What’s the biggest influence on Africa’s future? Its youth. Join the conversation with Africa’s present leaders who seek to inspire and empower the generations of leaders to come.
It's the question of our generation: Can we find a sustainable alternative to oil? Scientists, inventors and activists present stern warnings and visionary solutions for the energy of tomorrow.
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.
Software developer Mike Matas demos the first full-length interactive book for the iPad -- with clever, swipeable video and graphics and some very cool data visualizations to play with. The book is "Our Choice," Al Gore's sequel to "An Inconvenient Truth."
Yang Lan, a journalist and entrepreneur who's been called "the Oprah of China," offers insight into the next generation of young Chinese citizens -- urban, connected (via microblogs) and alert to injustice.
These women are trailblazers inspiring a new generation of girls to follow their lead and change the ratio in STEM (science, math, engineering and tech).
Inspiring talks from women who have pushed the boundaries in their field and are paving the way for the next generation of girls to earn their place in traditionally male-dominated professions. (Curated in partnership with the National Security Agency.)
Christian Benimana wants to build a network of architects who can help Africa's booming cities flourish in sustainable, equitable ways -- balancing growth with values that are uniquely African. From Nigeria to Burkina Faso and beyond, he shares examples of architecture bringing communities together. A pan-African movement of architects, designer...
We need to care for and live in harmony with the environment, says climate and gender activist Ernestine Leikeki Sevidzem. The best way to do that? Nurture a forest generation: one that learns to protect nature. Sevidzem shares how she's educating both children and adults in her native Cameroon on what it means to love and preserve the Earth -- ...
What if building intelligent systems and innovations was as easy as drawing connections on a computer screen? Joachim Horn has made this possible. SAM Labs' K-12 STEM, STEAM and learn to code courses put the brainpower and experience of engineers in the hands of anyone. SAM Labs enables students with imagination to go from idea to prototype almo...
Data visionary Hans Rosling's favorite talks keep an eye toward health, economics and population growth -- from business in Africa to youth culture in China.
Drug-resistant bacteria have us on the brink of a serious global health crisis. What if sharks -- creatures we see as a threat to life -- could help fix it? Microbiologist Ethan Mann explains how the unusual qualities of shark skin could lead to a new generation of medical devices that reduce bacterial infection.
It's 1843, and a debate is raging about one of the most common killers of women: childbed fever— no one knows what causes it. One physician has observed patients with inflammation go on to develop childbed fever, and therefore believes the inflammation causes the fever. What's the problem with this argument? Elizabeth Cox explores the false caus...
India has the second largest population of any country in the world -- yet it has only 50 decent bookstores, says publisher Chiki Sarkar. So she asked herself: How do we get more people reading books? Find out how Sarkar is tapping into India's smartphone revolution to create a new generation of readers and writers in this fun talk about a fresh...
A historic number of Latinx voters participated in the 2020 US presidential election, including a record number of young people casting their ballots for the first time. Civic leader María Teresa Kumar takes a look at the issues closest to youth Latinx voters, including health care, climate equity and racial justice, and considers how this growi...
Before he hit eighteen, Fred Swaniker had lived in Ghana, Gambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. What he learned from a childhood across Africa was that while good leaders can't make much of a difference in societies with strong institutions, in countries with weak structures, leaders could make or break a country. In a passionate talk the entrepreneur ...
The Silent Generation, baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, Gen Z -- we're all in the workforce together. How are our assumptions about each other holding us back from working and communicating better? Social psychologist Leah Georges shows how we're more similar than different and offers helpful tactics for navigating the multigenerational ...
Companies are counting on their future leaders to manage with more speed, flexibility and trust than ever before. But how can middle managers climb the corporate ladder while also challenging the way things have always been done? Leadership expert Elizabeth Lyle offers a new approach to breaking the rules while you're on your way up, sharing cre...
In a world filled with sound bites and paparazzi-snapped photos, there are still storytellers determined to create media with meaning. From feature films to citizen journalism, their work is worth spreading.
It's called the "Flynn effect" -- the fact that each generation scores higher on an IQ test than the generation before it. Are we actually getting smarter, or just thinking differently? In this fast-paced spin through the cognitive history of the 20th century, moral philosopher James Flynn suggests that changes in the way we think have had surpr...
A massive generation of young people is about to inherit the world, and it's the duty of everyone to give them a fighting chance for their futures, says UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore. In this forward-looking talk, she explores the crises facing them and details an ambitious new global initiative, Generation Unlimited, which aims to en...
In her Auntie An-mei's home, Jing-Mei reluctantly takes her seat at the eastern corner of the mahjong table. At the north, south and west corners are her aunties, long-time members of the Joy Luck Club. This gathering is the point of departure for a series of interconnected vignettes in Amy Tan's debut novel. Sheila Marie Orfano explores why the...
Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes a torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders in Africa -- and calls on the "Cheetah generation" to take back the continent.
Inventor Nick Sears demos the first generation of the Orb, a rotating persistence-of-vision display that creates glowing 3D images. A short, cool tale of invention.
"How will this generation define itself?" asks spoken word artist Ise Lyfe. Accompanied by cellist Michael Feckses, Lyfe challenges those in Silicon Valley to reflect and embrace humanity as technology progresses.
Within this generation, an extra 30 years have been added to our life expectancy -- and these years aren't just a footnote. Jane Fonda asks how we can re-imagine this new phase of our lives.
Cindy Gallop shares how hardcore pornography has distorted the way a generation of young men thinks about sex -- and how she's fighting back with Make Love Not Porn, her effort to correct the myths being propagated. (This talk contains mature content)