Jullien Gordon, founding partner of New Higher, says on stage at TEDxYouth@Midwest, “Our generation has two choices, we can hope or we can hustle.”
Earlier this month, 450 Chicago public school sophomores, plus 120 of their teachers, packed into the city's Harris Theater for TEDxYouth@Midwestan event that is all about inspiring, motivating and empowering the youth of a city known for youth gun violence, but full of so much more — culture, history, educators and students who are dedicated to helping their city to thrive.
Chicago Public Schools have been in the news lately. 54 schools in the city they are due to close in 2013and according to references to The Chicago Tribune, the 2011-12 school year saw the highest number of public school students affected by shootings since 2008. Twenty-four students were killed. 319 students were shot.
At TEDxYouth@Midwest, organizers tried to shift the focus away from the problems and keep it focused on the possibilities. 17 speakers addressed the audience, including people like; rebel gardener Ron Finley, who plants gardens in South Central LA. Dr. Benjamin Harrison, a researcher working on developing replacement tissue for patients who have lost their own. and Chicago native Zoe Damacela, who started her own clothing line as a high school student in the city.
This year, TEDxYouth@Midwest launched the TEDxMidwest Youth Connections program, a project that pairs TEDxYouth@Midwest students with career experiences designed to open doors to potential careers — from job shadows to summer internships to conversations with local entrepreneurs. Through the program, 35 participating TEDxYouth@Midwest students found summer internships, and next year, the team at TEDxYouth@Midwest hopes to increase that number to 100.
“The event was all the better because of the infectious energy of the students and its potential to truly have a life-changing impact on hundreds of kids and teachers,” said Mike Hettwer, who co-organized the event with
Linda Stone.
“The speakers were so motivated to speak there.”
The immediate effects of the event shone through in students' responses to feedback cards asking how their thinking changed throughout the event. Some of their answers are truly incredible. A sampling:
I thought… “That you just made a bad decision, that was about you. People say you write your life story in ink — if you make a mistake, there's no way to erase it. You are done!”
Now I think… “That I should no longer aim for perfection, but rather strive for success. Success is not measured by how many times you fall, but actually by choosing to get up one more time after you fall.”
I thought…“That you must use violence to make peace.”
Now I think… “But I realize I can use peace to make peace.”
I thought… “That because I'm considered a minority, I wouldn't be able to do amazing things that I really want to do.”
Now I think… “That I can do anything I set my mind to if I don't let anything hold me back. Only I can stop myself from achieving my goals and passion.”
I thought… “I couldn't get out of hell.”
Now I think… “I can with Mellody Hobson's speech.”
I thought… “I was one of the few teenagers who had a passion for science.”
Now I think… “TED is about diversity of ideas, and other people are as passionate about science as I am.”
I thought… “If you came from a broken home, you would live in a broken future.”
Now I think… “You can shape your future and escape the broken.”
I thought… “This would be a long boring schedule with odd snacks.”
Now I think… “This experience was the best experience of my entire life.”
The audience at TEDxYouth@Midwest consisted of sophomores and juniors.
Dave Gallo, Director of Special Projects at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) talks about the deep sea and its deep secrets.
One of the amazing commentators from TEDxYouth@Midwest.
Read more about TEDx and its extraordinary constellation of events on the TEDx Blog »
