Theme: #WHY NOT

Real innovation starts with a simple question: Why not? Why not do things differently? Why not change the system as we know it? And why not fight against the burdens that restrict us?

Every person has a why not? And it is driving him or her to change how this world is run. In TEDx2015 we want to introduce you to people that asked this question and started something great.

But they aren´t the only ones: our world is in need of innovators. Of people that ask this simple question and apply it to their disciplines. And here is where you come in: your why not is important: it is the cornerstone for a significant change in how this globe turns.

Each TEDx Event is hosted under the umbrella of a theme that then is looked upon from various angles. This years theme will be “Why not?”. The idea of “Why not” is based on enlighten assumptions in various fields and to demonstrate that if we flip the coin an opposite truth use can be equally valid.

Provinciaal Hof
Markt 3
Bruges, West-Vlaanderen (nl), 8000
Belgium

Gibran Watfe

Gibran Watfe is an economist and co-founder of rethink finance, a financial service provider that aims to get young people to invest their money in a sustainable way. As social entrepreneur in the Berlin-based incubator social impact lab, he was interested in channeling money towards sustainable projects.

Allan Päll

Allan Päll is the Secretary General of the European Youth Forum, the biggest representative body for youth organisations in Europe. Before, he has been leading student unions in Estonia and at European level, advocating for student voices to be included in educational policy. His keen interest has been to promote a student-centred education with a strong focus on social inclusion. He is now devoted to putting issues of young people to the heart of European politics. You can find him on Twitter as @allanpal

Ana Gurau

Having started at the Center for the Prevention of Trafficking in Women in Chisinau, Ana pursued studies in Philosophy in Cluj-Napoca, and Public Policy in Budapest. She contributed to Al Jazeera’s series on ‘Slavery in the 21st Century’, and has been actively involved in academic debating societies at home, in Romania and in Hungary for more than ten years. She studies Economics at the College of Europe, following work as a tax adviser in the private sector.

Felicia A. Henderson

Felicia A. Henderson is a senior advisor, working with company founders, c-suite executives and board members in business and non-profit organizations to develop responsible decision-making, sound global leadership practices and healthy cross-cultural team interaction. Her current focus is on improving corporate governance by inserting soft values into the decision-making framework.

Goele Janssen

Goele Janssen is currently studying at the Economics department of the College of Europe after having obtained a degree in European Politics in Belgium and Germany. She has been actively engaged in political debates within the Young European Federalists (JEF) and European Movement. Rather than specifically as a political scientist or economist, this time she will take the floor as a woman.

Jean-Philippe Schepens

As an ornithologist, master in Economics and statistician, Jean-Philippe Schepens want to connect dots using data. The further away the connected dots, the more value for the business.

Jon Worth

Jon Worth is one of the best known bloggers on EU affairs – his blog www.jonworth.eu has broken stories about the European Union and has been the launch pad for campaigns about issues as diverse as atheism, railways, and gender balance in the European Commission. He hold a UK passport and lives in Berlin. You can follow him on Twitter @jonworth.

Laura Hemmati

Laura is a political speechwriter and motivational speaker. She is the Cofounder of Leadarise, a network encouraging young women professionals and entrepreneurs to realise their leadership potential and maximise their positive impact on society in Brussels, Dublin, London and New York City.

Loic Winckelmans

Nella Niva

Nella Niva is a circus artist from Finland. She has toured with Circus Monti and studied at the renowned Ecole Superieure des Arts de Bruxelles. For TEDxCollegeOfEurope she will present a combination of floor acrobatics with dance.

Swann Périssé

Graduate from Sciences Po Paris, Swann joined the Jacques Lecoq school to focus on creation and body precision. Fascinated by humor, she starts writing her first shows in 2011, and has currently played in over 300 performances, including over 250 performances of her solo comedy show that mixes stand-up, mime, dance, singing and text. She is currently performing and producing ‘Tout est dit’, her second show in French, all over France.