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Rosa Park

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TEDx Organizer

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TEDx event: Speakers

I'm trying to organize a TEDx event in my country, and I'm currently looking for speakers.
If the theme was Youth, would it be better to have teenagers speaking, adults speaking, or both?

Topics: TED event tedx
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    Behzod Sirjani

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    Jun 7 2012: Rosa,

    I would mimic Fritzie's comments. I was on the organizing team for TEDxYouth@Seattle (http://tedxyouthseattle.com) and we had a great lineup of both young adult and older speakers. It helps to identify what types of messages you are looking to communicate to your audience and then find speakers that can do so in a way that the audience understands. You also want to make sure to mix up the speakers in the program so that it isn't grouped by age, but more so by theme or message.

    Cheers,
    Behzod
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      Rosa Park 500+

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      TEDx Organizer
      Jun 9 2012: Thank you for your answer Behzod!
      Would you recommend that there be more than 1 theme/topic of speeches per session?
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    Fritzie Reisner 100+

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    Host
    Jun 6 2012: I think you should make sure to have some speakers who will bring experiences and ideas to the group that will be new and challenging. These could be adults and youth but should be people who are not just expressing feelings everyone at the event hears all the time anyway. TEDx should be different from a rally in which people encourage each other with pep talks to take actions. There should be a large learning component, I think, with real eye-opening expositions.

  • Noah Crossfield

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    Jun 6 2012: I think this is a great idea! I believe that a combination of both teenagers and adults would be in the best interest. One possible topic that I find particularly interesting about our generation is the way older generations view us. I feel that a communication gap has formed between older generations and my generation because of the cultural changes that have occurred (the internet, cellphones, changing family dynamics). While not everyone experiences this communication barrier, I know quite of my friends that have complained that their parents "just don't understand." Maybe you would be interested in having a person from an older generation and a person from our generation give a talk on how to lessen this generational communication gap. This is just an idea though. Good luck with your TEDx event!
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      Rosa Park 500+

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      TEDx Organizer
      Jun 6 2012: That is a great idea, Noah! I'll certainly take that into consideration.

      Thank you for your comment!
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    Prince Boadu 500+

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    TED AttendeeTEDx Organizer
    Jun 6 2012: Hello Rosa,
    I'm glad you are trying to spread the TED spirit through your event. For a youth event,I suggest a blend of both young achievers (teenagers) and young adults.However, the percentage blend will depend on the what you want to achieve through your event. Whatever the case,it is important to get speakers who are energetic and inspiring,and whose ideas are worth spreading!
    You can also visit the TEDx page on this website for more information.I wish you all the best in your event!!
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      Rosa Park 500+

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      TEDx Organizer
      Jun 6 2012: Thank you very much Prince Boadu!
      I agree that a mixture of the speeches by young achievers and adults would broaden the perspective/thoughts and ultimately be able to send across a stronger, more powerful message!
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