Youth@StTeresas
x = independently organized TED event

Theme: Changing Planet

This event occurred on
July 30, 2020
Rosebank, Gauteng
South Africa

Join us on Zoom on the 30th July from 16:00!
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83337737618
Webinar ID: 833 3773 7618

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TEDxYouth@StTeresas
18 Keyes Avenue
Rosebank, Gauteng, 2121
South Africa
Event type:
Youth (What is this?)
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Speakers

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

Brendan Craven

Student
My name is Brendan, I’m 18 years old and am in my final year of high school. I’ve been a part of high school debating for almost five years, and in that time I have been part of teams that have won a provincial tournament and a plate nationals tournament for debating in South Africa. In that time I have learnt a lot about the world and have improved myself personally in many ways. Debating has the unique power to bring people together to discuss important past, present and future issues in our world. With all of the political and social events happening around the world, it can be difficult to navigate discussions surrounding them in a positive manner. In my talk, I will be introducing the world of schools debating in a South African context, how discussions operate in a debating room, describing ways that debating has helped me grow and how other people can use debating to improve the discussions they have and to ultimately help themselves navigate the turbulent world we live in.

Busisiwe Khumalo

Student
Busisiwe Khumalo's birthday was during lockdown and, honestly, it felt like a let-down. She wanted to party even though in her previous 17 years, she was never interested in that. She felt as if she needed to fulfill an unspoken rite of passage as she entered adulthood. She felt influenced by people she hadn’t even met. Busi will be speaking about mob mentality and the vulnerability of the human mind. Strong emotions such as fear and panic can make you turn your back on morals. Mob mentality taps into the most primitive parts of the human brain and forces us to think as if we are being threatened. We go into an ‘every man for himself’ mind-set. We lash out and behave territorially. Like animals. Mob mentality also makes one of our basic most human needs vulnerable- socialization. Actions are sometimes performed out of fear of isolation. One is not necessarily in agreement with the actions performed. This phenomenon completely hijacks the mind in the strangest way.

Dr Benjamin Rosman

Associate Professor of Computer Science
Benjamin Rosman is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at University of the Witwatersrand, where he runs the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning Lab and is the Acting Director of the National E-Science Postgraduate Teaching and Training Platform. His research interests focus on decision making in autonomous systems. He was a founder of the Deep Learning Indaba, a recipient of a Google Faculty Research Award in machine learning and is a Faculty Member of Singularity University. Artificial intelligence has become pervasive through the ability of machines to learn and adapt. The excitement in the field has largely been driven by progress in deep learning which has enabled machines to understand images and text at a human-like level. With a better understanding of the world comes the potential to act in that world. In this talk we unpack some of the mysteries of deep learning and indicate where progress may be headed next, into the realm of human-like decision making.

Lieschen Erasmus

Student
As a little girl I have always cared for the environment and those around me. As I grew up these interests only intensified, and I learnt that not everything is always as it seems. Slowly I started realising that our human activities are linked and that the choices we make even if it is seemingly unimportant like what milk we use impacts the world we live in. However, this knowledge became even more clear when the Covid19 pandemic hit and South Africa swiftly went into lockdown in late March when President Cyril Ramaphosa chose the health his people over an already struggling economy. This time of inactivity has made me all the more aware of how our choices impact the world we live in and as many long for everything to “go back to normal” I oppose the idea . Simply because our normal wasn’t normal if so many and the environment was suffering because of it. I wish to explore how the way we live shapes our world and offer a few solutions to how we can start finding a new normal.

Liezl Thom

Life Coach
As a personal change management expert, Liezl Thom has been guiding people to find their own inner excellence for more than a decade. A Master Transformation Coach and a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach, Liezl helps people change the stories they tell themselves about themselves. She firmly believes that every person has a unique contribution to make and her biggest joy is helping them uncover what gifts they bring to the world. Liezl will be telling us how we can harness change to adapt to this changing planet.

Nic Jeffrey

Musician + Student
There comes a point when we need to decide: what will we dedicate the rest of our lives to? For some, the answer is simple; whilst for others, it pressures them into deep uncertainty. Nic Jeffrey – a South African musician – had this exact issue when he decided to study Business Science at The University of Cape Town. Nic had always seen music as his dream; but as a top student during his high school years, he was constantly urged to consider a “safer” career path. Deciding to pursue this more secure route – yet still energized to live out his passion – Nic has invested time outside of his studies into a career in music. Nic’s Talk details his experiences so far of balancing his studies alongside the development of his growing band. With his artistic journey having much left to explore, Nic’s early experiences reflect the human nature of never wanting an innate passion to subside. Ultimately, it is perhaps our changing planet that is allowing Nic to not sacrifice one path for another.

Sy Gourrah

President of South African Institute of Engineering
Sy Gourrah has been part of the energy industry in South Africa for over 25 years. She also holds a number of qualifications including a Bachelor in Engineering (Electrical & Electronics), Masters in Business Administration and Government Certificate of Competency. Sy has served as the president of the Association of Municipal Utilities (AMEU) and been on the executive council. She was the first female president of the AMEU. She was instrumental in changing the AMEU constitution to include more women on the executive thus paving the way for the next female presidents. She is also currently the President of the South African Institute of Engineering (SAIEE). She recently launched the SAIEE Women in Engineering Chapter which will strive to promote women interests and champion empowerment programs within the SAIEE and broader electrical engineering fraternity. She will be talking further on the future of women in engineering.

Sylvia Izegbu

Student
Language is one of the most powerful tools we possess as human beings. Language can be the potter, molding our malleable minds to become the objects of those who seek to control us. In the hands of the ill-willed, language is a weapon that can be used to erase the humanity of those they seek to destroy. Conversely, language can be used as an instrument to inspire, uplift, liberate, and comfort. Language brings back colour and passion to spaces devoid of it. Language seduces all our senses; it lures us into the minds of those we would never dream of exploring, it acts as a vehicle to unearth other worlds. Nwanneamaka Sylvia Izegbu is a lover of the art of language. Being so enticed by language and its inner working has allowed her to develop a greater sense of self and understanding of the world and she would like to share these discoveries with you.

Organizing team

Anna
Teng

Co-organizer