Theme: XPERIENCE CONNECTION

TEDxYouth@TheBeltline is Atlanta's annual TEDxYouth event. Since the first event in 2011, our event has brought together nearly 500 teen and adult innovators, performers and participants to inspire a new dialogue between teens and adults in Metro Atlanta, Georgia and beyond.

Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School
801 Glenwood Ave SE
Auditorium
Atlanta, Georgia, 30312
United States

One More Generation

One More Generation (OMG) was founded in 2009 by 8 year old Carter Ries and 7 year old Olivia Ries. Carter and his Sister Olivia are both extremely passionate about animals and conservation. Following the adoption of Cheetahs in South Africa, Carter and Olivia began to question why humans would need to adopt wild animals like the cheetah. Carter and Olivia soon learned of the pressing issues surrounding endangered species, and knew they had to act. Carter and Olivia started their own nonprofit in an effort to help educate children and adults about the plight of endangered species. Carter and Olivia’s intention is to preserve all species for at least One More Generation… and beyond.

Aditya and Nitish Sood

During a visit to a shopping mall, Aditya and Nitish noticed a homeless lady wrapped in a threadbare shawl tending all her belongings in a broken Target cart sitting near the main entrance. They chose to stand close to her and observe how people reacted to her as they walked past her. To their surprise, the most common reaction was inattention, obliviousness and disregard. This apathy toward the homeless disturbed them and they decided to do more research. They were shocked to find that more than 10,000 people in metro Atlanta experience homelessness on any given night, with more than 40% being women and children. It was this experience that led to the birth of Working Together For Change, a student-led nonprofit that is creating a large student-network to help the homeless people in Atlanta through Immersion Programs, Medical Initiatives and Social Entrepreneurship.

Braille Boys & Annie

The Braille Boys & Annie started out as a robotics team tasked with answering the question, How can we help someone learn? Shortly after the team voted to pursue helping people learn Braille, a team parent was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness today. This confirmed the team’s choice and the research began. The team was shocked to discover the Braille literacy crisis and has been bringing attention to Braille through their team name, logo, swap items and their solution, the Instabraille™. The Instabraille™ prototype is successfully being used at the Center for the Visually Impaired, a rehabilitation facility for blind children and adults. Braille teachers, product distributors, and retailers have all tested the Instabraille™ and believe it can change the way the blind learn Braille! The Braille Boys & Annie sponsored and coached a six member robotics team of blind students this fall and were inspired by their independence, enthusiasm and hard work!

Aidan Hornaday

Aidan Thomas Hornaday, 15 is a boy on a mission. His awareness initiative, AidanCares.com co-founded by Aidan and his mother Toren Anderson is all about imparting the necessity and joy of giving to all ages. Aidan believes we are all defined by how we treat the least of these and wants to spend his life as a difference maker. After playing harmonica in a restaurant one night, he received $80 in tips. A windfall to a boy. But after realizing “I have everything I need, he made the choice to donate it all to purchase anti-parasite pills. That one simple choice to give changed his life and put him on his path of purpose. Aidan plays blues harmonica, ukulele, sings and shares his story and encourages audiences everywhere he possibly can to encourage people to find their passions in giving. He says, “Love is an act. So we must act and be our brother’s keeper. Whether it’s people, the earth or animals, we need find the gig that makes our heart sing.

Christina Lee

Christina is a freshman at the University of Georgia and is the president and co-founder of the Leave A Trace Foundation. Leave A Trace is an international organization focused on providing sustainable clean drinking water to people around the globe. Since its official beginning in 2011, Leave A Trace has raised over $35k, providing 2,500+ people with long-term clean water solutions; led multiple teams of students to install water systems in elementary schools, soup kitchens, etc. throughout Peru; partnered with Delta Airlines to provide clean water solutions for an 800+ child orphanage in Lima; and trained teams working in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guatemala, Peru, Nigeria, and Liberia on pathogen testing and clean water system installation.

Darion Thompson

Darion Thompson was introduced into the art of dance at the age of 10. Growing up he studied in the styles of Modern, Contemporary, and African. Once graduated, Darion continued his pursuit of dance at Alabama State University for a year and a half where he studied Hip-hop, African, Modern, & Ballet. Now back in Atlanta, GA he is currently involved in a youth development organization called Moving in The Spirit teaching dance and also performing. This Summer he is planning to return to school to complete his degree and training.

Gibby Heiser​

Gibby Heiser is a 6th grade student at Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. "I'd rather be mucking stalls," is her favorite bumper-sticker. It gives insight into her strongest passion: horses. When she's not grooming, riding, reading about, or dreaming of horses, she's likely working on the Pencil Orphanage. Gibby started Pencil Orphanage in the middle of her 4th grade year while a student a Morningside Elementary School. There, she noticed perfectly usable pencils being swept-up from the floors of her school and put in the trash. The Pencil Orphanage collects pencils that would have been trashed, cleans and packages them and then delivers them to school children across the world in need of a pencil!

Mary Pat Hector

Mary-Pat Hector (18) knows how to change the world. She grew a community service project into a non-profit: Youth in Action USA which became this nation’s fastest growing youth led organization. A Peace First Prize Fellow, she was awarded the fellowship for Think Twice, a national campaign that educates youth on non-violence and other issues crippling her generation. Her national campaign provides teen-safety workshops for schools and trains teens and college students in youth advocacy. Mary-Pat is the National Youth Director for National Action Network, one of the country’s largest Civil Rights organizations, and serves as Youth Leader for Usher’s New Look foundation. Mary-Pat was born in Atlanta Georgia and attends The Spelman College. She has been honored with an award from President Barack Obama for Community service and she hopes to become Governor and then President in the year 2044.

Meh Sod Paw

Meh Sod Paw, a senior at Clarkston High School, is a Karen refugee from Burma. Meh Sod was a national finalist in the River of Words Art and Poetry competition. She received a scholarship to attend the Ooolation Outdoor Singing Camp, and participated in the Alliance Theater’s Collision Project, which included group creation and performing of an original work at the Alliance. Meh Sod is an officer in the Beta Club, and active in the Young Women’s Leadership Program of American Pathways and in the Go Forward Karen Youth Group in her church. She enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, traveling, singing, and crafts and hopes to become an educator.

Rica G.

Best known as “Rica G.”, Erica Louise got out of Georgia Tech in May of last year with a B.S. in History, Technology, & Society. During her time at Tech, she was heavily involved in her campus community and deeply invested in the Black community on and off campus. Upon graduating Rica G. became a full time poet, self-publishing her first chapbook and performing throughout the metropolitan Atlanta area. She currently serves in AmeriCorps as the CEISMC Pathways to STEM Academic Tutoring & Afterschool Project Coordinator at Maynard H. Jackson High School. There, she founded The C.Y.P.H.E.R. (Cultivating Young People Harnessing Energy & Respect), a program that provides students with the opportunity to find their voice while serving the community through lyricism.

Shawn Deangelo Walton

CEO and founder of WeCycle Atlanta, Shawn Deangelo Walton has been a lifestyle cyclist for over a decade and has combined the benefits of cycling and gardening in order to service his community. Raised in many of Metro Atlanta's neighborhoods, the Ashview Heights community of West Atlanta is where Walton gave birth to Wecycle Atlanta. WeCycle Atlanta was formed while Walton was attending Morehouse College, where he received a BA in childhood development. His initial vision was to promote cycling and support commuters but it seamlessly and organically transformed into much more when Walton was introduced to the Ashview Community Garden. His vision quickly expanded to fit an urban agricultural element. Today, Walton exposes youth in the community to an education far beyond books. He teaches life skills with WeCycle Atlanta's WHEELS program: Work Ethic, Health, Environment, Economics, Leadership and Sustainability.