Being a youth can be tough. Being told you must perform at a certain level can begin to drown out creativity, imagination and innovation. What if our youth were given a platform to share their ideas without the pressure to conform to a pre-set thought pattern or a grade? TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet event is this opportunity. We believe that young people are incubators of sheer brilliance on many levels and need practice to discover their brilliance. Read the Press Release.

2023 Event
We recorded the 2023 event on November 19 in front of a live audience.
2023 TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet Speakers
2023 TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet home page

2022 Event
December 2021 marked our inaugural year of TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet. View the 2022 TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet Speakers
2022 TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet home page

How to get involved.

We are looking for exceptional individuals for this incredible opportunity. This TEDx youth event is a unique gathering in our community that will unleash new ideas, inspire, and inform. The 5-15 minute talks cover a wide range of subjects to provoke conversations that matter.

We are looking for speakers between the ages of 16-24 who are interested — passionate, even — in the areas that the acronym STEAM represents: Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics. An interesting angle is to tie your passion to science, technology, engineering, the arts and math. Each participant will get on stage to provide a 5-15 minute talk. On what you might ask? Great question! In fact, if you bear with me, I’ll try and hit on a few questions that may be swirling around in your mind about all of this.

Our focus: STEAM – Ideas Worth Spreading

Let’s start with the WHY. For our nation’s children to be equipped to solve issues, make sense of information, acquire and analyze evidence is critical today more than ever. Students in STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) gain abilities like these. STEAM is an integrated approach that demonstrates innovative and critical thinking and creative problem-solving at the intersection of these disciplines. The issue with STEM is that the jobs of the future are STEM jobs, and the demand for professionals in STEM fields is projected to outpace the supply of trained workers and professionals. Let’s not forget the ‘A’ in STE[A]M. Art education is known to improve academic performance. On average, students who study the arts for four years in high school score 98 points higher on the SATs than those who study the same for half a year or less. Additionally, students who took up music appreciation scored 61 points higher on the verbal section and 42 points higher in the math section. I’m sure we agree that all youth should be equipped to tackle the challenges before them.

TEDx youth event is a platform for youth (age 16-24) to share their vision, ideas, and passion.

Sounds good, right? Well, parents, this is where you come in. Whether your budding speaker is passionate about science, technology, engineering, the arts (e.g., humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design, new media), or mathematics, ask how their area of interest brings them joy. What imaginative idea do they have that is worth spreading? This TEDx event is a platform for youth to share their vision, ideas, and passion. If even you need a little assistance with pointing them in the right direction, check out these five tips.

1

Decide what to which area of STEAM to present.

2

Determine what
you want your audience to remember.

3

Make it personal. Why does your idea, vision, or passion matter?

4

How do you see your idea, vision, or passion impacting your community?

5

Present the first
four points as clearly
and concisely
as possible.

That fifth point is where this particular TEDx youth event comes in. Because I believe that young people are incubators of sheer brilliance on so many levels, they need more platforms to share it. I want them to be able to “pitch their ideas or brand” to the community when the time comes. That reminds me — speaking of community, that’s the other part of all of this. Did you know that giving back to your community can decrease your stress levels, give you a greater sense of purpose, make you happier, help you to become more generous, and improve your quality of life overall? So yes, bonus points for any presenter who can tie in how their idea can benefit their community in the process.

STEAM + Creativity and Imagination + Helping One’s Community = A Strong Personal Brand

If this excites you, even a fraction of how much it excites me, please encourage a youth you know to submit a three-minute video about what they would like to present. It doesn’t have to be a flawless presentation (it will definitely be viewed as an audition). I simply want to get an idea of what they are interested in and where they are coming from. For instance, if your S.T.E.A.M. enthusiat is into dance as an art form, how could they translate dance into an idea worth sharing that would also benefit the community? How would they pull that off? Have a dance studio in a low-income part of their city? Connect with nonprofits that would sponsor dance events for high-risk youth? Host their own dance presentations for free in neighborhoods that would possibly never get to experience the arts any other way? Then, how would they find sponsors to support their idea? Those are just a few ideas to help.

Clearly, I could go on and on for days — decades, really — about all of this. And, of course, if you have any questions, I am just an email away. For now, I hope that you’ll consider encouraging the youth in your life to be a part of what I believe will be an awesome upcoming TEDx youth event.

Ready? Let’s get going!

TEDxYouth@JeffersonStreet is a 100% volunteer-run event by people who care about Nashville’s youth. This event’s goal is to showcase ideas with a STEAM twist. Our first event was virtual to ensure the safety of all involved. Find past talks here TEDx YouTube Channel.

Stay Tuned for the 2024 Announcement

REQUIREMENTS

  • Age: 16-24 years old
  • Residence: Reside in Nashville
  • Video: 3-minute video posted on your own YouTube channel
  • Save: Video to YouTube (mark video unlisted)
  • Helpful link to learn how to upload a video to YouTube
  • Send link to [email protected]
  • Video topic: Discuss one thing that brings you joy and why
  • Submission Date: Open and accepting submissions now. Details about the next event are forthcoming.

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMISSION

  • Attend the informational session on TBD
  • We also hold a TED-Ed Student License and will train your youth to deliver a speech the TED way
  • We will offer story development and speaker coaching as a part of our bootcamp
  • Story development will be provided by Zoom and in-person
  • The recording date is TBD
  • Watch TEDxYouth videos to get familiar with the format
  • Please submit an audition video if your youth is interested in this opportunity.
  • NOTE: Talks will need to be memorized to participate in the recording.

SELECTION PROCESS

Please ensure you/your youth is energetic and eager to participate. The 3-minute audition video is the only item we’ll use for the selection process. We will notify you by email if the person your budding TEDx speaker is selected. The selection process is competitive. If not chosen this year, we may offer a spot for a future talk.

CHECKLIST

  1. Submit 3-min. video by TBD. The selection confirmation will be sent by TBD. The first day of bootcamp is TBD.
  2. Make sure you have a YouTube account (You get YouTube through Gmail)
  3. The 3-minute talk should be about what the youth enjoys or is passionate about, i.e., sports, singing, reading, playing minecraft, building legos, robotics, coding, making slime, building a gingerbread house, engineering, making things from popsicle sticks, reading comic books, cooking (yes, that’s science! — anything!)
  4. Upload your video to your YouTube account (mark unlisted)
  5. Send link from YouTube to [email protected] (the submission process is open and a closing date will be posted here soon. If you decide to wait to submit, please check back to confirm the cutoff date.

Our Organizing Team

EVENT ORGANIZER
Trenay Perry Bynum

TED-Ed Student Talks
Bynum Strategic Media
Faculty, Belmont University

ADVISORY CHAIR
Dr. Leah Alexander-Otukpe

Sponsoring Organization
Meharry Medical College Department of Public Health Practice

Sherre Bishop

SPEAKER COACH
Sherre Bishop

Sponsoring Organization
Something Within Entertainment

VOLUNTEER CHAIR

tbd

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, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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.)