TED Residency
Yana Buhrer Tavanier: How to recover from activism burnout
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When you're feeling burned out as an activist, what's the best way to bounce back? TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores the power of "playtivism" -- the incorporation of play and creativity into movements for social change. See how this versatile approach can spark new ideas, propel action and melt fear.
Yana Buhrer Tavanier - Creative activist, social entrepreneur
TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores human rights innovation at the intersection of activism, art, tech and science -- and their potential to instigate change. Full bio
TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores human rights innovation at the intersection of activism, art, tech and science -- and their potential to instigate change. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
In the summer of 2017,
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a woman was murdered
by her partner in Sofia.
by her partner in Sofia.
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The woman, let's call her "V,"
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was beaten for over 50 minutes
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before she died.
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The morning after,
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her neighbors told the press
that they heard her screams,
that they heard her screams,
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but they didn't intervene.
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You see, in Bulgaria
and many other societies,
and many other societies,
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domestic violence is typically seen
as a private matter.
as a private matter.
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Neighbors, however, are quick to react
to any other kind of noise.
to any other kind of noise.
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We wanted to expose and affect
the absurdity of this.
the absurdity of this.
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So we designed an experiment.
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We rented the apartment
just below V's for one night.
just below V's for one night.
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01:05
And at 10pm,
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Maksim, the artist in our group,
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sat on the drum set
we had assembled in the living room
we had assembled in the living room
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and started beating it.
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Ten seconds.
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Thirty seconds.
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Fifty seconds.
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A minute.
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A light came on in the hallway.
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One minute and 20 seconds.
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A man was standing at the door,
hesitant to press the bell.
hesitant to press the bell.
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One minute and 52 seconds.
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The doorbell rang,
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a ring that could have saved a life.
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"Beat." is our project exploring
the ominous silence
the ominous silence
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surrounding domestic violence.
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We filmed the experiment,
and it became instantly viral.
and it became instantly viral.
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Our campaign amplified
the voices of survivors
the voices of survivors
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who shared similar stories online.
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It equipped neighbors
with specific advice,
with specific advice,
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and many committed to taking action.
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In a country where every other week,
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the ground quietly embraces
the body of a woman
the body of a woman
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murdered by a partner or a relative,
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we were loud,
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and we were heard.
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I am an activist,
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passionate about human rights innovation.
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I lead a global organization
for socially engaged creative solutions.
for socially engaged creative solutions.
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In my work, I think about
how to make people care and act.
how to make people care and act.
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I am here to tell you
that creative actions can save the world,
that creative actions can save the world,
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creative actions and play.
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I know it is weird to talk about play
and human rights in the same sentence,
and human rights in the same sentence,
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but here is why it's important.
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More and more, we fear
that we can't win this.
that we can't win this.
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Campaigns feel dull,
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messages drown,
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people break.
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Numerous studies, including a recent one
published by Columbia University,
published by Columbia University,
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show that burnout and depression
are widespread amongst activists.
are widespread amongst activists.
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Years ago, I myself was burned out.
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In a world of endless ways forward,
I felt at my final stop.
I felt at my final stop.
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So what melts fear or dullness or gloom?
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Play.
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From this very stage, psychiatrist
and play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown
and play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown
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said that nothing
lights up the brain like play,
lights up the brain like play,
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and that the opposite of play is not work,
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it's depression.
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So to pull out of my own burnout,
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I decided to turn my activism
into what I call today "play-tivism."
into what I call today "play-tivism."
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(Laughter)
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When we play, others want to join.
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Today, my playground
is filled with artists,
is filled with artists,
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techies and scientists.
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We fuse disciplines
in radical collaboration.
in radical collaboration.
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Together, we seek new ways
to empower activism.
to empower activism.
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Our outcomes are not meant to be playful,
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but our process is.
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To us, play is an act of resistance.
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For example, "Beat.,"
the project I talked about earlier,
the project I talked about earlier,
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is a concept developed by a drummer
and a software engineer
and a software engineer
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who didn't know each other
two days before they pitched the idea.
two days before they pitched the idea.
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"Beat." is the first winner
in our lab series
in our lab series
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where we pair artists and technologists
to work on human rights issues.
to work on human rights issues.
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Other winning concepts
include a pop-up bakery
include a pop-up bakery
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that teaches about fake news through
beautiful but horrible-tasting cupcakes --
beautiful but horrible-tasting cupcakes --
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(Laughter)
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or a board game that puts you
in the shoes of a dictator
in the shoes of a dictator
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so you get to really grasp the range
of tools and tactics of oppression.
of tools and tactics of oppression.
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We did our first lab
just to test the idea,
just to test the idea,
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to see where it cracks
and if we can make it better.
and if we can make it better.
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Today, we are so in love with the format
that we put it all online
that we put it all online
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for anyone to implement.
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I cannot overstate the value
of experimentation in activism.
of experimentation in activism.
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We can only win
if we are not afraid to lose.
if we are not afraid to lose.
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When we play, we learn.
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A recent study published
by Stanford University
by Stanford University
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about the science
of what makes people care
of what makes people care
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reconfirms what we have
been hearing for years:
been hearing for years:
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opinions are changed
not from more information
not from more information
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but through empathy-inducing experiences.
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So learning from science and art,
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we saw that we can talk about
global armed conflict through light bulbs,
global armed conflict through light bulbs,
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or address racial inequality in the US
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through postcards,
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or tackle the lack of even
one single monument of a woman in Sofia
one single monument of a woman in Sofia
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by flooding the city with them,
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and, with all these works,
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to trigger dialogue,
understanding and direct action.
understanding and direct action.
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Sometimes, when I talk about
taking risks and trying and failing
taking risks and trying and failing
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in the context of human rights,
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I meet raised eyebrows,
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eyebrows that say, "How irresponsible,"
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or, "How insensitive."
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People often mistake play for negligence.
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It is not.
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Play doesn't just grow our armies stronger
or spark better ideas.
or spark better ideas.
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In times of painful injustice,
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play brings the levity we need
to be able to breathe.
to be able to breathe.
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When we play, we live.
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I grew up in a time
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when all play was forbidden.
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My family's lives were crushed
by a communist dictatorship.
by a communist dictatorship.
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For my aunt, my grandfather, my father,
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we always held two funerals:
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one for their bodies,
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but, years before that,
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one for their dreams.
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Some of my biggest dreams are nightmares.
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I have a nightmare that one day
all the past will be forgotten
all the past will be forgotten
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and new clothes will be dripping
the blood of past mistakes.
the blood of past mistakes.
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I have a nightmare
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that one day the lighthouses
of our humanity will crumble,
of our humanity will crumble,
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corroded by acid waves of hate.
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But way more than that,
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I have hope.
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In our fights for justice and freedom,
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I hope that we play,
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and that we see the joy
and beauty of us playing together.
and beauty of us playing together.
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That's how we win.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Yana Buhrer Tavanier - Creative activist, social entrepreneurTED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores human rights innovation at the intersection of activism, art, tech and science -- and their potential to instigate change.
Why you should listen
Yana Buhrer Tavanier is the cofounder and executive director of Fine Acts, a global platform for socially engaged creative solutions. As a creative activist and a social entrepreneur with a background in investigative journalism, she explores human rights innovation at the intersection of activism, art, tech and science.
Buhrer Tavanier is also cofounder of TimeHeroes.org, a do-more-good platform building volunteering culture in developing societie. She is a board member of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the country's leading human rights group, and an expert member of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Regional Oversight Group. She has a BA in communication and MA in political science from Sofia University, along with executive education at Harvard University, Yale University and Oxford University. She is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a fellow of the Royal Society of Art and was named one of 50 people who will change the world in WIRED's Smart List 2012.
Yana Buhrer Tavanier | Speaker | TED.com