.5-hour discussion. Before each discussion, you’ll spend approximately 2 hours completing a set of readings, podcasts, or videos. For the weekly discussions, you can choose between German and English; the learning materials are in English. To offer you as much flexibility as possible, you can simply participate online – but in some German cities, there will also be in-person meetings. There are various time slots available to make sure the sessions fit your busy schedule. No prior knowledge is required – only curiosity and an interest in thinking critically about how to do good better.
All the course info at a glance
- Application deadline: 11 May 2025
- Program dates: 2 June to 27 July 2025
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Time commitment: ~3-4 hours weekly (~2 hours preparation + 1.5 hours group discussion)
- Fee: participation is free
- Language: discussion groups in German or English, learning materials in English
- Location: online or in-person (if available)
- Organisation: Effektiver Altruismus Deutschland e.V., in cooperation with the Centre for Effective Altruism
Register now!
Complete your application by Sunday, 11 May to secure your spot on the program. It only takes a few minutes: https://cea.tfaforms.net/f/vp-application (select the period “June – July 2025” and then “Introductory EA Program [Jun-Jul 2025]” in the drop-down menu)
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About Effektiver Altruismus Deutschland (EAD) e.V.
We are a non-profit organisation dedicated to building and promoting a Germany-wide network of individuals who think carefully about the world’s most pressing issues and take effective action to address them. To this end, we provide coordination, communication, learning opportunities, and various services.
We are particularly committed to promoting careers that have a substantial positive impact on the world. Therefore, we offer specific programs such as our Career Planning Program, our 1-1 Career Counselling and our annual conference EAGxBerlin to help individuals plan and realise impactful careers, and connect them with relevant organisations and like-minded people. The Introductory Course is a great basis for all these offerings
