Positive Activism: Uniting Radicals & Regulars | Ian Smith | TEDxTexasStateUniversity

Sad photos and depressing statistics can only get a charitable campaign so far, especially in a world with “skip” buttons and commercial-free streaming. Ian Smith invites his audience to explore creative, artistic, and hilarious campaign strategies, all while discussing how valuable it can be to rely on inspiration rather than guilt when targeting a broad audience. Ian Smith has been hosting community events and leadership dialogues across Texas since 2010, when he co-founded and expanded his dorm-room idea into a registered 501c3 non-profit. The Human-Environmental-Animal-Team (H.E.A.T.) started as a small club aiming to make volunteering fun. Within one year, the club won a cash grant and the title of “Organization of the year” from Texas State University. Since its creation in 2010, Ian has founded eight chapters at universities and high schools across Texas. Ian also founded and currently manages a successful abroad program focusing on reforestation and restoration of coral reefs throughout Asia and Central America. Outstanding members from H.E.A.T. chapters have taken positive activism to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Thailand and Indonesia, changing the lives of attending students. The various H.E.A.T. chapters across Texas partake in physical volunteer work and have had many successes in launching creative awareness and fundraising campaigns. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx