On Thursday April 10, the first Ted x Youth in Pinecrest opened its doors to students and teachers, along with other members of the community to share ideas and initiate change. Organized primarily by teacher Mr. Adam Schachner and junior Noah Jacobs, each individual speaker addressed the theme “On the Edge” with a different outlook and opinion.
“Ted events are prestigious, especially when people who are interesting and diverse introduce pertinent ideas. An academic setting is important because it gives the students and faculty the opportunity to self organize and open up the chance for members of the community to share their work. It was an opportunity we simply could not pass up and we look forward to making it a tradition,” said Mr. Schachner.
Cody Diamond spoke about how he was faced with the decision to let the loss of his mother destroy him or allow it to propel him towards his dreams. Marta Viciedo explained how her involvement with the structural development of a city has revealed to her how a community shapes the city, which inevitably influences the actions of the people in return. Mr. Luis Fayat and Mr. Christopher Kang, are both teachers who spent a significant amount of time in the Peace Corps. The two teachers teamed up to present how adapting to a different environment is stressful and intimidating however it does have long term benefits, including how it altered their decision making processes.
“Being part of the Peace Corps allowed me to see a different perspective on the world, while absorbing a new culture and sharing parts of my own. This conference gave me the opportunity to share my experiences over seas and explain how it influenced me,” said Mr. Kang.
After a brief intermission in which attendees enjoyed refreshments and exhibits, the program recommenced with “The Bows and Ties”, a duet between Meaghan Gasch and Sarah Galvan, both women are not only musicians but have extended their passion for music toward helping the community by becoming music therapists. Rabbi Rachel Greengrass offered her views correlating faith and rationality, especially when faced with a conflict. Sam Van Leer, called upon the citizens of Miami to make an effort to preserve the local ecosystems from disarray. Kelly McPherson culminated the program by discussing how each step in her life was unknown and often foreboding, however through perseverance and dedication she attained the position of Chief Information Officer at Burger King.
During the program, attendees were given the opportunity to write down their ideas and share it with complete strangers or post it on a board in which they interconnected the ideas to one another.
“TedX was an opportunity to spark intellectual conversations and community engagement. We wanted to inspire action through the ideas that were discussed and I hope we achieved that,” said Jacobs.
