Iroquois Ridge High School (IRHS) students are busy planning a TEDx event for later this month while still basking in the glow of their
first in-person event held earlier this school year and the skills that event taught them.
A group of students ran virtual TEDxIroquoisRidgeHS events during the pandemic and it was a huge success. Students were keen on doing this in-person for their peers at school and the planning quickly began to make it happen, explains Kathryn Patterson, Guidance Counsellor at IRHS.
TEDx events are similar to TED talks but designed for smaller, local audiences.
“We created an executive team in the spring of 2022 and applied to TEDx as there is an extensive and very specific application process and set of rules,” she says.
A team of students reached out to community organizations and others with experience and expertise in a field to consider being presenters. Interest was so high that the school put out a call for six speakers and received 28 applications. In addition to experienced speakers, students were encouraged to apply to be a speaker and give their own TED talk, keeping with the theme that this is a student-driven event.
Called ‘RejuvenaTED’, the theme of the four-hour event focused on how people can rejuvenate themselves to be the best they can, physically and mentally, at whatever they're doing.
“With a very specific timeline, promotions, communications, sponsorship, treasurer teams and the lead curator for the event worked together with the speakers and community partners to help all the speakers prepare for the event in December,” Patterson says. “This team even worked over the summer months. We connected with community partners in the fall and we were so fortunate to have community support as well as student involvement across the school. A professional speaker volunteered his time to not only give a TED talk but also to emcee.”
Grade 11 student Anisa Ali says hosting the TEDx event was inspiring.
“Hosting the TEDx event felt like a once in a lifetime experience,” says Ali. “The event was very inspirational, and we had the privilege of getting to learn from more people outside of our team. For example, we learned from professionals who gave us valuable knowledge and experience. Throughout the planning of the event, there was a lot of troubleshooting, problem solving, and time management, which were also great learning experiences. The team learned about the logistics (food planning, budgeting, sponsorships having to take these all into account) that go into hosting such a big event, and the amount of effort that it takes.”
Grade 11 student Kabir Bedi says the TEDx event was a great way to bring the school and broader communities together.
“Within our school, students from the Art club helped design our TEDx sign, we had numerous volunteers helping out on the evening of the event and noticed a real teamwork attitude from all IRHS students involved,” Bedi says. “Additionally, students from other schools had the chance to meet each other, there were many volunteers and items that were donated from the community, and families with tech abilities who helped us. We even connected with a university that had previously run a TEDx event to share resources. Students were given the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and are being provided a platform to help them learn and grow, while also being a part of the greater good, helping other people access interesting and innovative ideas.”
Patterson says a great part of the TEDx theme was how it connected to the
HDSB’s 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan.
“With the theme of RejuvenaTED, this event focused on mental and physical health and well-being, equity and inclusion and learning and student achievement. Building public speaking, writing and presentation skills along with ensuring that all students were invited, felt welcomed and included in the opportunity were key factors in our promotion and in the final event.”
TEDxIroquoisRidgeHS team is offering an opportunity to help its students prepare to present a TEDx Talk on April 27. Students will learn from professional and experienced TEDx Talk speakers in three workshops on how to start, write and deliver a TED talk.
