Theme: TEDxKids@BC 2016

This years TedxKids@BC theme is Regenerate.

Every year, youth of all ages are brought together to inspire their peers to reach or surpass their own potential, in ways they didn’t know was possible. The speakers that will be heard at TedxKids@BC will share their ideas and stories that will inspire and educate others.

The TEDxKids@BC conference is a half day event where 600+ attendees ages 7-18 years old (accompanied by guardians and educators) enjoy a unique selection of speakers, entertainment, interactive booths and connect with peers with the same passion and curiosity.

Events like TedxKids@BC renew the ideology that there’s always an opportunity to discover something new. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment & Design. Adding youth to the mix creates opportunities to inspire others in new ways that are relevant to today’s generations. Communities are shown new ways to change their perspective of looking at the world by learning from their youth.

There are many youth in our community that can teach and inspire others; spark regeneration of self. Youth overcoming obstacles can transform into positive inspirations for peers everywhere. Everyone has the potential to breathe new life into an idea or person. Regeneration is a concept that everyone can participate in.

Massey Theatre
735 Eighth Avenue
New Westminster, British Columbia, V3M 2R2
Canada

Emma Field & Andrew Warner

Students & spoken word poets

Emma is a spoken word poet who is an active performer in the Vancouver Slam scene and a member of the 2015 Vancouver Youth Slam team. She enjoys ballet, rap music, and leads the provincially ranked poetry slam team at her school. Although she is heavily involved in the arts, she is interested in studying the sciences in university. Andrew is an actor, writer, and spoken word poet. He lives the life of a starving artist in a coffee shop. In 2014, he was BC’s provincial youth poetry champion and a member of the national team championships. Emma and Andrew’s talk, “Generation Millennials,” will address some of the harmful stereotypes that our generation has acquired in the past years. Performed using spoken word poetry, they want to spread the idea that the youth of today can be more than narcissistic or self-indulgent. Acknowledging our history and reputation, this talk will offer new perspectives on today’s youth and their untapped potential.

TapCo

Youth performance group

TapCo is the Vancouver Tap Dance Society’s youth performance group. This energetic group of 17 young dancers from 12-16 years old train under the direction of Mary-Lou Brien, and put on top notch performances to a variety of audiences. Since the inception of TapCo in 2002, they have toured extensively with ArtStarts in over 300 BC schools, entertaining and educating thousands of kids about the history and art form of tap dance. They have a 45 minute school show followed by a question and answer period with the students. Their infectious enthusiasm inspires the kids as evidenced in the myriad of excited questions they answer following the show. Tapco also performs at many Children’s Festivals, community events, fundraisers and last year toured a full length show. They are wonderful role models of positive energy, dedication and hard work and expose audiences to the very alive, rhythmic and dynamic art of tap dancing!

Albert Cherng

Student

Albert Cherng, nineteen, is a first year UBC student majoring in business. He is always been fascinated by the entrepreneurial mindset and loves the idea of building and starting his own projects from scratch. He is a fan of photography and videography, and considers himself a huge foodie as well. He is the founder of the Tech Easy Foundation, a local non-profit organization aimed to teach seniors about technology; which is also what his TEDxKids@BC talk will be about. To Albert, the concept "regenerate" means the ability to spark a connection between two things that were once separated. At this year's TEDxKids@BC, Albert's talk will be called "Bridging the Gap". He will be speaking about connecting seniors with technology and youth, by sharing his story of how he got involved with the senior community and what he learned along the way. He hopes to inspire youth to identify and bridge the generation gap through creative and innovative ways.

Andrew Lin

Student

Andrew Lin loves to think — no matter how nerdy it sounds — he loves it. He’s interested in the “obviously-cognitive-fields,” as he puts it, like: math, computer programming, physics, and science. He’s also interested in film theory, philosophy, creative writing, card tricks, comedy, and politics. He likely spends more time watching TV and browsing the internet than doing math or science (which his parents don’t know). Andrew really enjoys teaching others. He often finds himself caught up in giving educational rants to his friends. Andrew’s TEDxKids@BC 2016 talk is called “Math, Mysteries, Minds, Monsters and… Being Creative.” Many students and teachers see math as boring, mundane, and difficult. Outside of school, Andrew sees math as completely the opposite; it’s a creative and engaging problem solving activity. He believes we all need to change our view on mathematics. It’s not about getting perfect test scores — it’s about developing critical thinking skills.

Angela Mkwananzi

Student

Angela Mkwananzi, seventeen, is originally from Zimbabwe. She aspires to become a lawyer in the future and it’s her dream to work at the United Nations. A role model of hers is Nelson Mandela. Angela’s talk, “The Pursuit of Service,” will share her testimony of how she overcame poverty and how she didn’t let her circumstance determine her future. After committing mental suicide, hope almost seemed impossible. But, through believing in the power of restoration, she was able to achieve, and continue to achieve, her dream to serve the people. To Angela, this year’s TEDxKids@BC 2016 theme “regenerate,” means silencing the inner monster we all know as “fear,” and being able to unleash one’s passions and pursue them. She will share how she was able to pursue her passion for service through regenerating herself.

Camilo Dominguez

Magician

Camilo Dominguez also known as Camilo The Magician, was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. At age 15, he moved to Victoria, Canada, to pursue his education and subsequently explore acting and performing opportunities. After a couple years in Victoria, Camilo moved to Vancouver and completed the Production Program at Langara’s Studio 58, in 2012. He also attended classes at the New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts in New York City in 2011 and completed the Theatre History Exchange Program in London in 2011. Camilo can say with a great amount of thrill and excitement that he has produced a number of sold-out shows including: Unshuffled 2009, Fifty-Two 2010, Continuum-Vancouver 2011, A Night to Inspire 2011, Snooker 2012, Enigma-Vancouver 2013, Somnium 2014 and Misterio 2015. His latest offering in 2016, Supernatural, will showcase Camilo’s unique creative style, combining close-up and a great deal of stage magic.

Chibi Taiko

Taiko ensemble

The first children’s taiko ensemble in Canada, Chibi Taiko was founded in the fall of 1993 with the goal of passing this unique and dynamic performing art on to the next generation of Asian Canadians. The membership is currently 20 youth ranging in age from 11 to 27 years old. The group’s philosophy emphasizes cooperation, leadership, responsibility and spirituality in addition to the physical and musical discipline needed to build a cohesive and dynamic taiko ensemble. Connect with Chibi Taiko at www.chibitaiko.bc.ca

Hailey Clarke

Student

Hailey Clarke, fifteen, loves to drink tea and read books. “Regenerate,” to Hailey, means “to restart” or to “begin again.” Her talk at TEDxKids@BC will be about how she regenerated her passion for reading books into opportunities in the publishing industry. It will also be about how her hobby and passion for reading has helped her overcome depression. She hopes her talk can inspire people to never give up their passion or hobby, no matter what people say.

Jesse Costucci-Phillips

Nail technician, actress, motivational speaker and, outdoor enthusiast

Jesse is an inspired and passionate person. She loves to play guitar, paint, act, and be outdoors. Her personal philosophy is that everything happens for a reason and that opportunities will knock on your door, only if you build one first! Her talk, “We Run Because We Can,” will be based on the idea that if something challenges you, it changes you. Every person has the ability to turn their pain into power. They just need a motivator. When Jesse hears the word “regenerate,” she thinks of repairing, or replacing, something that has been broken or lost. In her talk, what she regenerated was herself. Parts of her were broken and lost, but were then regenerated through physical activity.

Jie Man

Early child educator & yoga instructor

Jie’s yoga teaching experience started at 2014 when she was working as an early childhood educator at a French preschool in Vancouver B.C. As a preschool teacher she was looking for ways to teach young children to increase their motor skills in a safe way; to understand their own body, needs and emotions; to learn how to express themselves; mostly to be able to find peacefulness and mindfulness during a long day at daycare. As soon as Jie finished the yoga teacher training at Langara College, she introduced yoga into her preschool class (3-4 years old). Interestingly, children loved to do yoga dances, yoga games, and read yoga stories together. Jie was surprised to witness the ability of young kids to rapidly learn new things by practicing mindfulness, by moving their body and exploring their senses. Since then, Jie is convinced that, yoga for kids complement the traditional teaching methods by enhancing their mental, social and physical development.

Joyce Zhu

Student

Joyce Zhu immigrated to Canada with her family at five years old. Six months after, she fell in love with English. After many moves and school transfers, she ended up at Crofton House School. She was the messy haired kid with a “not” inside voice as she puts it. Ever since she could spell her name, she’s been determined to write it in the most extravagant ways possible, by repeatedly jotting it down onto paper until she found her ultimate signature. In that way, hard work has been her loyal companion and curiosity is her best friend. She hopes to stick with them until the very end.

Nicole Yeung

Student

Nicole, 13, is in Grade 8 at Eric Hamber Secondary School. She is in the Studio Program. Her hobbies and passions include art, music, and speaking and bringing awareness to topics she is passionate about. She intends to bring awareness on the topic of children struggling with autism with her talk "Autistic Children in School Settings". Also the constant stares, teasing, and bullying that autistic children endure daily. We should not treat these children as children with diseases or problems. Children need education on these conditions and accept autistic children for who they are and give them support. For Nicole regenerate means to give a new life or a positive effect and energy on something negatively looked upon or forgotten. She wants to regenerate the community with positive energy between autistic and non-autistic children. To be able to understand the struggle and hardship they endure, to look past our differences and to have positive interactions.

Rebecca Baron

Student

Rebecca is currently in grade ten at Prince of Wales Mini School in Vancouver. She enjoys reading, competitive dancing, and skiing in Whistler. She also volunteers at her local community centre. Rebecca has always been fascinated by science, particularly in the fields of botany and microbiology. She has conducted scientific research that won numerous awards at the 2014 and 2015 Canada-Wide Science Fair. Rebecca’s talk, “Conquering the Gender Gap in S.T.E.M,” will focus on how S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is seen as specifically reserved for the male demographic. It’s a common misconception due to three contributing factors: cultural biases, stereotypes, and popular media. With a more diverse workforce, productivity and innovation can be maximized. It is crucial for society to take steps towards a more equal and diverse S.T.E.M demographic by encouraging females to pursue S.T.E.M and creating more opportunities in the field.

Tienlan Sun

Student

Tienlan was born in Taiwan, where there are streams full of tropical fishes for everyone to enjoy. Since coming to Canada, he’s noticed that not a lot of streams and rivers are publicly accessible to everyone. Having fishes in an aquarium help Tienlan experience that same feeling he had being next the streams in Taiwan. Tielan’s talk, “Project Aquatic Connect: Community Building Through Passion,” will focus on his DIY projects and how it can change people’s’ lives. Tienlan will share and explain why DIY projects can be a great platform for community bonding and interaction. In his talk, he will describe the main components to transforming a successful DIY project into a platform for community building. To him, “regeneration” means to inspire others to reach their full potential or to motivate others to do something they wouldn’t have done before. “Project Aquatic Connect: Community Building Through Passion” aims to motivate others to make a difference in their community.

Wesley Graham

Student

Wesley Graham is currently a grade twelve student at St. George’s School in Vancouver. He has a fundamental belief in the capability of human ingenuity to solve global issues, and a passion to “help kids to help kids” by tapping into the knowledge of experienced leaders and innovators. In May of 2015, Wesley learned of the harsh reality of global food and water shortage; he was then inspired to do something about it. He took matters into his own hands and started his own movement, the 5×5 Project, that demonstrates local youth can make an immediate impact to the world. Wesley’s talk, “Youth Movements – A New Way of Thinking,” is about the power of youth movements as new ways of solving global issues. He would like to challenge the fact that experience, adulthood, and education are needed to identify and solve an issue. He hopes his talk will encourage youth to shine a light on issues that are wrong in the world.