How do you deal with a bully without becoming a thug? In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need -- as nations and individuals -- to fight extreme force without using force in return. To answer the question of why and how nonviolence works, she evokes historical heroes -- Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma G...

In 2003, the Palestinian village of Budrus mounted a 10-month-long nonviolent protest to stop a barrier being built across their olive groves. Did you hear about it? Didn't think so. Brazilian filmmaker Julia Bacha asks why we only pay attention to violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict -- and not to the nonviolent leaders who may one day bri...

Peace. It's humanity's eternal, elusive dream. These speakers offer inspired ideas, practical advice and real-world examples from around the globe of how it just might be attainable.

Are you setting out to change the world? Here's a stat you should know: nonviolent campaigns are 100 percent more likely to succeed than violent ones. So why don't more groups use nonviolence when faced with conflict? Filmmaker Julia Bacha shares stories of effective nonviolent resistance, including eye-opening research on the crucial leadership...

Inspiring words -- and smart ideas -- about standing up for yourself, even when it seems impossible.

Sometimes it’s easy to think the worst of human beings. But these inspiring talks can help you remember: altruism, kindness and helping hands are all around.

From the Arab Spring to the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, a new generation of freedom fighters -- entrepreneurs, journalists, activists -- shares powerful stories of resistance against dictatorships and oppression.

Azim Khamisa speaks to students and adults on nonviolence, forgiveness and peace-building, and he is a founder of two nonprofit organizations that target youth violence.

Groomed for terror, Zak Ebrahim chose a different life. The author of The Terrorist's Son, he hopes his story will inspire others to reject a path of violence.

Ruby Sales has preached around the country on race, class, gender and reconciliation.

In the photo above: Julia Bacha and Nadav Greenberg, Outreach and Programming Coordinator for Just Vision. In preparation for International Day of Peace tomorrow, September 21st, we invited TED speaker extraordinary filmmaker Julia Bacha to the TED office for a live Q&A. Julia gave a moving talk at TED Global on the need to focus medi...

Hasan Elahi was targeted for screening by the FBI after a case of mistaken identity. So he decided to open his life completely. "There's 46,000 images on my site now. I trust the FBI has seen all of them." Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED Maajid Nawaz says: "For 13 years I was an extremist -- a potent force of spreading ideas across...

September 21, 2011, is World Peace Day -- dreamed up by Jeremy Gilley, as he explains above, as a day when combatants take a day off. It seems a simple, crazy idea, but on this past World Peace Day, in regions of Afghanistan, more than a million children were able to be immunized during the lull in fighting. Today, Gilley is kickin...

This week, Judy Bonds -- whose work and life Majora Carter describes movingly in her latest TEDTalk -- died after a battle with cancer. Bonds founded Coal River Mountain Watch, which fought coal companies that were strip-mining her home county, and proposed a thrilling alternative: wind power. She won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2003 ...

The daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Bernice Albertine King is a connector, communicator, community builder and CEO of The King Center.

About this event: Schedule 10:00 am: Fr. Robert Kennedy, SJ: “Zen and the Creative Artist” 10:30 am: Dixie Duncan: “Changing the World: One Bike at a Time” 11:30 am: Dr. John McCall: "Business Purposes and Business Reforms" 12:00 – 1:00 pm: Streaming TED Talks 1:00 pm: Dr. Paul Levinson: "Transmedia Transnational Video Journalism" 1:30 pm: Dr. W...

What are the tools we're using to build the future? Session 3 speakers go deep on what's next in finance, energy, business and the structures we live in. The next generation of trust on the Internet. For many online transactions, we rely on middlemen like banks and government to establish trust -- but these systems face growing issues lik...

Remember TED Talks by Joshua Prager, John McWhorter, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys and Hannah Brencher? All fantastic finds from previous talent searches. Now, we're running a similar event once again. Known as TED@NYC, the evening event will be held on October 8. It's a chance to find fresh voices to ring out on the TED main stage and be heard on t...

In response to the historic moment of mourning and anger over the ongoing violence inflicted on Black communities by police in the United States, four leaders in the movement for civil rights -- Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, CEO of Center for Policing Equity; Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change; Dr. Bernice Albertine King, CEO of the King Ce...

Their ideas are ambitious, with the goal of changing outdated systems and impacting millions of lives. It's been five months since The Audacious Project's first class of project leaders spoke at TED2018, and each one is gaining momentum. Below, the latest news. 1,600 bails paid and counting More than 1,600 people have now had their bail pa...

This compilation of reading assigned to students everywhere will expand your horizons -- and your bookshelves. In the US, most students are required to read To Kill a Mockingbird during their school years. This classic novel combines a moving coming-of-age story with big issues like racism and criminal injustice. Reading Mockingbird is such an ...

Zak Ebrahim is the son of a terrorist. Phyllis Rodriguez lost her son on 9/11. In an inspiring conversation, the two share their personal histories of lives devastated by violence -- and rebuilt by tolerance. Zak Ebrahim’s father was convicted of plotting the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Phyllis Rodriguez’s son, Greg, worked in t...

Conflict and security researcher

Civil rights leader and longtime US congressman John Lewis spent his life fighting for freedom and justice for everyone. In this illuminating conversation with lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson, Lewis discusses the essential importance of voting, shares encouraging words of wisdom for the generation of young people currently organizing in the ...

On one awful night in 1995, Ples Felix's 14-year-old grandson murdered Azim Khamisa's son in a gang initiation fueled by drugs, alcohol and a false sense of belonging. The deadly encounter sent Khamisa and Felix down paths of deep meditation, to forgive and to be forgiven -- and in an act of bravery and reconciliation, the two men met and forged...

Here's a crazy idea: Persuade the world to try living in peace for just one day, every September 21. In this energetic, honest talk, Jeremy Gilley tells the story of how this crazy idea became real -- real enough to help millions of kids in war-torn regions.

Black history taught in US schools is often watered-down, riddled with inaccuracies and stripped of its context and rich, full-bodied historical figures. Equipped with the real story of Rosa Parks, professor David Ikard highlights how making the realities of race more benign and digestible harms us all -- and emphasizes the power and importance ...

Peter van Uhm is the Netherlands' chief of defense, but that does not mean he is pro-war. In this talk, he explains how his career is one shaped by a love of peace, not a desire for bloodshed -- and why we need armies if we want peace.

ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas. These three very different groups are known for violence — but that’s only a portion of what they do, says policy analyst Benedetta Berti. They also attempt to win over populations with social work: setting up schools and hospitals, offering safety and security, and filling the gaps left by weak governments. Understanding...

Is art worth it? "Hell yeah," says graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks -- art has the power to scare dictators, inspire multitudes and change hearts and minds across the world. Reflecting on his journey to become an artist at a time when the world felt like it was burning, Brooks shares how creating something from a place of sincerity and passion ca...