While the pandemic has made its presence known through ramifications on economies, social distance measures, and unprecedented norms - ideas, innovations, and voices were the highlight this month at Abbey Park’s annual TEDxYouth Conference!
“Solutions Made for the 21st Century” was the theme at the virtual student-run event, licensed by TED, featuring talented high school speakers from across the region. As minds and voices gathered to discuss groundbreaking ideas and topics, the Halton community came together in a triumphant installation of the annual conference - digital for a pandemic world!
“It was empowering to see youth in my community with ideas that will make an impact on the world,” said Caroline Huang, a Grade 10 student from Abbey Park High School.
TEDx provides the opportunity for individuals across the globe to listen and deliver TED-style speeches at locally curated events. TEDxYouth@AbbeyParkHS is an annual TEDx conference in the Halton region that brings together over 100 community leaders to listen to inspiring student speakers, hosted by Abbey Park High School. With the platform and stage this year going digital - the conference has provided a powerful albeit virtual set for voices across the region.
TEDx events, TED Talks videos, 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 the rules and regulations for TEDx programs.
Looking to build on the success of last year’s conference, the 2021 installation of the event featured ten student speakers, including:
- One student completed research at a university lab discussing antibiotic resistance.
- A community leader speaking about the importance of youth engagement.
- Future of autonomous airliners
- Blockchain and the stock market
“This year’s group of speakers were all incredible individuals who are so passionate about what they’re present in front of an audience,” says the head organizer of the event and grade 12 student, Miya Takahashi. “Their presentations delivered innovative and exciting solutions for current and future problems. Each one of these speakers has the potential to be outstanding leaders of change, and I am confident that their words will inspire audience members to create a similar impact.”
Along with student speakers, the event featured a keynote from a top 35 under 35 Global Changemakers' alumnus and social enterprise co-founder. A special shout-out for the generous monetary support of the Optimist Club of Oakville, Spirit of Math, Halton Region, and the Halton Newcomer Strategy, along with the 20 Abbey Park students who planned the conference since September.
“The conference was a very educational as well as valuable experience for me,” said Saavni Narang, Grade 11 Student from Abbey Park HS. "I was able to hear about various interesting subjects from the perspective of individuals similar to me. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be back next year!”
“I was impressed with the presentations made by the various speakers. They presented a top performance of ability, presentation, and knowledge of their subject. They were a delight to listen to. I was grateful for the opportunity of listening to such a diversified group of speeches by some young and very talented students,” said Elizabeth White, a conference watcher.
The winners of this year's conference are:
- Ethan Chiang: First Place winner, Grade 10 from White Oaks Secondary School, spoke about the Janicki Omni processor, a revolutionary innovation to turn feces into electrical power and clean water.
- Rufaida Abdu: Second Place winner, Grade 12 at White Oaks Secondary School, spoke about how educating girls today will be the solution to our future.
- Aleck Covaci: Grade 12 Student, Third Place winner. He spoke about the solutions to fully autonomous airliners and how close humanity is to achieving that goal.
“Leading this year’s TEDxYouth@AbbeyParkHS Conference was a spectacular experience!” explained Miya. “All of our speakers were wonderful to work with, and I had an amazing team of staff and students behind me to make this event a success. I’m so proud of all of our team members and presenters for pulling this event together despite the challenging circumstances we’ve been given.”
For more information, please visit the event's Instagram and Facebook pages @TEDxYouthAbbeyParkHS.