Jeroen Willems🔸

Karma: 1,296

My name is pronounced roughly as “yeroon” (IPA: jəˈʀun).

You can leave anonymous feedback here: https://admonymous.co/jeroen_w

Currently residing in Brussels, Belgium. I obtained my master’s degree in audiovisual arts, specializing in television, from RITCS in 2020. During my studies, I learned how to direct, write scripts, film, edit and develop concepts.

I have since applied and refined all these skills by creating YouTube videos for my channel, A Happier World. A Happier World is a YouTube channel that explores exciting ideas with the potential to radically improve the world. The videos tackle the world’s most pressing problems and offer effective ways we can solve them. Topics covered include global health, poverty, animal welfare, artificial intelligence, pandemics, climate change, and even moral philosophy.

I have been actively involved with EA Brussels/Belgium since 2016. My experience in hosting and organizing events has provided valuable insights into effectively communicating EA ideas.

Pronouns: he/him

Jeroen Willems🔸 16 Jan 2025 20:40 UTC
11 points
6 ∶ 0
in reply to: Dylan Richardson’s comment on: What are we doing about the EA Forum? (Jan 2025)
My guess is, but I could be wrong, EA forum content is often just difficult to share with a broader audience as it’s usually not the target audience? And even when it’s ideas worth sharing with a broader audience, it may still be filled with EA jargon / way of speaking that’s difficult to follow for a lot of people. I am saying this assuming most people’s followers aren’t EAs but friends, colleagues and family. Even within EA, people are focused on different cause areas and many may not priorize reading stuff outside their cause area. I am not saying all of this is bad, I haven’t thought that through, but it does make sense to me. It’s similar to academic papers in a way, you generally wouldn’t share those on your social media platforms. But you do send them to people you think could be interested, just like how in EA I feel like posts are shared in messages with each other all the time.
I do think encouraging to share and add a picture can help and is a good idea!

Jeroen Willems🔸 5 Jan 2025 8:58 UTC
2 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Ideas EAIF is excited to receive applications for
Thanks for the write-up! This is a very useful post.
I have been wondering though, since the shift in strategy, is EA outreach still a priority? Such as YouTube channels, podcasts, other online media,… targeting a broader audience. And if not, why?
Even though I have a personal vested interest in this topic (running a YouTube channel previously funded by EAIF), I do believe that projects like these could be highly effective and worth funding, regardless of my own involvement.

Jeroen Willems🔸 3 Jan 2025 11:31 UTC
3 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Be the First Person to Take the Better Career Pledge!
My main point of criticism, that I didn’t see anyone else mention in the top-level comments, is that the pledge just seems too vague and broad. A 10 percent pledge is very concrete and measurable. Of course there is a difference in opinion in terms of what charities count as impactful, just like with careers. But with careers the difference in opinion is too broad for this pledge to be useful. Some could just interpret this pledge as “I’ll become a doctor or work for an ngo” without giving much extra thought. While with the 10% pledge there is a clear significant minimum commitment. I don’t think it solves the issue of value drift either. I imagine that in reality, when value drift happens, the individual won’t be quick to admit their values have drifted even if they aren’t actively looking for the most impactful career opportunities anymore. And there is also a higher chance people will just forget about the pledge and ignore any reminders. You could try and make the pledge more measurable, but then I think you’ll quickly run into Goodhart’s Law. I’m skeptical there is a way to have a career pledge and avoid these issues. I could be wrong, and I do welcome trying out new things like this!

Jeroen Willems🔸 30 Dec 2024 18:35 UTC
4 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: OscarD🔸’s comment on: Detection of Asymptomatically Spreading Pathogens
I’m finishing up a video covering NAO and wastewater monitoring, though not based on this specific talk.

Jeroen Willems🔸 8 Oct 2024 22:39 UTC
2 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: Julia_Wise🔸’s comment on: Jeroen_W’s Shortform
Thanks for pointing this out! I wasn’t really sure where my question fell on the axis of “general EA animal welfare knowledge” (ex. prioritizing chickens > cows) to “specific detail about how ACE evaluates charities”. By posting a quick take on the forum, I was hoping it was closer to the former, that I was just missing something obvious and that ACE wouldn’t even have to be bothered. I shouldn’t have overlooked the possibility that it might be more complicated!

Jeroen Willems🔸 7 Oct 2024 16:12 UTC
4 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: Max Taylor’s comment on: Jeroen_W’s Shortform
Thank you so much for this elaborate and insightful response, Max! I understand the argument much better now.

Jeroen Willems🔸 5 Oct 2024 20:58 UTC
29 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Jeroen_W’s Shortform
I was going through Animal Charity Evaluators’ reasoning behind which countries to prioritize (https://animalcharityevaluators.org/charity-review/the-humane-league/#prioritizing-countries) and I notice they judge countries with a higher GNI per capita as more tractable. This goes against my intuition, because my guess is your money goes further in countries that are poorer. And also because I’ve heard animal rights work in Latin America and Asia is more cost-effective nowadays. Does anyone have any hypotheses/arguments? This quick take isn’t meant as criticism, I’m just informing myself as I’m trying to choose an animal welfare org to fundraise for this week (small, low stakes).

When I have more time I’d be happy to do more research and contact ACE myself with these questions, but right now I’m just looking for some quick thoughts.

Jeroen Willems🔸 10 Sep 2024 23:07 UTC
6 points
4 ∶ 0
on: Stepping down from GWWC: So long, and thanks for all the shrimp
Giving What We Can has grown tremendously over the past couple of years under your leadership. It’s been inspiring to witness how the organization has flourished! The redesign, the video content, the doubling in pledges, the fundraising feature, the donation platform, all the new research,… these are real milestones to be proud of. Thank you so much for the important work you’ve done! I am confident that Sjir and the rest of the team will continue building on the strong foundation you’ve created. I’m excited to see what you’ll do next, but make sure to take the well-earned rest you deserve!

Jeroen Willems🔸 14 Jul 2024 10:41 UTC
5 points
3 ∶ 0
on: 10 Percent Pledge
I can’t figure out how to change it on the EA Forum. Perhaps because I’ve already changed my name once before and there’s a limit?

But I understand that there are many people who take the pledge but don’t feel comfortable sharing it publicly. I think different circles and different cultures look differently towards “bragging” about donating. I know I don’t feel comfortable doing it on LinkedIn or Instagram. Mostly out of fear or judgement I guess, so my mind could easily change.

Jeroen Willems🔸 4 Jul 2024 21:01 UTC
2 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: GraceAdams🔸’s comment on: We’ve renamed the Giving What We Can Pledge
Unfortunately, it looks like even in bio it’s not possible! It says:
Account update failed: Description can’t include “🔹”.
It’s not the biggest deal, the orange one is cooler anyway, so it’s an extra reason to take the 10% pledge! 😉 In the meantime I’ll use the blue one on swapcard.

Jeroen Willems🔸 2 Jul 2024 12:01 UTC
8 points
1 ∶ 0
in reply to: Alana HF’s comment on: We’ve renamed the Giving What We Can Pledge
Unfortunately the 🔹 emoji doesn’t work on Twitter, I assume so it wouldn’t be confused with the verification badge.

Jeroen Willems🔸 18 Jun 2024 21:50 UTC
15 points
7 ∶ 0
in reply to: Ben Millwood🔸’s comment on: Why so many “racists” at Manifest?
Agreed. There is a major difference between thinking someone should be deplatformed just because they have opposing views (e.g., pause AI vs. accelerationist, libertarian vs. communist) and thinking someone should be deplatformed because they promote discriminatory views.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with being controversial or outside of the Overton window. Many important ideas were once controversial, and many still are. But it is wrong to actively promote views that are racist, transphobic or sexist and to platform those who do. Not because these views are controversial, but because they go against creating a safe and welcoming environment for all.
That being said, I am not familiar with most of the speakers being discussed here, so I can’t say whether the organizers made the right call or not with them. And I understand not every case is clear cut. But with Richard Hanania they clearly made a bad call in my opinion.

Jeroen Willems🔸 13 May 2024 8:40 UTC
2 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Do people who ask for anonymous feedback via admonymous.co actually get good feedback?
I’ve had admonynous for ages, my guess would be 2018-2020, but I’ve only had 2 submissions so far. One was recently, because I mentioned it in my recent fundraising post. This was actually useful feedback. I felt slightly frustrated because I wanted to refute some points, but I believe it’s best to just let it be. This post does inspire me to promote/highlight it more.

Jeroen Willems🔸 28 Apr 2024 13:01 UTC
4 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Jeroen_W’s Shortform
In case you’re interested in supporting my EA-aligned YouTube channel A Happier World:
I’ve lowered the minimum funding goal from $10,000 to $2,500 to give donors confidence that their money will directly support the project. Because if the minimum funding goal isn’t reached, you won’t get your money back. Instead it will go back in your Manifund balance for you to spend on a different project. I understand this may have been a barrier for some, which is why I lowered the minimum funding goal.
Manifund fundraising page
EA Forum post announcement

Jeroen Willems🔸 8 Apr 2024 10:39 UTC
3 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: Jamie_Harris’s comment on: A Happier World (YouTube channel) is seeking funding
As additional sources of funding, I agree they’re good ideas!

Jeroen Willems🔸 7 Apr 2024 15:10 UTC
2 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: Jamie_Harris’s comment on: A Happier World (YouTube channel) is seeking funding
Hi Jamie!

You’re right, output is definitely the biggest bottleneck. Right now, I’m focusing on making shorter videos that cover narrower, more specific topics. I’m also trying to incorporate more real-world footage to keep things visually interesting without requiring so much editing time. Unfortunately, my lead poisoning video and the video I’m currently working on turned out to be a lot more ambitious than I expected.

I’m already working on your first four suggestions. I’m hesitant about the fifth point. I’ve tried the last point many times, but it never really worked out well. I think finding a collaborator who’s willing to dedicate time to the project could be really helpful with this.

I worry the other routes to monetization won’t provide enough financial security at the current size of the channel for me to be able to reliably output videos.

Jeroen Willems🔸 25 Feb 2024 16:18 UTC
3 points
1 ∶ 1
on: Meta EA Regional Organizations (MEAROs): An Introduction
Thanks for the write-up! I agree with Chris that the natural functions can vary substantially, and Ulrik’s comment shows how (another example could be a policy focus in EA DC and EA Brussels). But there are for sure many universal things like the ones you mentioned.

My main nitpick is with the term. I don’t see why “local EA groups” isn’t good enough. There are already so many abbreviations within the EA movement that it gets overwhelming. If you read “MEAROs” you have no idea what you’re talking about without prior context, while “local EA groups” is very clear and not even that long. The term covers points 1 and 2 of your definition (“local” means it’s regional and “EA group” already signals it’s meta). Differentiating local groups with and without an organizational structure doesn’t seem particularly useful. I assume most unstructured local EA groups aspire to get such a structure, and many of the present and future values listed also apply to them.

Jeroen Willems🔸 18 Feb 2024 12:13 UTC
14 points
1 ∶ 0
on: Jeroen_W’s Shortform
Don’t forget to go to http://www.projectforawesome.com today and vote for videos promoting effective charities like Against Malaria Foundation, The Humane League, GiveDirectly, Good Food Institute, ProVeg, GiveWell and Fish Welfare Initiative!

Jeroen Willems🔸 11 Feb 2024 0:23 UTC
4 points
1 ∶ 0
on: Quick PSA: Editing and Review peer group for forum posts
Not very active, but asking feedback on any type of EA-related writing is also welcome in the #role-writers channel in the EA Anywhere slack: https://www.effectivealtruismanywhere.org/get-involved

Jeroen Willems🔸 24 Jan 2024 20:04 UTC
2 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: dstudioscode’s comment on: Should I Report A Cocaine User?
Ruining the person’s life, their job prospects, their relationships (family, friends, partners),… while having little to no impact on the business of drug cartels. I’m not saying that’s what definitely would happen, but I think the odds are uncomfortably high to risk it.