TED is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to spreading ideas for over thirty years. “Changing the world with the power of ideas.” A talk that lasts no more than 18 minutes but has taken the world by storm, with an average of over a million views – TED talks as an art of sharing go far beyond what is commonly referred to as an “important conference”.
On the evening of 27 May 2022, Harrow Nanning hosted the first TEDxYouth talk officially licensed by TED, marking the first time that the world-renowned speaker platform has come to junior and primary schools in Nanning. The TEDxYouth talks at Harrow Lutheran School in Nanning are specifically aimed at young people and the education community. The event was prepared and led by students and took over four months from application preparation to event presentation, with nine speakers standing on stage to deliver their brilliant talks around the 17 goals of sustainable development published by the United Nations in 2015, bringing deep inspiration to the audience. The topics of the speeches touched on all corners of life, connecting us closely and triggering our thoughts.
We are in an era of change. The theme of this TEDx speech is “Sustainability for a Better World”.
What is a better world? Parents and students from Harrow Nanning made their answers on the TEDx stage.
“Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, in the face of the deteriorating ecological environment, in order to bring lucid waters and lush mountains back to people’s field of vision, the “post-10s” speakers issued environmental protection initiatives to the public to recycle waste stationery and save paper, reduce carbon dioxide emissions in life… A drop of water can penetrate a stone, and everyone can start small and build a better world. Bring your own cups when drinking coffee, use paper straws, and pick up trash at will. Not only primary and secondary school students should make efforts, but everyone should take action.
The parents’ speaker told the parents in the audience that the purpose of education is not to teach you how to raise a perfect child, but to make yourself a “gardener in the rose garden”, to give children the nutrients they really need, so that they can grow and develop freely into a unique individual in this world.
Cynthia, based on her own experience, appeals to everyone, hoping that this world “has no poor or rich people, only a just world for all mankind; no white or black people, only different, diverse and colorful cultures; no healthy people or disabled people, only our great efforts for justice.“
Olivia has seen the gender difference and the unequal treatment in life and work. But she believes that men and women are no different, she said: “I think both men and women should freely develop their own personal abilities and make choices without fear of judgment. I hope that girls will not avoid trying because of their gender. I also hope that boys will not be forced to do something because they are boys. Gender equality is a human right. Men can be as sensitive as women, and women can be as strong as men.”
In addition to the brilliant speeches by the students, the event venue set-up and execution were all done by the students. Two student designers from G6 and G7 had a short time to consult books, collect case studies and learn to use design software in order to create the perfect design for the event. The student videographers, photographers and stage controllers were also busy, shining their light throughout the event.
From the school-wide qualifiers to the final stage presentation, students from Harrow Nanning expressed their exploration and thinking of the world through the platform of TEDxYouth @ Harrow Nanning, and the simultaneous resonance of a hot topic closely related to human destiny. The whole process of student-led activity not only exercised the students’ thinking ability and speech abilities, but demonstrated the bilingual teaching characteristics and the concept of holistic education of Harrow Nanning.
