TEDx Youth@IMSA

Welcome to TEDxYouth@IMSA! For those unfamiliar with what a TEDx event is, “it is a local gathering where live TED-like talks and performances are shared with the community.” What makes these events so unique, is that they are full day experiences filled with brilliant speakers, thought provoking video, and mind blowing conversations; and this is exactly the kind of experience we’re curating with TEDxYouth@IMSA. We are crafting experiences that unleash new ideas, inspire, and inform.

2022 Event – Sunday April 3, 2022

Who
TEDxYouth@IMSA is comprised of a student led Organizational Team, 1 Student Curator and 1 Adult Lead Organizer. Our event is open to the public, so be sure to follow us on our social media pages to stay updated!
Student Speakers – Shreya Chakraborty, Kevin Qu, Elizabeth Soyemi
Faculty Speakers – Mr. Patrick Kearney, Dr. Brian Trainor, Ms. Tracy Townsend
What
A creative, innovative, and captivating day where original ideas that spark curiosity and passion are shared with the local community! This year is all about limits – or the lack thereof.  Limits exist everywhere, restricting us from reaching our full potential.  With this theme, we want to discover the endless possibilities that arise once everything holding us back disappears.  Join us at our event this year as we explore a world without limits!
When
Sunday April 3, 2022, 1-4pm
Where
IMSA’s Center for Innovation and Inquiry, IN2.  Space is limited and for IMSA students only.  All those outside the IMSA community and who don’t make it in to the live event can watch the YouTube live steam.
Why
We could describe in detail just how powerful our event is, but it is something best discovered live.

History

Our story began with a sophomore trip led by Lead Organizer, LaDonna Hawthorne, to TEDxNaperville 2018. After a full day of hearing riveting talks and participating in interactive experiences, the trip left Student Krisha Patel wowed at what she had seen, and inspired to bring some of that wonder back to IMSA. Krisha shared her idea of running a TEDx with the Center for Innovation and Inquiry where her idea was celebrated; and not soon after, she applied for a TEDxYouth license (with the help of the newly formulated TEDxYouth@IMSA Administrative Team). The application was quickly approved and as they say, the rest is history.

TEDxYouth@IMSA hosted its first event November 19th, 2019. With the theme of, “Creating Space”, TEDxYouth@IMSA curated a full day event experience of inspiring talks and interactive stations that allowed students their own space to share “ideas worth spreading”. With TEDxYouth@IMSA’s first event, we were able to host approximately 100 attendees (the max allowed per TED’s guidelines), accumulate 4,000+ views on the TEDx official YouTube channel, and have the student talks downloaded internationally over 50 times.