Yana Buhrer Tavanier

Activist, Consultant, Journalist, Producer, Social entrepreneur, Writer/Editor

TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier is the co-founder and executive director of Fine Acts, a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact. Yana leads a team that leverages advocacy, art, tech, and science to create innovative campaigns and art actions that provoke thought and spark conversations on critical social and environmental issues. Through Fine Acts, Yana aims to also empower organizations worldwide by providing tailored training, open resources, and bespoke creative work to drive positive change. Her most recent TED talk, viewed close to 2 million times, deals with her concept of playtivism - the importance of multidisciplinary creative play and experimentation in activism. Yana is also the co-founder of TimeHeroes.org, the largest volunteer platform in Bulgaria; and has a background as an award-winning investigative journalist. She has a BA in communication and MA in political science from Sofia University, along with executive education at Harvard University, Yale University, Oxford University, and NTU-Singapore. Yana is a TED Senior Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar, a WEF Young Global Leader, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Allianz Foundation Fellow, and was named one of 50 people who will change the world in WIRED’s Smart List 2012. At TED 2026 (and TED 2024 + 2025) Yana serves as the Curator of the Night of the Fellows.

Making people care

Multidisciplinary, creative play doesn’t just spark better ideas, but could be an antidote to the high levels of burnout and depression amongst activists.

Activism, Advocacy, Art for social change, Artivism, Climate justice, Creative campaigning, Education, Environmental policy and advocacy, Government policy, Human rights advocacy and campaigning, Investigative journalism, Job skills training, Media ethics, Nonprofits, Playtivism, Science communication, Volunteerism

I am a 2011 TED Global Fellow, a 2014 TED Senior Fellow, a TEDx Organizer, a 2018 TED Resident, and a 2022 TED-Ed Educator.