TEDYouth, our first-ever TED event for young people, was held on Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at the Times Center in Manhattan. TEDYouth coincided with more than 100 self-organized TEDxYouthDay events happening worldwide over a 48-hour period. The theme for the day was "Play, Learn, Build, and Share". Attendance was open, free of charge, to 300 youth from 6-12th grades within the New York area. Each of the 20 passionate speakers inspire creativity, share mind-shifting stories, and engage their physical and virtual audience in ways that every student deserves.
TEDYouth 2011 speakers
- Adam Savage is a maker of things, building everything from spaceships to buddhas, from puppets to rifles, from sculptures to toys. He's best known for his role as co-host of the TV show MythBusters on the Discovery channel. (Watch his TEDTalk)
- Robert Full studies cockroach legs and gecko feet. His research is helping build the perfect "distributed foot" for tomorrow's robots, based on evolution's ancient engineering. (Watch his TEDTalks)
- David Gallo is a pioneer in ocean exploration and an enthusiastic ambassador between the sea and those of us on dry land. (Watch his TEDTalks)
- Brad Meltzer is a best selling author whose writing focuses on political thrillers. Most recently, he is the co-host of the History Channel's Decoded.
- Déborah Berebichez, also known as "The Science Babe," studies the science behind everyday life, like the physics behind wearing high heels. (Watch her talk from TEDxEast)
- Lemon Andersen is a TONY award-winning performer and spoken word artist who is also the subject of a newly-released documentary film about his life called Lemon.
- Leah Buechley is an MIT designer who mixes high and low tech to create smart and playful results.
- Juan D. Martinez is a National Geographic Explorer who dedicates his energy to grassroots campaigns from health care and housing discrimination, to creating garden space where he grew up in South Central L.A.
- Greg Gage has combined invertebrate preparations with off-the-shelf electronics, to create a kit that could provide insight into the inner workings of the body, specifically the brain. He is a TED2012 Fellow.
- Arianne Cohen is the author of The Tall Book , where she shares the pros and cons of living life as a 6'3 woman.
- Steve Stoute is one of the most influential voices in pop culture. His work examines how hip-hop has transformed a new generation, conquered the global marketplace, and rewritten the rules of the new economy.
- Jason Munshi-South is a researcher at Baruch College who studies the behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary impacts of humans on the inhabitants of New York City parks.
- Daniela Schiller is an assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying emotional control.
- Chris Anderson is the curator of the TED Conference. (Watch his TEDTalks)
- Garth Sundem is a mathematician who uses mathematics to answer everyday questions, such as whether to goof or study.
- Ish Islam, Justin Long-Moton and Carvens Lissaint come from New York City's Urban Word program, and are three of its finest young poets.
- Kevin Allocca is the trends manager of YouTube, where he tracks popular video phenomena.
TEDYouth was generously supported by Kohl's Cares.