School can be rife with stress, anxiety, panic attacks and even burnout -- but there's often no formal policy for students who need to prioritize their well-being. Hailey Hardcastle explains why schools should offer mental health days and allow students time to practice emotional hygiene without stigma. Follow along to learn how she and a team o...

Build Back Better features thought leaders and change agents evaluating our pre-pandemic systems and practices in an effort to create a more sustainable, efficient and just world. (Made possible with the support of Qatar Foundation)

Hailey Hardcastle established a network of student activists in order to make schools a better place for those struggling with mental health challenges.

Valeri Harteg is the Refugee Education Coordinator for HIAS Pennsylvania. Day in and day out, she works with refugee children from all around the globe, some of whom have suffered severe trauma. She helps provide these kids with what they need to both adapt to Philadelphia and achieve academic success despite linguistic or other disadvantages.

Why We Don't Know What We Want

Why do we need mythology in the 21st century? Is Indian mythology even relevant to our modern day problems? If so, how can we revive its traditional stories, characters and ideologies to fit modern day life, while still retaining its purpose and teachings about our culture and lifestyle? Or are the teachings of Indian mythology in fact outdated ...

In this talk, Richie Hardcore examines some of the ongoing and problematic behaviours of men, and how our current ideas of masculinity perpetuate this. By pinpointing cultural influences that have generated unhealthy concepts of masculinity, Richie shows how we can unlearn these behaviours, and begin to nurture a healthy masculine identity in ou...

Annushka Hardikar is an Indian designer and illustrator, with a passion for storytelling, based in Pune, India. Her art speaks about female empowerment, environment, food & travel and many more, with a nature and wildlife aesthetic. Creator of the zine ‘Oh Nari, So Sanskari!’, she talks about how in order for us to re-learn creativity, it is...

Peter's own daughters experienced coercion at school. Their curiosity was destroyed and their development stalled. So he and other parents founded a Sudbury school. This is a school based on full respect for children as humans. This worked very well for his daughters. They developed into confident, thriving adults. He is convinced that tradition...

While not everyone has a diagnosed mental illness, every person has their own mental health with unique needs and challenges. It is time that we extend the same empathy and aid to mental health as we do to physical health. One of the best ways to end the stigma surrounding mental health is by spreading the idea that it is always ok to take a bre...

Children are motivated from themselves. Education needs to adjust to the way children live, learn and think

Mohammad Muneem Nazir and Hardik Vaghela from Alif speak about what being a Sufi truly means, and how their unconventional band was formed, while punctuating the talk with their soulful Kashmiri music and throwing light on the monotony of the nine-to-five life. Co-founded in 2008 by Mohammad Muneem Nazir and Hardik Vaghela, Alif is a band that...

Can we change the way we listen to music? Jose and Rebecca show us how, and the experience that led them to their shift.