Courtesy of Creative Commons
For years, the nonprofit organization TED has provided speakers with an outlet to share their ideas and inspire audiences across the globe. An offshoot of this initiative is TEDx, a program that allows communities to independently organize their own local, TED-like experiences.
Andrew Hyde and George Morris founded TEDxBoulder in 2010, when they decided that TEDx would be a great opportunity to facilitate community discussion and interaction. This year’s TEDxBoulder conference will feature speakers focusing on the themes of empathy and malice. The event will begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Macky Auditorium Concert Hall.
TEDxBoulder reviews hundreds of applicants for each event. When selecting speakers, Morris that said he looks for people who are involved in the community and are able to frame problems in unique ways.
One of the candidates chosen is molecular biologist Lindsay Diamond, who is also the director of education for SparkFun Electronics. Diamond will give a speech about the fears and myths surrounding vaccinations. Diamond said that preparing for the speech has been intense, especially given that what would normally be an hour-long talk has been boiled down to only nine minutes.
Her topic promises to strike a chord with the Boulder community because of the county’s alarmingly low vaccination rates, Diamond said. Her goal is to create a herd immunity, meaning that 95 percent of the population must be vaccinated, to prevent epidemics such as measles.
As a parent, Diamond is empathetic with those who are leery of vaccinations. This heated subject will divide many in the audience, but will also create community discussion.
“The decision to vaccinate feels like a very personal decision,” Diamond said, “but the outcome is bigger than just that person or their family. And so the decision to vaccinate, or not, does affect the entire community.”
Other speakers plan to address the community in different ways.
Speaker Brian Coppom, the executive director for the Boulder County Farmers’ Markets, has lived in Boulder County for 40 years. It wasn’t until he got involved with the local agriculture that he felt like he belonged.
Before he realized his passion for local agriculture, Coppom worked in telecommunications. He lacked a sense of fulfillment in his old job and found his true purpose working with local farmers.
“The farms are the center of our community,” Coppom said. “They really do have a central role to play in building community and connecting people with each other.”
It’s this profound sense of unity and connection that inspires Coppom. He believes that through a series of small actions, such as buying produce from local farmers, people can find their roots in the community. But this process takes time, he said, and requires small investments in a long-term benefit.
“Just like when you plant a seed,” he explained, “it doesn’t pop up in one day and become this incredible plant. But as soon as you put it in the dirt it starts changing.” He plans to speak about these ideas at the event.
Morris wants this year’s TEDxBoulder event to have a lasting impact on the community.
“I want something to come out of it,” Morris said.
Ideally, people will go home feeling inspired and ultimately follow through with something they’re passionate about.
“The success of TEDxBoulder is a testament to the community,” Morris said.
In face, over 50 percent of their tickets were sold before the speakers were announced. Once the TEDxBoulder event is over, an after-party will be held to give audience members the chance to meet with the speakers and ask questions.
Guest Writer Nick Burnaugh is a senior journalism student at CU Boulder justice.burnaugh@colorado.edu
