Heeten Kalan dives into his evolution of interest regarding environmentalism. Tying social rights activism and the environment together, Kalan calls young people to action. Heeten Kalan has a long history of working on human rights and social justice issues ranging from fighting apartheid in South Africa, monitoring the northern Ireland peace process to protecting our climate and planet. Heeten currently serves as the Director of Democracy Programs at the New World Foundation where he works on issues of democracy and civic engagement, human rights, and climate. He is responsible for funding organizations that examine our society and empower those impacted to make the change.
Born and raised during the apartheid era in South Africa, Heeten was not allowed to attend the local, all-white high school in his hometown. After attending boarding school five hours away from home, he went on to complete high school at a United World College on Vancouver Island in Canada. He then studied at Dartmouth College, moved to Boston to start a non-profit, followed by a Masters at MIT. 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
