The negative impacts of foreign aid on the textile, clothing and food industries are explored in this talk, which stresses that although the heart is in the right place, sometimes the application does not produce the desired result, and alternative solutions are needed.

Alyssa Chow is a grade 10 student at Ashbury College. She believes in social advocacy and is very active in her community. She was recently recognized with Ottawa’s 2016 Youth Philanthropy Award for her work with the YMCA in supporting their Strong Kids Campaign. Alyssa is also a member of the Youth Service Bureau’s Youth Cabinet, where she helps plan and organize events such as the SleepOut for Youth. Being involved in both organizations, Alyssa has been able to help underprivileged children in her community while managing Charitable Wishlist, a website aimed at connecting volunteers, donors and charities. You can visit the site at www.charitablewishlist.com. In addition to being an active volunteer, Alyssa has been a strong leader at Ashbury, being on a variety of committees and teams. She often competes in public speaking and debate competitions and recently attended the International Independent School Public Speaking Competition. Alyssa also enjoys participating in field hockey.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx