Jeroen Willems
Bio
Participation5
My name is pronounced roughly as "yu(h)roon" (IPA: jəˈʀun).
Currently residing in Brussels, Belgium. I obtained my master's degree in audiovisual arts, specializing in television, from RITCS in 2020. During my studies, I learned how to direct, write scripts, film, edit and develop concepts.
I have since applied and refined all these skills by creating YouTube videos for my channel, A Happier World. A Happier World is a YouTube channel that explores exciting ideas with the potential to radically improve the world. The videos tackle the world's most pressing problems and offer effective ways we can solve them. Topics covered include global health, poverty, animal welfare, artificial intelligence, pandemics, climate change, and even moral philosophy.
I have been actively involved with EA Brussels/Belgium since 2016. My experience in hosting and organizing events has provided valuable insights into effectively communicating EA ideas.
Pronouns: he/him
Posts 27
Comments136
Hi Jamie!
You're right, output is definitely the biggest bottleneck. Right now, I'm focusing on making shorter videos that cover narrower, more specific topics. I'm also trying to incorporate more real-world footage to keep things visually interesting without requiring so much editing time. Unfortunately, my lead poisoning video and the video I'm currently working on turned out to be a lot more ambitious than I expected.
I'm already working on your first four suggestions. I'm hesitant about the fifth point. I've tried the last point many times, but it never really worked out well. I think finding a collaborator who's willing to dedicate time to the project could be really helpful with this.
I worry the other routes to monetization won't provide enough financial security at the current size of the channel for me to be able to reliably output videos.
Thanks for the write-up! I agree with Chris that the natural functions can vary substantially, and Ulrik's comment shows how (another example could be a policy focus in EA DC and EA Brussels). But there are for sure many universal things like the ones you mentioned.
My main nitpick is with the term. I don't see why "local EA groups" isn't good enough. There are already so many abbreviations within the EA movement that it gets overwhelming. If you read "MEAROs" you have no idea what you're talking about without prior context, while "local EA groups" is very clear and not even that long. The term covers points 1 and 2 of your definition ("local" means it's regional and "EA group" already signals it's meta). Differentiating local groups with and without an organizational structure doesn't seem particularly useful. I assume most unstructured local EA groups aspire to get such a structure, and many of the present and future values listed also apply to them.
Don't forget to go to http://www.projectforawesome.com today and vote for videos promoting effective charities like Against Malaria Foundation, The Humane League, GiveDirectly, Good Food Institute, ProVeg, GiveWell and Fish Welfare Initiative!
Not very active, but asking feedback on any type of EA-related writing is also welcome in the #role-writers channel in the EA Anywhere slack: https://www.effectivealtruismanywhere.org/get-involved
Ruining the person's life, their job prospects, their relationships (family, friends, partners),... while having little to no impact on the business of drug cartels. I'm not saying that's what definitely would happen, but I think the odds are uncomfortably high to risk it.
If I can stop a coke addiction, I can effectively save a life (without donating like 5000 dollars to a charity).
- It's unclear whether reporting would stop a coke addiction at all
- It's unclear whether stopping a coke addiction saves a life, since I assume most coke users don't die from overdose
- You could easily do more harm than good
I believe you're getting downvoted because this question isn't very relevant for the EA forum, which I think is understandable. Perhaps it would be better suited for Reddit or Twitter and maybe a quick take here. But to answer your question: I would not get involved, mostly because you don't know this person. There are so so many people doing cocaine and other drugs, reporting them doesn't really solve anything. You might ruin someone's life. You only get involved in case you know the person really well and then you just start with personally talking to them. Even then I'm not sure I'd report it. They're often a victim of their addiction, so they need help and support rather than punishment.
The location has changed! A lovely EA couple will host the event at their large apartment, located near Abbaye de la Cambre (between Flagey & Bois de la Cambre). Contact me (WhatsApp/Signal/text +32499401427) for the exact address.
Like Joseph says, conventional meditation doesn't work for everyone. Don't force yourself to try and do it. It doesn't work well for me either. Maybe less conventional forms of meditation would work for you: walking meditations, meditations targeted towards neurodiverse people (which is more literal) or just your own interpretation/take. I personally prefer focusing on mindfulness more broadly than meditation. And in my experience, cardio exercises and isolating myself to enjoy music are clearly more effective mindfulness exercices than meditation ever was for me.
As additional sources of funding, I agree they're good ideas!