Taylor Quinn is a student of International Development Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He works for the Dalhousie Student Union’s Leadership Department while studying towards a degree in International Development Studies.
Quinn is one of eight young Atlantic Canadian ambassadors participating in the Active-8 campaign, inspired by the idea that each of us can make a difference and that small changes by individual Canadians can lead to big change for everyone, everywhere.
The campaign was launched in 2010, with the financial support of the Government of Canada, provided through the Canadian International Development Agency and the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation.
Up until Grade 11, Quinn says he was an average kid. On Oct. 20, 2009 he heard a presentation on Invisible Children (child soldiers.)
“Since that night I’ve just had my head down pursuing what I believe in,” he said.
His experiences include starting his own projects, including a small non-profit and social movement in Vancouver and a small community business in Halifax, teaching computer and tech skills to kids at a summer camp.
He’s worked on global scale projects with friends he’s met through leadership programs from China, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Tunisia. He refers to East Africa, where he spent summers working, as his second home.
He recently started his own society and worked developing the innovation program for the Dalhousie student union. He received the Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Governor General for his commitment to community activism.
“What inspires me is I have a voice, I used to be terrible at public speaking and I still get nervous doing it. But every opportunity I have a chance to speak publicly, I do it to try to inspire others,” said Quinn.
You can visit Taylor Quinn’s page on the Active 8 campaign 2013 site and enter an action that he has inspired you to do on his behalf.
Ideas for actions can be found on the website and include buying locally produced products, donating to a local food bank, or volunteering to raise funds for important social causes.
“I want to live in a world where people are thinking about the everyday actions that they take,” said Quinn, who hopes to collect 1,000 commitments of action from Canadians and global citizens around the world.
Since 2010, collectively, 24 young ambassadors inspired 11,033 acts of generosity and hope.
