The TEDxRedDeer committee has announced the 11 speakers who will start discussions and spread ideas of connectivity at the live conference in October.
Presentation topics will include nature, trust, history, culture and more, and all will focus on the theme of connection.
“It’s important to the community to try to discuss why it’s so important to connect the different generations and different socioeconomic groups and what not,” said Amber Haustein, spokesperson for the local event.
About 50 individuals applied to present at the Oct. 20 event.
Haustein said the committee chose a complimentary but diverse selection of presenters that include A Better World cofounder Eric Rajah and Town of Penhold Councillor Danielle Klooster. All of the presenters are from Central Alberta except for Helgi Eyford, who is from Calgary.
“No matter how young or old you are, it’s a good opportunity to get to hear some interesting conversations about the different ways that we connect with nature, each other, our community,” Haustein said.
The 11 presenters will give 10 brief discussions — no longer than 18 minutes — in front of an intimate audience at the Scott Block.
People interested in attending TEDxRedDeer must apply as seating is limited to 99. A random draw will be used to choose the attendees.
Applications can be made online at www.TEDxRedDeer.com or a printed form can be filled out and returned to the Red Deer Public Library downtown branch. The deadline to apply is Sept. 10.
People will be notified by Sept. 23 if they have been selected to attend TEDxRedDeer and will have until Oct. 7 to pay the event fee of $50.
Those who are not chosen for the event are welcome to gather at Centre Stage as the presentations will be streamed live to the downtown venue.
Videos of the presentations will also be posted online.
TEDx are local gatherings independently organized by communities or groups who use the licensed TED idea.
TED — which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design — is a biannual conference held in California and Edinburgh, Scotland. A non-profit organization plans the event dedicated to ideas worth spreading. Previous TED speakers include Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Richard Branson, Elizabeth Gilbert and former U.K. prime minister Gordon Brown.
TEDxRedDeer will be held on Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.TEDxRedDeer.com.
TEDxRedDeer speakers
TEDxRedDeer will feature 10 brief talks by 11 speakers. Presentations will focus on the theme of connecting. The speakers and their topics are:
• Peter Gregg and Anita Dosaj: The Importance of Trust: Gregg was just 24 when he worked as Walt Disney’s personal assistance. Dosaj was a molecular biologist who helped clone Dolly the sheep. Hear how their experiences shaped their understanding of the concepts, practicalities and importance of trust in our personal and work connections and relationships.
• Jim Robertson: Connecting Young Children to Nature: As life becomes increasingly urban, Robertson will ask what ideas and actions can ensure our communities reap the long-term benefits of having our children connected to nature.
• Lynda Adams: Acting Out Community — The Canola Project: Adams will explore how theatrical presentations can be used to bring communities together to illuminate impacts on the human and geographical landscape of Central Alberta.
• Helgi Eyford: Talking with Strangers: Eyford will explore a number of questions. What have we lost by following the advice to not talk to strangers? Is not talking to strangers even possible in our world? What ideas can help us build meaningful connections with the diversity of people living in our communities?
• Jillian Staniec: Six Degrees of Connection: Staniec will discuss how relationships found in our community’s archival records contribute to our sense of community connection, inclusion and identity.
• Danielle Klooster: Community Culture — By Default or By Design: Klooster will ask what if an entire community — the municipality, business, churches, schools, libraries, community groups, volunteers, citizens, youth and children — worked together to purposefully and meaningfully design their community culture.
• Steve Fisher: What Can We Learn From Open Source?: Fisher will share how open source offers possibilities and new ways to solve old problems, new perspective using collaboration instead of isolation, and can multiply knowledge, effort, inspiration, creativity and innovation.
• Andrew Kooman: Connecting to Danger: Kooman will explore what happens when we dare — as individuals, communities and societies — to go to the dangerous places and open our eyes to human need. What will happen if we reach out our hands with compassion?
• Robin Lambert: Finding Each Other: Lambert will provide an artistic exploration of how we connect and find things in our life — a friend, partner, the job we are meant to have and the city we want to live in.
• Eric Rajah: Building a Better World: Rajah will share his story of connecting with over 1,800 friends and volunteers in 15 countries and 16 Alberta schools and universities to build physiotherapy centres and schools in Kenya and Afghanistan, drill wells in Sudan, and train and mentor young people to connect and become leaders.