IDEAS WORTH SPREADING
TEDx
x = independently organised event
thursday 7th March 2019
ABOUT
VISION
2030
What is TEDx?
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxStChris, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxStChris event, live speakers will spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
We believe that TEDx is a platform where each and every audience member becomes a learner irrespective of their education level or background.
What is the theme?
Vision 2030 is as simple as how we see everything and anything in 2030. We chose this theme because it facilitates talks ranging from personal stories to scientific discoveries.
Over the past several centuries, there have been drastic social, political, and environmental reforms. But have these changes set the tone for progression or a rapid downfall? We all have our own ideas of the world's future and the TEDx event is the ideal outlet to express those ideas.
Speakers
Mohammed Eljawhari - How I created a prosthetic arm from scratch
Mohammad Eljawhari is an aspiring electrical engineer and computer scientist who combined his passion for both subjects through the design and production of a functional prosthetic arm. By sharing his journey with others he hopes to not only raise awareness about amputees and healthcare, but also to encourage more bright and creative minds to take interest in these fields. How have prosthetics impacted the lives of millions around the world? Could we ever create artificial limbs as intricate as our real ones, or prosthetics that function even better than our actual body parts? Find out all this and more at TEDxStChris, March 7th.
Ingrid Bahnemann - Perverting Democracy
A keen debater with a passion for all things politics and economics (and Gossip Girl), Ingrid has always been interested in governance.
As dry as politics can sound, we can’t escape its systems of control worldwide, and it is through open discussion that we can build an engaged and empowered voting public.
Looking back, it was around the dinner table in South Africa, listening to her family complain endlessly about corrupt politicians, that Ingrid first realised how disconnected so many people feel from their governments.
That’s a problem even in the most democratic systems around the world. It also happens to be the topic of Ingrid’s talk; ‘Perverting Democracy’, in which Ingrid aims to dig into the recent decline of, and even potential solutions for, our democratic systems.
Because, at the end of the day, there’s more to politics than the familiar, eurocentric mantra ‘democracy = good’.
Jamie Clark - The Culture of Body Image
Body image to me is a very personal thing, and frankly something a lot of us don’t talk about or don’t like to talk about, which is unusual because it directly concerns our own happiness. Distorted body image is something that has become more and more prevalent in teenagers because we look to culture to tell us what we should be. As a teenage girl, who has lived and is living through this society, I know body image is a massive problem, because I myself have suffered through it. The pressure to be “beautiful” is everywhere, it’s in our music, literature, art, fashion, and most importantly, media. Body image culture attempts to make beauty into something objective, when in reality it’s an incredibly subjective aspect of life, and with the rise of social media influencers, we are constantly bombarded with unrealistic expectations of what beauty is.
Lara Husain - Our Plastic Ocean
As someone who loves both the ocean and our planet, Lara strives to educate those around her about how even the smallest of actions can create a butterfly effect. Plastic is a problem that has been plaguing the ocean for years and although we are aware of it, often we refuse to acknowledge it. Many are oblivious to the 12 years we have to fix our actions that we have committed in the past 50 years. The main aim of Lara’s talk is to raise awareness of the negative consequences, rather than force the audience to become completely plastic friendly. We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.
Athena Puri - The Intriguing Nature of Empathy
Throughout one's lifetime, we experience hurtful words, negative comments and moments of pain. The ability to help someone in need, is a characteristic human trait we all possess, but sometimes forget to activate. Intrigued by the cognitive mechanisms of emotion, Athena Puri analyses our individual ability to empathize, and the domino effect it can have in our lives, once we voluntarily choose to use it. In Athena's talk, she not only explores the functioning of the different types of empathy, but the way it can sculpt our lives to something extraordinary, and unimaginable. A lot is unknown of something we take for granted, but the choice to empathize and feel for those around us, is a step towards a very promising future.
Diya Megchiani -
A doctor, an astronaut, an artist? what are your dreams, your passions, what is it that interests you? If you could be whatever you wanted, without the consequences, what would you pursue? We start thinking of careers at a young age, starting with the fanciful and eventually settling on the standard. In a world with highly specialised economies, Diya is offering a solution to our indecisive teens. Learning from the roaches. It has become normal for students to give up on subjects that they are passionate about, in favour of “normal” career paths. To this Diya quotes Carter Phipps, “We’ve become a society that’s data rich and meaning poor,” . In her speech Diya outlines the positives of generalisation, and why its OK to not have a plan,
Riddhiman Mehra - Information Paradox
One of the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics states that ‘information’ is indestructible. If this was false, everything in the universe would be the same. You wouldn't be here, the poster you're reading this off would not be here as well. There would simply be matter distributed across the empty void of space. However, Hawking's discovery of Hawking Radiation is what creates a baffling paradox. Due to Hawking's discovery that black holes take different pieces of information and make them the same; essentially ‘destroying’ information. Riddhiman is left with a few questions that need answering; How can this be? They are both almost certainly true, yet they both cannot be true? Or can they? Let’s make a final decision together.
Hamza Mounir - Looking beyond the atmosphere
What are the most pressing needs of our society today Hamza asked himself, as he prepared for his TEDx talk. Looking ahead into the future, he started to explore the extent of the massive resource depletion we are going to face. It didn’t take long for him to be completely engrossed by the plausibility of space mining and colonisation. However, speculation and guesstimates weren’t enough for him to feel confident about standing up in front of peers and faculty, to deliver a crucial talk. He wants to share how these feats are going to be possible, and the impact that space exploration will have on humans as a species in the future at his TED talk.
Tamara Himani - Why A*’s won't cut it in 2030
A*s have always been viewed as the pinnacle of academic success in the field of education. Tamara was always an ambitious student, obtaining those A*s was a non-negotiable aim for her. And yet, as she progressed through primary, and then secondary education, these A*s seemed to be less and less like what they appeared to be when she was young. What she began to realise was that A*s are reducing in value, and during her TEDx talk, she’ll be examining some of the most prevalent reasons for this. This is an issue which, she feels, concerns all of us as students with ambitions and hopes for the future. Quite frankly, we have reached a point at which, as Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner stated, “The vast majority of one’s ultimate niche in society is determined by non-IQ factors”
The
Team
Head Organiser: Sejeal Katiyar - sk3226@student.st-chris.net
Media Team: Aman Rana, Deandra Fredrick
Advertising Team: Sripradha Srinivasan, Aditi Shyam
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Management Team: Adideb Misra, Abhinav Sharma
Finance Team: Eesha Ahsen
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Research Team: Rayyan Ali, Smrithi Muraleedharan
The
Venue
St. Christopher's Senior School
Building, 115
​Road, 4109
Isa Town, 841
Contact form
Social Media
Instagram: @tedxstchris