By Sarah Hidey, Joining Vision and Action

I’m thrilled to introduce a good friend of mine (a Denver native) as our latest Changemaker—BC Serna. If there are two words I would use to describe BC, it’s storyteller and connector. He lives to tell stories of GOOD and of positive impact through photography and video—highlighting the incredible work of nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs around the world. As soon as you meet him, you will feel his passion and enthusiasm for giving back and serving his community radiating from him. His energy is contagious, and he thrives on connecting with people and learning about their lives. You need only check out his Instagram to see the impact he’s had—he’s become a key influencer of the Millennial generation, and he uses his platform to inspire others to serve.

I’ve known BC Serna for 6+ years, and we’ve collaborated on many projects—all focused on using business and innovative ways to spread love and goodness in the world. When he recently launched a new venture—The Traveling Good—I knew I needed to be the first to tell his story. The Traveling Good is a team of “dreamers, doers and life livers who value a life of purpose” and who are choosing to use their social media influence to highlight the social good happening in the United States. I know I’m not the only one who is tired of hearing negative stories on the news. BC is leading the way to create a NEW media platform, one that will highlight positive stories of impact.

I recently had the chance to interview BC; here’s what he has to say:

Tell us about The Traveling Good—what social change are you trying to achieve?

The Traveling Good is a vehicle, platform and catalyst for sharing and celebrating the good happening within the USA. We will be driving an RV filled with storytellers and influencers (who collectively have a “reach” of over a million followers!) around the USA for 10 weeks to highlight and celebrate the good within each city we stop in! In each city, we will host an event called “Celebrate Your City” where nonprofit organizations can come out and share about their impact and how the community can get involved. We will also use social media, videos and photography to highlight all the organizations and the work they are doing! Denver is one of our stops, and we plan to throw a huge event while there—inviting tons of organizations to come out and celebrate together!

What keeps you inspired and going when things get tough?

For the last 10 years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to tell stories of good things happening in over 50 countries (you can check out some of his recent storytelling work here and here), and nothing keeps the fire within me going more than just hearing from individuals their personal stories on how the videos and stories I share have changed and impacted their life in some way. From working with refugees in Syria, to inner-city kids in Denver, each and every story matters, and inch by inch we are trying to make a difference every day!

What advice would you give to other young people who are interested in getting more involved in their community/the nonprofit sector? 

Keep showing up. Keep helping a variety of organizations and connecting to different communities and circles. Be super intentional of going out of your way to help organizations—they need as much help as they can and may not know how to delegate or manage extra help, so be proactive and innovative on creating space to support and help them!

What book do you recommend to everyone you meet and why?

I always recommend Love Does, by Bob Goff, which shares stories of what happens when taking leaps of faith. Also The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg, is a great one to help understand a lifestyle of giving instead of getting.

How have you worked with JVA, and how has that helped your organization?

I went to JVA’s Social Enterprise Basecamp a few years ago and loved getting to hear other people’s stories and their similar struggles and situations. It really helped me get a clear view and understanding of what direction I needed to head in and the next steps I needed to take before getting too ahead of myself! The support and encouragement was so refreshing and much needed!

What else would you want to share with us that we haven’t asked?

The Traveling Good is just now starting up, and we can’t wait to embark on the 10-week tour throughout the whole USA, but we hope after the tour, The Traveling Good can become a platform for stories of good, both local and global!

You can play a big part in spreading these stories of good by supporting our campaign.

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