Whitman College to host TEDx event April 27
By Gillian Frew '11
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.
TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration
Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED
Whitman will host a TEDx event – an evening of prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects – on Saturday, April 27. TEDx is a series of independently organized, community-based events dedicated to furthering TED’s mission of “ideas worth spreading.”
“Many Whitman students engage in the world in powerful ways, reflect on this involvement, and develop insights that are well ‘worth spreading,’” said Noah Leavitt, assistant dean for student engagement. “The TEDx model is a fabulous platform for our students to demonstrate how these powerful experiences and their Whitman education offer value and inspiration to society.”
The event is open to members of the general public as well as Whitman students, staff and faculty. TED, a nonprofit group that hosts conferences around the world, introduced TEDx as a way for local communities to share in a TED-like experience through a combination of TEDTalks video, live speakers and small group discussion. The theme of TEDxWhitmanCollege is “Walla Walla and Beyond.”
“Our theme is purposeful in connecting Whitman and Walla Walla to the world beyond in terms of time, place, space, or however presenters might creatively interpret ‘beyond,’” said Juli Dunn, director of academic resources.
Applications to present at the inaugural TEDxWhitmanCollege event are now being accepted. The deadline is Feb. 1. Applications will be considered based on criteria of originality and creativity of work, applicability of the presentation to a general audience and quality of video audition submitted. According to Dunn, speakers should be passionate about their topic and ready to engage with the audience. Presentations, which must be a maximum of 15 minutes long, should provide inspiration, generate conversation and/or present a unique point of view.
Visit the TEDxWhitman College website to learn more.
This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.