2. About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as
a four-day conference in California 25 years ago,TED has grown to support
those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.The annual TED
Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18
minutes.Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com.TED speakers
have included Bill Gates,Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard
Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel
Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
About TEDx
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.
TEDxYouth@Granville
TEDxYouth@Granville is tailored to the youth of GreaterVancouver
between the ages of 12-18. Our goal is to foster the spread and application of
wonderful, local ideas, and promote TED-style talks in theVancouver region.
We seek to bring together a diverse group of students from all walks of life,
and provide them with a platform to inspire, and be inspired. Run entirely by
a group of local high school students, the conference is truly made for youth,
by youth.
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3. Master of Ceremonies: Frankie Cena
As a singer, model, and television
presenter, Frankie Cena has loved the
spotlight from a very young age. Frankie
believes in following your dreams, no
matter how unconventional they may be.
It is this philosophy that has allowed
Frankie to balance a career as an
international speech and debate coach, as
well as an Entertainer.
Some of Frankie's highlights include being
crowned Mr.World Canada in 2012
and becoming Mr.World Talent and
earning a place in the Top 10 overall at
the Mr.World competition in Kent,
England. Frankie became the only Canadian selected among thousands of
North Americans to be featured in American Eagle’s 2013 Back to School
Campaign.
In 2014, Frankie began his professional television-presenting career as the
competition’s co-host. He was privileged to work along side Miss World,
MeganYoung and was also able to perform his original song.At the end of
2014, Frankie received another call from the Miss World Organization to
work as the Web Presenter for Miss World 2014, the world’s oldest and
largest beauty pageant, featuring over 120 women from around the world.
Frankie enjoys fitness, spending time with his friends and family, and traveling.
His motto,“FindYourVoice; It Matters”, perfectly illustrates his passion for
inspiring youth and also using his voice as a speaker and singer.
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4. Speakers
Mercedes Nicoll
Mercedes Nicoll is the most decorated rider of the
Canadian women’s halfpipe team, Nicoll has
represented Canada at three Winter Olympic Games
Turin 2006,Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. In front of
a home crowd in 2010 Nicoll rose to the occasion
finishing in sixth place – Canada’s best result in halfpipe
for both sexes in 2010.After a long recovery from a
crash a the Sochi 2014 Winter Games where
Mercedes suffered a concussion leaving her out of
sport for 2 years, she is back on her board winning her
5th National Halfpipe title March 2016. She is here to
give everyone a better understanding of what it’s like
to go through and deal with concussion and just how
important believing in yourself is.
High on Life — Parker, Ryker, Alexey
Parker, Ryker, and Alexey
have been friends for
over 15 years and
managed to take their
childhood passion of
adventuring and making
videos, and turned it
into a thriving lifestyle
brand that has them
travelling the world for
a living.
The road hasn’t always been easy, they were told they weren’t going to succeed, told
they should get real jobs, and faced countless financial adversaries and emotional
battles. But through dedication, commitment, and relentless focus on their vision, they
created a wave of inspiration and influence that started with just a small community,
and has now attracted over 2 million followers. By sharing stories and experiences,
this group of travellers will help you see the endless possibilities of your dreams, and
understand the power that focus has to make them actualize.
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5. Nicole Ticea
Nicole is a 12th grade student, currently attendingYork
House inVancouver. Since her first science fair in grade
8, she was inspired by the other students who actually
conducted research in labs.This prompted her to
become further involved in her work, competing at the
national level, the Canada-wide Science Fair.
Nicole developed an early-stage HIV test when she
was in Grade 10, using Isothermic Nucleic Acid
Amplification. Her novel, disposable device allows
users to receive a near instantaneous response to find
out if they are infected. The test won her first place in
the British Columbia 2014 Regional Sanofi BioGENEius
Challenge. Nicole also received the Intel Foundation
young Scientist Award, and $50,000, from the prestigious Intel International Science
and Engineering Fair- the largest international high school science research
competition.
Nicole’s talk will discuss the value of liberal arts education in science, examining how
creativity and rhetoric are intrinsic to connecting ideas, laying out the groundwork
for research, and communication.
Matthew Clarke
Matthew Clarke, is aVancouver based filmmaker, writer,
actor, musician and comedian. He is most well know as
creator, director and star of the hit, award winning
web-series,“Convos With My 2-Year-Old,” which has
garnered over 90 million views and 800,000+
subscribers. Over the past 15 years Matthew has
worked in film,TV, theatre, toured North America with
his band, Honey and the Money, created branded
content for companies like Disney, Geico and Toyota,
grown as a person, had numerous hair styles, owned
two cars, joined a book club, and developed a habit of
sharing things in bios that are completely irrelevant.
“The Goal is Failure.” For him, the secret to success is
trying to fail. He will tell his story and provide some
sure fire tips on how you too can fail wildly.
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6. Amy Pezzente
From being admitted into the Provincial Specialized
Eating Disorders Inpatient Unit to working for three
Eating Disorder Nonprofit Organizations, Amy
Pezzente boldly forged a new identity that was her
own. Known for her brave recovery from an Eating
Disorder,Amy obtained a new outlook on life in the
way we view ourselves.
She currently works for Jessie’s Legacy Eating
Disorders Prevention Program, where she coordinates
the Love Our Bodies, Love Ourselves movement
driven by the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness
campaign. Amy is also an Eating Disorders Peer
Counselor and Project Coordinator at the Kelty
Mental Health Resource Centre located at BC Children’s Hospital, where she assists
people of all ages who are struggling with eating disorders from the perspective of
having fully recovered from an eating disorder herself. Finally, Amy helps train and
facilitate the Online Peer Support Groups for the Looking Glass Foundation for
Eating Disorders.
The field of eating disorders holds a very precious and delicate place in her heart and
she has an intense passion for it.Amy’s conversation will share her own personal
journey with an Eating Disorder and explore ways to embrace our unique selves we
were gifted.
Rishabh Chaudhary
Rishabh caught the entrepreneurial bug at a young age,
he always saw problems not as obstacles but as
opportunities to create an impact. He started his first
company at the age of 15, since then he hasn’t stopped.
Rishabh is a co-founder of taski, an app that enables
employers to fill temporary or shift work on demand.
It also provides millennials with access to flexible work
options.
Rishabh is currently a fellow at The Next Big Thing, an
accelerator for young entrepreneurs.As an activator
and achiever, he has always lived with the mantra
“screw it, let’s do it”.
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7. Danny Ramadan
Danny Ramadan is a jack-of-all-trades who found his
calling in activism, civil society, journalism and creative
writing.As an LGBTQ activist, he has been involved in
coordinating online and on the ground efforts to
support gender and sexual minorities in Egypt,Turkey,
Lebanon as well as his birthplace of Syria.
Danny arrived in Canada in September 2014 as a
Queer Syrian refugee, and based on his experiences, he
decided to shift his focus to supporting the LGBTQ
Syrian refugees in the Middle East as they claim asylum
in Canada. Danny is an experienced journalist with
bylines appearing in the Washington Post,The Guardian
and Foreign Policy. He is also theVolunteer
Coordinator at QMUNITY - BC's Queer Resource Centre.
In his piece, Danny is going to examine the concept of true identities, and how such a
drastic experience as seeking refuge helps mature those identities within him.
Zoey Jones
Zoey Jones is a grade 10 student attending Stratford
Hall inVancouver. She has been heavily involved in the
theatre department at her school, but this year, also
took a step into the sciences. Zoey participated in the
GreaterVancouver Regional Science Fair last year, but
this year she took on a bigger project and made it to
the fair again.
Her project will also be seen at Canada Wide Science
Fair this May, and involved the creation of a water
saving shower head. She was able to use computational
fluid dynamics simulations to test different designs of
her shower head, and come to final design that
involved the atomization of water.
Zoey’s talk will focus on the process behind a large, daunting task, and the
importance of goals and motivation in youth. For her, learning to find her motivation
at a young age has been extremely inspiring, and she hopes she can pass this onto
others.
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8. Carly Sotas
Carly Sotas is the author of Illusion, a non-fiction book
which explores questions of identity, happiness, and
success.
As a teenager, Carly read magazines for advice on how
to be successful and confident, but was left feeling
discouraged and inadequate, because the lifestyle
presented seemed unattainable. Motivated by a desire
to start a more relatable and authentic conversation,
Carly wrote Illusion, sharing her struggles in hopes of
letting other young people know that they are not
alone in the challenges they face and in their desire to
pursue their dreams.
With a passion for youth development and education, Carly serves as the co-
program director ofVancouver's Heart of the City Piano Program, a music education
program that provides accessible music lessons to underserved youth. She is also the
co-founder of the Pencils of Promise chapter at The University of British Columbia,
the global education organization to which she is donating the proceeds from Illusion.
Carly believes that everyone has a story worth sharing. She is committed to
empowering young people to recognize their ability to create positive change,
regardless of their age or level of expertise.
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9. Performers
The Luke Wallace Trio
The Luke Wallace Trio is comprised
of Luke Wallace, Karen Hefford and
Katie Green. Over the last two years,
Luke has released two records and
two independent documentaries to
raise awareness about the threat of
fossil fuel expansion along Canada's
west coast.Through his music, Luke
strives to amplify the voices of those
communities most impacted by oil
and gas development. Further, Luke
aims to connect coastal communities around an overarching respect for the natural
processes that sustain the beautiful people of the west coast. Luke has performed all
over BC and Canada and recently traveled to Paris for COP21 where he performed
at a number of conference related events.
Angelica Poversky
Angelica Poversky is 5’3″ of vertically challenged
creative passion who wants to use spoken words to
create movements of thought. She’s always trying to
think of new ways to use words and is perplexed by
language.
She is the founder and festival director of Richmond’s
first youth-led outdoors arts festival,Arts in the Park
and always on the go when it comes to artistic event
coordination. If you see Angelica in her natural habitat,
she is probably reading her first poetry chapbook “She
Is”, hosting a radio-show or fearing proper
punctuation,
Angelica isVancouver’s Top 24 under 24, Richmond’s 30 under 30 and a Richmond
Arts Award Winner. She’s been on the author panel at National Culture Days, a
speaker at The Top 25 under 25 Canadian Environmentalists Awards and the feature
performer at the CHIMOViolence Against Women Conference.
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10. Ed Hill
Originally from Taiwan, Ed is an emerging young comic
who moved toVancouver, British Columbia, Canada 20
years ago, thinking he was on vacation at his father's
discretion.
Since then, Ed has performed all over the world. He
was voted "BestVancouver Comedian of 2016" by
West Ender Magazine, and "BestVancouver Comedian
of 2015" by West Ender Magazine and The Georgia
Straight, and named "Comic to Watch" in 2015 by
Canadian Immigrant Magazine. He has also appeared
on AXS TV's "Gotham Comedy Live", Bite TV’s “Stand
up & Bite Me”, and XM Radio’s “Laugh Attack”. He was
also invited to perform at Comedy Masala in Singapore,
Live Comedy Club in Taiwan, the Hong Kong Comedy Festival, NXNE, San Francisco
Comedy Festival,Austin Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, North Carolina Comedy
Arts Festival, theVancouver Comedy Festival and many more.
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12. TEDxYouth@Granville organizing team:
Co-Chair — Cecilia Bao
Co-Chair — Sunny Cui
Director of Marketing — Sandy Pang
Director of Public Outreach — Anushka Kurian
Director of Logistics — Alice Li
Media Lead — Kyle Gomes
A huge thank you to all the Volunteers and
Videographers.
Let’s stay connected.
http://www.tedxyouthgranville.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/tedxyouthgranville
https://twitter.com/tedxgranville
