In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Ted Rogers School of Management
55 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C3
Canada

Adrian Bica

Think back to the last time you were completely immersed in an experience. Whatever the moment was, it managed to capture you. Buildings can operate in the same way, according to Adrian Bica. Over the course of his architectural education, he’s noticed that buildings have lost the emotional attraction that was once there. Now, in the last year of his Masters of Architecture, Adrian believes the relationship between people and architecture has diminished, and that the loss of intimacy has fueled a wave of stale and technological buildings. Buildings like the Colosseum are an example of structures that Adrian says invoke an emotional attachment. Instead of becoming technological tools in modern society, Adrian advocates the idea of how our overall attitude towards buildings can change our emotional experience with them. This change, says Adrian, is more obvious than we think.

Alex Gill

A social entrepreneur, consultant and university innovator, Alex Gill has been working in the areas of social change and innovation for almost 20 years. In 2014, Gill co-founded Ryerson University’s groundbreaking SocialVentures Incubator and was named one of Canada’s Social Justice All-Stars in the following year. What inspires him is getting people enthusiastic about finding new ways to change their world for the better. In his mission to do the same, Alex founded the Mendicant Group, a collective that has worked on big and small social change projects across Canada and in 14 countries around the world. Alex has also moderated the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance since 2010. It is his belief that if we unleash the same levels of innovation that have made mobile phones faster, better and smarter, we could create truly innovative solutions to the serious social problems that face the world today.

Betty Chen

Betty Chen knows art. As an interior design graduate from Ryerson University in 2012, gallery tour guide at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and content curator and presenter of an informational art show called Articulations on YouTube, Betty’s career is dedicated to getting people to care about art. During her time at Ryerson, she always kept herself busy, whether she was volunteering abroad, working, or planning the Ryerson School of Interior Design year-end show. Today, Betty focuses her efforts on making art accessible and understandable to everyone. She believes in removing the barriers that make the art world appear elite and alienating.

Hamza Khan

If you ask Hamza Khan about his role as a manager, he’ll tell you his approach to managing is to avoid it altogether. Before his success as an award-winning digital marketer and entrepreneur, Hamza was a student struggling to find a practical outlet for his creativity while pursuing a degree in business and political science at the University of Toronto Scarborough. In his third-year of university, Hamza switched his major and received a Bachelor of Arts to facilitate a future career in creative multimedia and storytelling. Since graduating, he has worked as a graphic designer and marketer, and teaches social media strategy at Seneca College. He is also credited with making Ryerson University Canada’s leading university in online student engagement.

Imogen Coe

Dr. Imogen Coe has worked extensively as an academic scientist and administrator, challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers for girls and women in her field. Imogen sees the the lack of equity, diversity and inclusivity in STEM at Ryerson University in her role as professor and dean of the faculty of science. Low confidence levels and under-representation of young women in STEM disciplines means that we are losing important skill sets and talent, limiting our ability to solve complex problems such as climate change. Imogen is an advocate for women in STEM and she uses data and evidence to demonstrate unfair practices, while providing suggestions on how to fix the system. As someone who was raised with a strong sense of social justice, Imogen believes in the fundamental right of everyone to contribute and participate in STEM to their full potential. Imogen firmly believes that EDI in STEM is not just a woman’s rights issue, but a human rights issue.

Jeremy Joo

Speaker bio: Some people use social media to craft an identity for themselves, but Jeremy Joo has always known who he is, intellectually and creatively. According to the first-year fashion design student at Ryerson University, he’s always had an eye for aesthetics. He values the time it takes to develop ideas, character, and creative work. Jeremy admires artists who push convention, like Kanye West for his out-of-the-box thinking, along with Japanese fashion designers whose works are unconventional, yet functional. In his TEDx talk, Jeremy hopes to plant seeds in the minds of the audience members to get them thinking about what they need to grow.

Joshna Maharaj

Speaker bio: As a chef for 10 years with deep involvement in community food work, Joshna Maharaj is a strong advocate for a just and equitable food system. Her current chapter as assistant director of food services and executive chef at Ryerson University led her to explore understanding change and where the resistance lies for her TEDx talk. Her talk aims to shed light on how our fear of change leads us to become numb and complacent to broken systems. If there is a system that doesn’t work, Joshna is compelled to change it, because she believes that we have the freedom and responsibility to make change. Joshna supports the idea that access to quality food should be a basic human right, and that the distance we have from our relationship to food is a real problem. This is a problem she aims to address, and will always continue to work on.

Kait Asquini

You don’t need to be a ​leader​ by title to make an impact ​within your community. This is an ideal that Kait Asquini has implemented in her work as ​the L​eadership ​D​evelopment ​F​acilitator for Ryerson University. At TEDxRyersonU 2015, Kait touches on what it means to lead in a community on a micro level. In a local sense, she believes leadership is accessible to everyone. There has been a shift in the definition and the concept of ‘one size fits all’ leadership is no longer accurate. She advocates that ​the ability to lead is something we are all capable of, but we must ​first ​​recognize and embrace opportunities to lead in our every days lives. As an​​ ​A​ssistant ​C​oach ​with ​the women’s basketball team, Kait feels that​ her experience in sport has helped to shape her leadership belief​s today. ​Reflecting on her experience, Kait describes leadership as ​"​creating opportunities for th​ose around you to be best person they can be​"​.

Pascal Murphy

In 2013 Pascal Murphy unwittingly started a movement for change. An idea that began as a backyard barbeque grew into an event that unified not only his west-end community, but people from across Canada. The Neighbours United for Inclusion Community BBQ sent a message of inclusivity and is one example of how Pascal promotes positive social change through inclusive community engagement. In his role as an instructor on homelessness, disasters, and social and environmental justice at Ryerson University, Pascal works to inspire those around him by encouraging others to embody what they want to see more of in the world. Pascal puts his words into practice by facilitating a number of initiatives and cross-cultural exchanges to facilitate social justice among communities in Toronto and abroad.

Stéphanie Walsh Matthews

Nobody’s an expert in everything; and even though Stéphanie Walsh Matthews lauds a number of academic titles, including a PhD in French Studies from the University of Toronto, she believes anyone’s best work comes from collaboration. Stéphanie has always been interested in social-cultural reading and literature, and for years has worked in semiotics to understand how people interpret meaning from their environments. According to her, breaking disciplinary barriers can inspire, and give rise to new ideas worth spreading.