“Don’t worry, my clothes are staying on tonight. And they will stay on for the rest of my public life,” Jason Russell joked in his first public appearance since last month’s telecast of a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Russell, the visionary behind the viral video “Kony 2012” and co-founder of the nonprofit Invisible Children, addressed an audience of about 300 students Tuesday at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.

Russell was in town preparing for MOVE: DC, a weekend event highlighted by a global summit that features international leaders discussing solutions to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict. Russell’s viral video was a short documentary on fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, head of the LRA, who has been accused of kidnapping children and forcing them to become members of his army or sex slaves. An international court has indicted Kony for war crimes.

Representatives from the United Nations, African Union and International Criminal Court will be in attendance. The free event, open to the public, will take place Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Q: What are the major challenges the organization has faced this past year, and how have you addressed them?

A: This tour [the group conducts film screenings at high schools and colleges] was centered on rebuilding trust, and the movie [“MOVE”] was all about how [“Kony 2012”] went viral and the aftermath of that, how people thought it was a scam and all the negative energy, comments and criticisms. We really believe that [trust] can only be rebuilt face-to-face. It’s really hard to just put it out there in a movie and have people understand our authenticity. It takes time.

You know, [similar to] my breakdown, it takes an understanding and a willingness to listen. I think that it’s a minority that will actually take the time to do that, but hopefully that spreads and changes the cultural temperature of how people feel about Invisible Children. I believe in the future we will be able to rebuild brand credibility.

Q: Many believe Kony’s media attention and notoriety was short-lived. Moving forward, how does the organization intend to thwart “slacktivism” and continue to make Kony a household name?

A: That’s the culture that we live [in.] “Gangnam Style” is now out of style — it’s already had it’s two weeks. I can’t apologize for “Kony 2012” being the flavor of a month, then gone the next.

Our humanity is bound up in the humanity of these children who have been forced to kill and fight. That is not a fad, and it does not go out of style just because the Internet memes have stopped. It does not make the child who has been abducted just last week any less precious, valuable or worthy.

I believe in the work of our Dream Factory [art department] — their ability to be creative again, appropriate and drive the story home until our mission is accomplished.

Q: What is the status of the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act that Invisible Children helped pass in 2009?