What do you think of when you think service? Building libraries? checking a box off of your community handbook? Slaving under the sun? In this talk, Lily aim's to uncover the REAL point and reason for doing service activities. Lily is a Grade 10 student at Keystone Academy who’s done the math: 1 abandoned pen pal --"global cultural exchange" 50 logged hours -- IB diploma requirement 1 well-framed shelter photo -- "community engagement" She logged hours that help her transcripts more than communities. She knows that “Service as Action” can sometimes feel less like real impact and more like checking boxes—or worse, just petting a cat at a shelter and calling it a day. After participating in every well-intentioned but pointless volunteer project imaginable, she arrived at a radical conclusion: If we’re not actually helping people, we might as well just pet the cat and be honest about it. Her TEDx talk reveals how to turn performative charity into real impact --before we all get demoted to full-time cat cuddlers. No cats were harmed in this talk. The children used as service project backdrops weren’t so lucky. 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