Almost everyone has seen a TED talk. Whether it has been in a class, for a club, for work or just shared with you by a friend, there has probably been at least one. If you haven’t, to give some background from their website, TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged and today covers almost all topics – from science to business to global issues. TEDx is a program created more recently that holds onto TED’s idea of “ideas worth spreading” but allows more people in smaller communities to be seen. As said on their website, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x stands for independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
Courtesy: Miguel Henriques
Tallahassee has its very own TEDx event on Nov. 9 from 9 AM – 12 PM at the J. Leander Byrd Community Center. If you are a student or resident close to Tallahassee, this is an opportunity to listen to innovative ideas from leaders and change-makers in your community. This year the event is being organized by Jessica Pryce. According to her profile, she is a social worker, child advocate, researcher and pursuer of gender and racial equity. She is committed to transformational leadership that ignites organizational and systems-level change in the pursuit of child safety and social justice. She has helped organize the entire event, including choosing this year’s speakers. They all have very diverse but equally important and impactful topics – let’s look at who’s speaking.
Courtesy: TEDx Tallahassee Facebook
According to the TEDx Tallahassee Facebook event page, there are eleven speakers and each TEDx talk is around 20 minutes. The first speaker is Jenelle N. Robinson, who is discussing how media, poetry and performance can enhance eating behaviors. Next, Kate Kile is discussing mothers who are demanding action to end gun violence in America. Another is LaTanya White, whose talk is titled “The Audacity of Privilege”. Antoinette Mutcherson is speaking about her challenge as a mother to “win her child back from YouTube”. Shawn Kreuger is another speaker discussing the HIV Stigma and how it has changed or not changed throughout the years. Changchun (Chad) Zeng’s talk is called “How to make America’s favorite pastime safer: football and beyond”. Speaker Alexandra Washington is discussing the importance of agriculture now more than ever. Next, Tai Beauchamp is discussing how to be your “authentic self” and why it is important to do so. Talethia Edwards is telling her story as a grassroots leader and what she has done for her community. Atira Charles is “rethinking diversity and inclusion as a health and wellness dilemma”. Finally, April McCray is telling her personal experience of the trauma of family separation, where she discusses the struggles she went through as a child that led to the separation from her mother and challenges society to change the current child welfare system.
Courtesy: Antenna
This diverse group of leaders and topics means there is something for everyone to learn. If you are interested in learning more about TEDx you can visit their website. To learn more about TEDx Tallahassee, visit their Facebook page, and to get your ticket for the event, you can click here.
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