Theme: Beyond the Current

TEDxUWCRCN is coming back to United World College Red Cross Nordic in 2023, one of the eighteen United World Colleges (UWC) around the world. Led by a group of young individuals who believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, perspectives, and, ultimately, the world, TEDxUWCRCN aims to unleash new ideas, inspire and inform in this community of curious souls from over 100 countries. Each year, it welcomes thinkers and visionaries from different disciplines and cultures to share their ideas and experiences, so that people can engage with those ideas and spark connections with each other, gain a better understanding of the issues facing both local and global communities, and feed a desire to help create a better future.

This year's theme is Beyond the Current. In the midst of all the turbulences we have encountered over the past year, one should certainly have solemn concerns about what’s going on in different parts of the world, but this should not hinder any of us from thinking about the future. What will our world look like in 2050? How will complex forces of change—the environment, technology, demography, and ideas about governance—-shift the order in our global society? And how, with so many unknowns, should we prepare ourselves for the future? This TEDx event will look back into the glory of the past, probe into the question of how our world is changing at present, discover issues that many of us don’t see, and help us chart a map of our future beyond the currents.

Please note that the date for the event was changed from April 1, 2023, to March 25, 2023 as of December 12, 2022.

United World College Red Cross Nordic
United World College Red Cross Nordic
Flekke, Sogn og Fjordane, 6968
Norway

Curt Rice

Rector at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Having vast experience in the area of higher education in Norway as the former Rector (President) of Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan Unversity, and currently the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Mr. Rice will speak about "The future of higher education". Combining his professional experience, with his other areas of expertise such as gender issues in higher education, affirmative action and open access, we are excited to hear Mr. Rice's take on how higher education will develop, as we move beyond the current.

Lakshya Raj

Project Manager for EU Projects

Lakshya is a diplomat with a master’s degree in the protection of human rights and international cooperation from the University of Bologna, Italy. He has overseen several European projects and has trained people and businesses to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Over the years of working in decision-making roles, he has seen the firsthand impact of change and uncertainty on people's lives. Lakshya’s talk on the theme “Beyond the Current” will be based on the principles of anti-fragility– a concept that describes a new mindset for thriving in a world of constant change and uncertainty. Unlike fragility, which breaks under stress, antifragility thrives and gains strength from challenges. Lakshya will unfold this unique idea and explain how it can be applied in our personal and professional lives to helping us become more adaptable, resilient, and successful in the face of change.

Lea Komba

Student at UWC Red Cross Nordic

Lea Komba is an 18 year old social activist and entrepreneur, first-year student at United World College Red Cross Nordic, coming from the city of Luanda, Angola. She is passionate about politics and how structures of power change the narratives of society. Lea grew up in a household where lunch tables where also places for discussions around the political situation of Angola and social justice, which taught her to be a critical thinker from a particular early age; and that is why she started working in feminist causes in Angola and also started working in a crowdfunding organization for social projects in Angola. Lea’s social perspective is highly influenced by the Ubuntu , a Southern African Philosophy that emphasizes the importance of humanity and empathy within a community. In this talk Lea will take you to a new social context and will bring analysis on political and historical factors that bring closer communities miles away.

Ľubica Fintorová

Student at UWC Red Cross Nordic

Coming from a small town in the North of Slovakia, Lubica Fintorova is currently a student at UWC Red Cross Nordic where she is known as a Human Rights Activist for Amnesty International as well as a leader of Model United Nations Red Cross Nordic. Before her arrival at United World College, she was a youth activist working for multiple NGOs that helped children from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as taking part in solving environmental issues. Her experience with NGO work and connections with companies such as McKinsey introduce her to the world of technological advancements. She will tie this to her passion for human rights in a talk about how technology is affecting the work of human rights NGOs.

Nongcebo Nsingwane

Student at UWC Red Cross Nordic

Nongcebo Nsingwane, an 18 year old student at UWC Red Cross Nordic originally from the countryside of Eswatini. One day she sees herself as a professional economic developer; and envisions a very economically developed Eswatini and Africa as a whole. Nongcebo is also into philanthropy hence she is currently working on a project to help people in need of wheelchairs back home in Eswatini. Among other things, she has been involved in public speaking; parliamentary debates since 2017 and has represented her former school in various debate tournaments. During her spare time, she enjoys painting, taking pictures of nature,and listening to various kinds of music as she finds it soothing. Her talk will encompass how people can stop being lazy and start creating the Africa they dream of.

Vihaan Khandelwal

Student at UWC Red Cross Nordic

Vihaan Khandelwal is a 17-year-old second-year student at UWCRCN, who lives in Stavanger, Norway but is originally from Gurugram, India. He aspires to work within the broad field of computer science, more specifically internet security. Growing up within an Indian culture, that does not show appreciation for men opening up about their feelings, he has grown as the juxtaposition of that culture. Over the last few years, he has become passionate about mental health, as he has been a peer listener within UWCRCN and has taken a course in Youth Mental Health First Aid. His personal experience with mental health has been the fuel for his talk, and he will be speaking about the intricacies of male mental health stigmatism.