Theme: Broken Mirrors

We are thrilled to announce that our conference TEDxSciencesPoCampusMenton will take place on the 15th of April 2023 in Menton, France. Our theme for this year’s conference is “Broken Mirrors”. It will showcase a whole new world of ideas and experiences.

Broken Mirrors are often associated with bad luck or misfortune in many cultures and superstitions: this belief is rooted in the idea that a mirror reflects a person’s image, soul and mind, and breaking it would cause harm or disturb the person’s reflection or soul.. Just like broken mirrors, memory and traditions are also getting broken: with time, people tend to lose their traditions, disconnecting from their cultural roots and heritage, disconnecting from their past. Memories help us understand who we are, where we come from and how we have evolved over time. What better way to preserve traditions and memories? Storytelling.

The conference itself will be held in three languages, English, French, and Arabic, highlighting the composition of both regions and that of our campus.
Join us on our journey to share ideas with the world!

Sciences Po Menton
11 Place Saint-Julien
Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, 06500
France

Anna Hazolyshyn

Student at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton

First year student on the Menton Campus of Sciences Po Paris, Anna is an idealist. She strives to become a leader of positive change and believes that correct and timely political decisions can improve the lives of many. As a Ukrainian, Anna often uses her own young voice to join the hundreds of others to prove that Ukraine has a right to exist and to expose the imperial narratives Russia has been brainwashing the world with. Over the years that she spent studying abroad, Anna has heard many - big or small - myths about Ukraine, and in her talk, she hopes to debunk some of them, once and for all.

Bader Suliman

Student at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton

Very attached to his oriental culture, nothing makes Bader happier than a good shawarma sandwich, a tasty مقلوبة or listening to Abdel Halim Hafez. Born in the Umayyad capital, Damascus, Bader grew up between the fertile crescent and the old continent to end up in the Pearl of France. He is a student at the Mediterranean Campus of SciencesPo Paris and loves mixing his three native languages. His speech addresses mainly what it is to be a binational citizen and how he was confronted with a new completely different way of life (of being?). However, having experienced insider and then outsider experience, he realized that the Arab world is a house at the bottom of a forest: fascinating and mysterious that can only be understood from the inside, with the generosity and hospitality of its inhabitants.

Felipe Boitard Barragan

Student at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton

Felipe is a multilingual student with a passion for philosophy and the human condition, and a knack for public speaking! Born in Canada to a French-Colombian family, Felipe later moved to Colombia where he fell in love with philosophy and its ability to shed light on the complexities of the human experience. Today, Felipe is pursuing his studies at the Menton campus of Science Po Paris, where he's specializing in the Middle East and exploring the fascinating intersection of culture, memory, and politics. By studying the Middle East, Felipe seeks to expand his knowledge of different cultures and incorporate his diverse background into his academic pursuits At TEDx, Felipe will be talking about Colombia's trans-generational conflict of memory and the mosaic of resistance that lies within. Join the speaker on a journey of discovery as they explore how embracing diverse narratives can challenge the dominant discourse and weave a tapestry of resilience from the shards of memory.

Joe Kals

French Sportsman

In 1982, at the age of 21 years old, Joe Kals suffered a serious motorcycle accident leaving his spinal cord severed: he would never walk again according to the doctors. Curious and hungry for life, Joe had to relearn how to live. He tried to ignore his paraplegia and rebuilt himself through experiences he thought would be necessary for the culmination of his being: to find the “true meaning” of all this. Giving up was not in Joe Kals’ DNA, who decided to embark on the craziest challenges to push his limits, to raise funds and to challenge the need to advance research. This is how from August 10 2011 to March 24, 2012, Joe covered by the strength of his arms 1304 km between Le Havre and Menton. A life experience that would change him forever and inspire him to explain his philosophy of life in his book Midnight Sun. Constantly seeking to push his limits, the sportsman will join us at TEDxSciencesPoCampusMenton to talk about his own goal and his foreverchanging experience.

Oksana Federova

Student at Lycée Paul Valéry

Oksana is a Russian-Armenian student at Paul Valéry High School. Her passion for drawing and the Caucasian culture has inspired her to speak at TEDx about the lives of ethnic minorities in Eastern European countries, with the hope of promoting a better world and more favorable relationships towards Caucasians. Through her talk, Oksana will share her family's story of hardship and the aggression they have faced, all while encouraging us to learn about and appreciate the struggles of minority groups.

Omar Alshogre

Syrian Human Rights Activist

Omar Alshogre is a Syrian public speaker and human rights advocate, who endured three years of unjust imprisonment before being smuggled and brought to safety. Currently, he serves as the Director of Detainees Affairs for the Syrian Emergency Task Force and the spokesperson for Atrocities Tracker, dedicating himself to the critical cause of advocating for the release of those unjustly detained. Omar’s public speaking engagements focus on the essential elements of Effective Storytelling, Leadership in Crisis, and Trauma as a Driving Force. He has presented his insights at several world-renowned universities, organizations, and businesses, including Harvard, Georgetown, CNN, Aljazeera, BCG and Spotify, captivating audiences with his compelling personal experiences and enlightening perspectives on the intersection of advocacy and personal growth.

Riwa Hassan

Student at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton

Born and raised in Lebanon, Riwa has always been captivated by the impact of politics on an individual’s life. For her, the intersection between politics and culture has shaped her path and lifestyle. As she was getting older, Lebanon’s situation was only getting worse. Riwa’s parents insisted that she leave the country and at the age of 15 her journey abroad alone started. Ever since she left the country in 2019, Riwa has built a love-hate relationship with Lebanon, yet her Lebanese identity remains the foundational aspect of who she is. Riwa aspires to join an International Organization to fight for a dignified life in Lebanon, the one she always dreams about. Riwa’s talk will revolve around the narrative of her mirror from the moment she was born until today. She focuses on the richness and the beauty of a fragmented mirror. Most importantly, Riwa tells the story behind every shatter of her mirror.