I'm Shy, but I Became an Activist - And You Can, Too! | Olivia Seltzer | TEDxSaintAndrewsSchool
Olivia Seltzer argues that activism is not limited to traditional forms like marches, as she, an introverted and socially anxious individual, can activate change by educating others about global issues. She provides the example of co-founding The Cram, where her writing skill set was used to inform others who then organized physical action, ultimately asserting that *everyone can be an activist*. ## Speakers & Context - Olivia Seltzer, an 18-year-old youth activist. - Speaker is painfully shy, struggling with intense social anxiety, nausea before meeting friends, and auditory symptoms like hearing her heart pound loudly. - Speaker finds the traditional model of activism (marches, signs, sit-ins, walk-outs) inapplicable to her own personality. - Speaker identifies the problem as a media landscape that fails to serve the information needs of teenagers and young adults. ## Theses & Positions - Activism does not require public speaking, organizing marches, or performing in public; it takes many forms. - The fundamental barrier to change is not the lack of passion, but the lack of accessible, engaging information about world problems. - The ability to gather, process, and innovate based on information is what makes us human (paralleling bipedalism allowing sight over tall grasses). - Everyone has a unique skill set, and this skill set can be leveraged to create tangible change in the world. - *“Activism means different things to different people.”* - *“There's no person alive who can't create a sizable tangible change when it comes to activism.”* ## Concepts & Definitions - **Social Anxiety:** Characterized by intense feelings when anticipating or undergoing social interaction. - **Bipedalism:** The human characteristic of walking on two legs, which allowed early humans to see over tall grasses. - **The Problem:** Media consumption is inaccessible for teens and young adults because news is written in ways that are not engaging or understandable for that age group. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Information Funnel Mechanism:** The process where world events generate massive interest (as seen post-presidential election), but the existing news outlets fail to provide content tailored for youth, thus creating an unchanneled, underdeveloped interest. - **The Cram's Operation:** Waking up at 5 am to read the news, creating relevant stories, and rewriting them into an "informational and witty email text and social media post." - **Skill Transfer:** The speaker uses her skill (writing) to educate others, enabling them to use *their* specific skills (e.g., organizing marches) to achieve larger change. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Before adolescence:** Speaker began spending hours thinking about issues needing fixing in the world. - **Age 12 (Five years ago):** The US presidential election occurred, exposing the generation's massive interest in politics. - **February 2017:** The speaker decided to create The Cram to solve the problem of inaccessible news for teens. - **Present:** Speaking at an event after successfully launching The Cram. ## Named Entities - **Malala Yousafzai:** Nobel Peace Prize winner at age 17 for her work on girls' education. - **The Cram:** The online platform/newsletter created by the speaker. - **Generation Z:** The demographic group the content is intended for. ## Numbers & Data - Age of speaker: **18**. - Minimum age of Nobel Peace Prize winner mentioned: **17** (Malala). - Number of countries The Cram reaches: Over **113**. - Number of youth ambassadors: Over **500**. - Monthly views of The Cram's newsletters: **Two and a half million**. - Speaker's age when attending the junior high school: **12**. ## Examples & Cases - **The 2016 US Presidential Election:** Showed the generation's political interest despite limited news consumption. - **The speaker's personal immigration history:** Grandfather was a Jewish Mexican immigrant who illegally came to the US before getting citizenship, making the election deeply personal. - **The effectiveness of The Cram:** Caused first-time voters to feel confident heading to the polls; spurred teens to organize marches against sexual assault or gun violence at schools. - **The skill limitation case:** The speaker acknowledges she cannot use her mind to cure cancer or bring a human to Mars, but she can educate others to find those solutions. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **News:** The general medium of information consumption. - **Email/Social Media:** The chosen distribution channels for The Cram's content. ## References Cited - **Forbes article:** Source used to state that at least half the population are introverts. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker is painfully shy and introverted, which seemingly contradicts the requirements of traditional activism. - Initial belief: Activism requires qualities she does not possess. ## Methodology - **Information gathering:** Reading world news daily. - **Content creation:** Writing and rewriting complex current events into accessible, engaging content specifically for Generation Z. - **Dissemination:** Sending content via email, text, and social media platforms. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - *“The crime isn't about my success it's about the success of the readers.”* - **Action Plan:** Everyone should pause and identify a problem they see in the world, and then determine what they, individually, can do to solve it. - Call to action: Stand up and look above the tall grasses to find something to stand for. ## Implications & Consequences - Activism is not a monolithic practice; it is a spectrum of unique, transferable human skills applied to a shared desire for improvement. - Ignorance about world problems robs people of their chance to participate in shaping their future. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm an 18 year old youth activist but i don't need marches i don't hold signs i don't stage sit-ins or walk-outs"* - *"I would feel nauseous before meeting with friends even close ones my heart will be pounding so loud i could hear it"* - *"This ability to take in the world and wonder is what makes us human in other words our ability to take information and innovate based on that information"* - *"i'm going to pause here for a little anecdote about five years ago when i was 12 years old"* - *"The reporters and journalists are all going to be adults similarly their intended reader is not going to be someone of my age group"* - *"you can't change the world unless you know about it"* - *"i've always loved writing so spending hours each day typing up newsletter wasn't an obstacle as an introvert waking up at five every morning to write all by myself was actually comfortable for me"* - *"there's no mold for activism there's no checklist you need to mark off"* - *"what is the problem you see in this world and what is something you can do to solve that problem"*