TEDxYouth@SHSID 2019

On the afternoon of 27 April, SHSID held its fifth TEDxYouth event. The “TEDx” denotes an independently organized event, as the program was created by TED to expand its outreach to more localized communities around the world. Originally established as a small-scale event with only a few speakers, TEDxYouth@SHSID has evolved into an annual celebration of meaningful voices, ideas, and creations that might otherwise never be heard. As students, the TEDx team recognized the limited awareness of the larger scopes of life that we possess. This year, to foster more productive discussions and inspire more members of our community to ponder their choices, the six organizers came together to plan the event over the course of several months. After much deliberation, it was decided that the theme would be “REWIND” to reflect people’s ever-shorter attention spans and discontent that people hold toward the complete overlap of the digital and physical realms.

This year’s TEDx event featured eleven speakers and 2 performance groups. Under the loosely defined theme, the speakers were free to interpret the theme however they wished, granting them sufficient creative space to deliver the best talk possible. William Hoang, an accomplished computer scientist and software engineer, delivered a fun talk that explored the relationship between math, love, and coding. Using the popular mobile game Monument Valley, Hoang showed the audience how the most unexpected occurrences in life are actually wonderful complements that make the world beautifully intricate. Speakers took a personal approach as well. Won Chian Lim, co-founder of a speech and debate training firm in Shanghai, shared some pithy truths that he wished were realized at a younger age. His blunt humor and wholesome anecdotes injected a dose of nostalgia into the audience, leading many to reminisce their earlier childhood days and cherish the present. Likewise, Helen Mao, chief international editor for Trendvision, delivered a talk focusing on her growth as one of the first Shanghainese workers in foreign companies. She traced her path from being someone starting out with a fixed career path to a “slash”—a person who takes up several occupations over the course of one’s lifetime—worker with a global perspective on work-life balance in the 21st century.

With the help of compassionate volunteers and a tech team, the fifth TEDxYouth@SHSID was largely a success, and the audience members exited the Blackbox theater with newfound knowledge about our multifaceted society.Written byLinda Li 11(7)

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