Do you work with young people and want to find new ways to engage them in their community? Do you struggle to find the best young talent or those with a passion for social entrepreneurship? Would the opportunity to connect with these young folks be a golden opportunity to highlight or showcase a program or initiative within your nonprofit or NGO?
Welcome to TED! A conference dedica
ted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” So what’s TED? TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. The scope now includes two annual conferences, the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford, UK each summer. There are the award-winning TEDTalks video site (one of my personal favorites), the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.
The TEDx series – highlighted in the style section of The New York Times this past week – is experiencing a new wave of growth reaching out to communities and bringing people together in innovative ways creating growing brand awareness with exciting implications. The early TEDx programs, like TEDxBoulder, TEDxUSC and TEDxCambridge were city or university specific, the new trend is industry specific with a focus on social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
Two weeks ago, at the start of UN Week, we talked about TEDxChange sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discussing the Millennium Development Goals and bringing together world leaders in events around the globe. The next event to put on your calendar is TEDxYSE, or TED for Young Social Entrepreneurs.
On November 13th, Ashoka’s Youth Venture will bring eight of the most inspiring young social entrepreneurs from around the world to Washington, D.C., to tell their stories using the TED model: giving “the talk of their lives” in 18 minutes or less. You can find out more and register for the event HERE.
Staples also has a contest running as part of their Staples Youth Social Entrepreneurship Competition and winners will be invited to speak at the conference in Washington D.C. Full details on the contest and the rolling basis for winners can be found on their website.
Ashoka created a fun top 10 list (Letterman style!) about who people should want to attend:
10. You believe that the world needs to be changed
9. You love social entrepreneurs
8. You want to learn from the stories of others, the challenges they faced, and how they got through it
7. You want to connect with others who are passionate about making the world a better place, young or old
6. You are a changemaker
5. You are working with young people and want to find new ways to engage them in their community
4. You love the format of TED talks and want to be entertained while learning something
3. You believe young people should have the opportunity to start a venture and create change in a community no matter how old they are
2. You need a little pick up – some inspiration. Our speakers come from all walks of life and backgrounds with every imaginable reason not to succeed, but they have, and their determination and innovation will invigorate you
1. Where else can you meet 8 of the most inspiring social entrepreneurs from around the world?
How can you say no to that?
Photo courtesy of Taylor Davidson, founder of Narratively.
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Tags: ashoka, gates foundation, social entrepreneur, TED, TEDx, TEDxChange, TEDxYSE, the causemopolitan, Virtual Conference
