Theme: Unfolding the Present

Welcome to our second TEDxYouth@WellspringLC main event!

This year, we'll be engaging in an exploration of what it means to be young today and what roles young people can play in our communities, under the theme of: Unfolding the Present.

So join us for an exciting day of live talks and performances, screened TED talks, stimulating conversations, and engaging hands-on activities and yummy bites in our social space!

Our speakers and performers include students, teachers, and parents who have been working for months to share their insights, stories, and ideas, creating an exceptional experience for you!

We hope you'll join us on this journey into the world of our youth!

Wellspring Learning Community
Wellspring Learning Community, Al Mathaf, Main Street
Near the National Museum PO Box 116-2134
Beirut, Beyrouth, 1106
Lebanon

Blues in Fusion

Blues in Fusion is a performance group consisting of a teacher, Maria Achkar, and 4 students: Rayan El-Sammak, 16, Raed El Hajj and Lea Hamzeh, both aged 12, and Lea Hajj Sleiman, aged 8.

The Stomp Group

In order of appearance: Maryam El Moslmani, Nour Kanj, Tamara Odango, Aseya El Moslmani, Francesca Renda, Victor Palazzo, Kalkdan Afework, Alma Madureira, Alexander El Dib.

Ali Haidar

Assistant Professor, Geology

Ali earned his Master’s degree from the University of Parma in Italy and a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ). He is currently a chartered geologist in Italy, an Assistant Professor in Geology in Beirut, with a focus on Stratigraphy, Phytoplankton and Paleoceanography. He was a Guest Professor at the Department of Earth-Sciences - ETHZ, and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is currently developing new theoretical approaches to understand the complex nature of stratigraphic time, by applying to it different mathematical fields such as the Turing formula, computational geometry and multinomial distribution.

Budour Al Issaei

Student & Spoken Word Poet

Budour is a young emergent spoken word poet. She is a student at Wellspring Learning Community, an IB World School based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Camille Dabdab

Managing Partner, Digital File

Camille is an engineer and the Managing Partner of Digital File, which provides electronic document management solutions and services, based in Beirut with regional operations. When his professional life hijacked the time he spent with his son, now 7 years-old, he rediscovered what matters most to him: his role as a father, and decided to do something about it. He now shares what he loves with his son, from drawing to tinkering. He decided to get involved in the school's Parents Committee, initiating and leading projects beneficial to the learning community. He also volunteers in delivering financial literacy courses to public school students.

Celine Hajj Sleiman

Student

Celine is an avid reader and writer. She is a grade 8 student at Wellspring Learning Community, an IB World School based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Cyrus Shams

Student

Cyrus is a grade 7 student at Wellspring Learning Community. He is part of the Robotics club and has an inexplicable obsession for the Rubik's cube.

Dana Mneimne

Student & Storyteller

Dana is a young storyteller and a student at Wellspring Learning Community.

Leen Fariz

Student & gender activist

Leen is a young activist on gender issues in her local community and a student at Wellspring Learning community, based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Rana Raslan

Educator and Translator

Rana is a proud breast cancer survivor going into her 6th year in August 2016. She has 10 years of experience in the educational field, working in different schools between Lebanon and KSA. She worked for 4 years as a bilingual copywriter at Saatchi and Saatchi and Leo Burnett Advertising Agencies. She also worked as a translator at a legal office in Dubai for a couple of years and has been a freelance translator for more than a decade. Mother of two, she recently moved back to Beirut, her birthplace, and is trying to make time to publish her novels and poems.

Reem Chaaban

Student & gender activist

Reem is a young gender activist and a student at Wellspring Learning Community.

Ryan Kaedbey

Student

Ryan is a student at Wellspring Learning Community, an IB World School based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Saif Younis

Student

Saif is a grade 8 student at Wellspring Learning Community.