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Yana Buhrer Tavanier: Can social activism be playful?

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour Episode Work, Play, Rest - Part 2.

We might think of activism as far from playful. That's not the case for "playtivist" Yana Buhrer Tavanier. Her incubator lab, Fine Acts, encourages whimsical solutions for social change.

About Yana Buhrer Tavanier

Yana Buhrer Tavanier is the cofounder and executive director of Fine Acts, a global creative studio that encourages collaboration between activists and artists to produce social change-inspiring art. Buhrer Tavanier has coined the term "playtivism" to describe her work: the process of incorporating play into activism. She's also the cofounder of TimeHeroes.org, which aims to establish volunteering culture in developing societies. She is a TED Senior Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar.

Buhrer Tavanier 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 comes from a background in investigative journalism.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Fiona Geiran and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour.
Fio Geiran
Sanaz Meshkinpour