“At first I looked at Kyle’s goals as audacious, but he accomplished everything he set out to do. He’s a bold activist” -Chris Carter, creator, X-Files
“There’s a lot of talk about engaging the youth in world change, Kyle is unique because he’s actually part of the demographic.” – Kaj Larsen, CNN Correspondent
My name is Kyle Thiermann and I like to have a good time. As a
professional surfer, I
’ve been lucky enough to travel to some amazing
surf spots around the world. Through my travels, one of the things I
see in many developing countries is a lot of suffering. During my
trips, it always felt weird to me when I would stay in a hotel, surf
the waves, and learn pretty much nothing about the community. Along
the way I became curious about the biggest issues that the places I
visited were facing. When I was 18 decided to make a short movie about a proposed coal
power plant that was going to be built on the beach in a town called
Constiticuion in Chile. All of the locals were opposed
to it. I did some research and learned that Bank of America was financing the
project. When you put your money in a bank it doesn’t stay there. Banks use your money to lend out. When you put your money in a local
bank it’s also lent out, but instead of being sucked out of your
community, it circulates within your neighborhood and supports your
local economy. By shifting your bank account you have the power to
stop funding the problem and start funding the solution, all in one
move. So, I made a YouTube movie about this issue and shared it with my friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQIt2JUF-sg
The movie spread and my friends took action and started moving their
money, then surf companies took action, then people who didn’t surf
took action. Because of this I’ve been able to document people moving
hundreds of millions of dollars of lending power out of B of A and
other centralized banks into local banks and credit unions, and
reached people throughout North America, South America, Africa and
much of Europe. That project was my inspiration to create the Surfing for Change
Series: a short movie series based from each surf trip I take that
aims to cover a current issue while spreading the message that
activism can be fun. http://surfingforchange.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/kylethiermann?feature=watch
