How to be an activist who creates real change

Carey Theil & Christine Dorchak | TEDxAlexanderPark

Most of us want to change the world. Even the most jaded among us still carry a younger version of ourselves — the one who believed in justice, fairness, doing good. So we show up. We vote, protest, post, and plead.

And when nothing changes, we start to believe nothing can change. We lose faith in democracy. In movements. In each other.

Christine Ann Dorchak and Carey Theil didn’t stop there.

For over 20 years, they took on the multi-billion dollar greyhound racing industry. And they won. Not just once. Again and again, in state after state, country after country. Along the way, they helped save thousands of dogs and passed some of the strongest animal protection laws in the world.

In the process, they learned something most activists never do: what actually works.

Christine is a legal expert in pari-mutuel law and a lifelong marathoner. Carey is a strategic policy advocate and a nationally ranked chess master. Together, they founded GREY2K USA Worldwide, a nonprofit that fights for the end of dog racing and funds greyhound rescue efforts across the globe.

They are also co-authors of the book Brooklyn Goes Home. It's the story of one rescued greyhound, and a roadmap for anyone who wants to make real, measurable change.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Learn more about Carey Theil and Christine Dorchack’s work here.