Coolsingel
x = independently organized TED event

This event occurred on
November 4, 2015
9:00am - 5:00pm CET
(UTC +1hr)
Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland
Netherlands

Rotterdam is a city of contrast. On the one hand the main port to Europe. On the other hand the poorest city in the Netherlands. 65.000 of its citizens live below the poverty line. People of many different ethnic backgrounds creating melting pot of cultures. The diversity in within the city’s population in itself is both its weakness and its strength.

TEDxCoolsingel Incorporated is a TED-like event. Locally organized by a team of social entrepreneurs in the spirit of “ideas worth spreading”, devoted to leveraging the power of ideas to change the city. The event is cross-disciplinary with talks focused on changing attitudes, lives and ultimately the city itself.

Reflecting the ideas and inspire the thinking of a new generation TEDxCoolsingel aims to engage and re-engage inhabitants, local businesses and corporations in an active and meaningful manner; to create a better, greater, safer, nicer and community based metropolis.

Incorporated is about doing good. Not necessarily being charitable. We believe businesses can achieve more for their shareholders, employees and society as a whole by incorporating doing good into their strategy.

TEDxCoolsingel focuses on issues important to the city of Rotterdam and our objectives are to:
• Inspire a new generation of people to engage responsibly with all the challenges and opportunities that are presented in a big city;
• Bring together people that have found or are seeking innovative approaches for the challenges the city is facing.
• Foster an environment for embracing our passion for and commitment to the city.

TEDxCoolsingel will be the starting point for a permanent dialogue, sharing inspiring ideas. Bringing together leaders from the business community, architects, academics, community leaders but foremost the citizens of Rotterdam we want to create an environment where ideas can lead to action, a stepping-stone for co-creation and a starting point for new social enterprises.

The subjects we want to touch are:
• How to improve urban living space to benefit a majority of its residents
• The role of civil society
• How can education contribute to change
• How can companies make a sustainable contribution to social change

The talks will be mixed with performances of local artist reflecting the diversity of cultures so characteristic for Rotterdam.

coolsingel
Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland
Netherlands
See more ­T­E­Dx­Coolsingel events

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.

Arnold Blits

For more than 25 years Arnold Blits has been intrigued by the question: 'What really creates success?'. His profound search for answers has led to a complete original set of insights and solutions about relationships, leadership and sales.

Ellen Verbeem

Ellen Verbeem works for the prosecutor’s office. Not a prosecutor herself it’s her mission to find alternative ways to reduce recidivism among juveniles. Not by punishing harder, but by working with partners in and outside the chain to look where things went wrong and to have a better understanding of the circumstances leading to a criminal act. She helps people within her organisation to combine their own criminal law-role with other, sometimes less obvious, possibilities.

Eric Dullaert

Cultural entrepreneur Eric Dullaert has an excellent developed sensory ability which enables him to recognize situations where he can make a difference. And that's what he does. Projects like ‘A View with Room’,' Atelier Tarwewijk ' and many others come from this.

Farid Darkaoui

Farid Darkaoui (1974) is founder and director of Zaken Expert, an innovative consultancy company specialized in the field of urban economics and entrepreneurship. Over the past 10 years he successfully coached and trained more than 10.000 entrepreneurs helping them to achieve their business goals and dreams. In 2011 he won the H.H. Horsting prize. This is an award for people that successfully and exceptionally invested in the community.

Justus Uitermark

Justus Uitermark works as a sociologist at the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam. In much of his work on cities, social movements, and urban policy, he explores the politics of self-organization.

Lex Burdorf

Lex Burdorf (1958) is Professor in Determinants of Public Health at the Department of Public Health at the Erasmus MC. As a researcher he is fascinated by the large health inequalities around the world as well as in Rotterdam.

Nejra Burzic

Nejra Burzic (1995) is winner of the Spoken Word Contest of VMCC.

Omani Ormskirk

The sixteen-year-old Omani Ormskirk from Rotterdam was named 'Grand Champion Senior Dance of the World' at the World Championships in Los Angeles.

Paul Veldhuijzen

In 2010 Paul Veldhuijzen started teaching filed hockey clinics to children on squares in the South of Rotterdam. Now he is manager of HC club Feyenoord, the first multicultural hockey club in the Netherlands.

Rodney van den Hengel

Rodney van den Hengel is from the hood himself. He knows the street culture and the importance of one’s standing. He acknowledges the values of the young in his own neighbourhood of Delfshaven. He understands their choices in life. He sees where things go wrong. At the same time he strongly believes that everyone deserves a second chance.

Semiha Denktas

Semiha Denktas is Head of the Department Social & Behavioral Sciences at the Erasmus University College. While genetic and environmental factors contribute to chronic diseases, she states behavioral factors play a huge role.

Sihame El Kaouakibi

Sihame El Kaouakibi (1986) graduated in 2008 as a schoolteacher and earned her Masters in Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her unparalleled drive has led her to create, next to the succes story ‘Let’s go urban’, her own company, A Woman’s View , which focusses on putting social entrepreneurship on the map and creates concepts for profit, non-profit organizations which really make a socioeconomic difference

Umar Mirza

Umar Mirza is the initiator of an online writers platform, tv-host, columnist and named amongst the top 3 Best Young Professionals 2015. As a son of Pakistani immigrants, he tells the compelling story of his father and his search for home. At the same time he warns about a brain drain of the highly educated second-generation immigrants. If fail to make them feel at home the most talented will leave first.

Wolf Brinkman

Wolf Brinkman describes himself as an artist and a philistine, who like to think about the pointlessness of things. As an artist Wolf Brinkman is interested in the way art can support and deepen the language and mathematics education. With support of the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum he developed a unique and highly appreciated learning program for primary schools.

Organizing team

Allison
van Dams

Organizer

Micha
Italiaander

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Co-organizer
  • Allison van Dams
    Licensee / Curating
  • Micha Italiaander
    Licencee / Curating
  • Cynthia Haaswijk
    Project Management
  • Heleen van Tholen
    Event Management
  • Natasha Nordin
    Event Management
  • Sjoerd Blijleve
    Video Production
  • Peter Robbemond
    Video Production
  • Deborah Koningstein
    Marketing & Communications
  • Samuel Tekeste
    Partnerships & Sponsoring
  • Erica van Engel
    Partnerships & Sponsoring
  • Cynthia Telting
    Web Design
  • Elita Vijverberg
    Web Design