Theme: Idea(l)s

Are you ready to experience an afternoon where a range of ideas and ideals come together? We invite you to our intellectually stimulating TEDxLeidenUniversity event on Friday the 15th of April 2022! This day is a national holiday (Good Friday/Goede Vrijdag) so you will have the day off.

This year's theme, "Idea(l)s", invites the audience and speakers to delve deeper into their creative spark and break barriers as we shape the future that we desire. It spotlights the big and small ways innovations can create a new era of positive change and inspire action. As we climb out of what seemed like a society on pause, let's keep the conversation going, go back to the drawing board and ask ourselves what is our "perfect" tomorrow.

The afternoon will provide the opportunity to transform our indefinite visions into tangible and defined ideas. Our marvelous speakers will address thought-provoking questions so that together we can explore where the intersection between our thoughts and desires lies. Are models of the perfect future similar for all cultures? Will the way forward be the same for all?

Join the event and connect with like-minded individuals. Explore and expand your "ideascape" through ten thought-provoking and stimulating speeches. Expose yourself to the numerous perceptions exhibited in this unique afternoon. But most importantly, bring your unique personality and views to the table to co-create a one-of-a-kind experience with us.

For questions, please send an email to infotedxlu@gmail.com.

PLNT Leiden - Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Langegracht 70
Leiden, Zuid-Holland, 2312 NV
Netherlands

Amarins Veringa

Co-director of Effective Altruism Netherlands

Amarins is a co-director of Effective Altruism Netherlands. When Amarins was a student, she came across an idea that radically changed her ambitions: the effective altruism movement. This movement is founded on three pillars: the desire to do good, the wish to do so using a scientific approach and the audacity to act on it. Over the past years, she has worked on this in various capacities - now taking on the challenge of helping the people in the Netherlands materialize their ambitions for impact. During her talk, we will take a deep dive into social impact and how we can leverage our careers to change the world.

Bernardo Oliva Vieira

Student at Leiden University

Bernardo Oliva Vieira was born in Quito, Ecuador, but has spent most of his life abroad, in the Philippines, England and the Netherlands. While he cherishes the time he spends socializing with friends and meeting new people, he is most comfortable sitting on a bench reading a good book, incidentally he never leaves his apartment without one. Above all Bernardo values curiosity and the ability to confront the unknown without prejudice. 'The Excellence of Caterpillar Ideas' highlights that it is important for us to understand that ideas are developed collectively rather than in a discontinuous fashion. By understanding the place of dialogue we can develop an intellectual tradition that is more accepting of differences in opinion, and empowering for voices that are silenced but always have an important contribution to the conversation.

Guy Livingston

PhD Candidate at Leiden University

Pianist Guy Livingston has performed internationally from Tbilisi to Lincoln Center. His one-man-show performance projects have been featured in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Le Monde, Gramophone, The Wall Street Journal, and BBC Magazine. He designed a musical instrument that is currently orbiting earth on the International Space Station. Livingston has produced prize-winning radio documentaries for Australian Broadcasting and Irish RTé Radio, and hosts “The Bug”, a podcast which is broadcast from a former embassy in The Hague. He has lectured at Princeton University, Harvard University, and the European Space Agency. Livingston holds degrees with honors from Yale University, the New England Conservatory of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of the Netherlands.

Hajar Yagkoubi

Former United Nations Youth Representative, public speaker & youth participation consultant

Hajar is a former UN Youth Representative for the Netherlands. During her mandate as a Youth Delegate Hajar gathered input from young people on topics such as the climate crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals, Human Rights and Security. That input was presented through speeches that Hajar gave at the UN. During the General Assembly, High-Level Political Forum, UN Climate Action Summit but also in conversation with (prime)-ministers, legislators and politicians. Currently, she works on enhancing youth participation, climate action and human rights work through her own company via public speaking and Consultancy. As part of Network 2100 Hajar also advocates for the inclusion of young people in (supervisory) boards of corporations. She is a bridge between the corporate world and her activistic-generation and advocates for ways in which firms can embody sustainability, climate action and a broad definition of prosperity.

Hannah Lidya Madelon

Student at Leiden University

Hannah Madelon was born in Baltimore, Maryland USA to French and Indonesian parents. She has also lived in many cities across five countries- the US, South Africa, Indonesia, France, and the Netherlands. She has recently completed her Masters degree in International Relations after 4.5 years of living in the Hague. She speaks English, French, Bahasa Indonesia, Spanish, and a bit of Dutch, German, Hindi, and Portuguese. Hannah enjoys reading, ballroom and latin dance, rollerskating, iceskating, and most of all, karaoke. Hannah loves learning about foreign languages and cultures and hopes to see as much of the world as possible.

Homa Golestani

Student at the Free University of Amsterdam (VU)

Homa Golestani was born in Afghanistan but she spent the most of her childhood in Iran. In 2016 she and her 5 year old son came to the Netherlands as refugees. She is currently in the final year of her law bachelor degree at the Free University of Amsterdam. She speaks Farsi/Dari, English and Dutch. Homa enjoys reading, playing the guitar and spending time with her son. She values living in the present moment and loves experiencing new adventures.

Hsin-Tse (Steven) Lin

Student at Leiden University

Lin Hsin-Tse (he also goes by Steven Lin) was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, and has spent most of his life there. His parents are both Taiwanese but have put him in international education since he was in middle school; he is therefore fluent in Mandarin (Traditional) and English and is currently learning Japanese. Steven majors in Governance, but is also interested in both Western and Eastern philosophy and theology, while being an active guitarist and board game lover. He believes actively seeking and taking alternative perspective is key to both self-improvement and problem-solving.

Paul Behrens

Author & Assistant professor in environmental change at Leiden University

Paul Behrens is an author and academic in environmental change at Leiden University. His popular science book, The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science (Indigo Press 2021) describes humanity’s current trajectory and possible futures in paired chapters of pessimism and hope, on topics including the economy, energy, land and population. He is editor and author of Food and Sustainability (Oxford University Press, 2019). His research and writing on food and energy systems, land use and climate change has appeared in scientific journals and media outlets such as The New York Times, Scientific American, Politico, Nature Sustainability, Nature Energy, Nature Food, PNAS and the BBC

Rick Overkleeft

Co-Founder and CEO of 4MedBox

Rick Overkleeft finished his bioinformatics study in Leiden in 2015. After coming back from traveling he started his career with a project in the toxicity testing field and a project in the rare diseases field, together with a friend from his bioinformatics study. In the summer of 2016 they heard about the GDPR that was coming up, and they searched for a way to be compliant to the GDPR but still being able to study rare diseases.They defined that the current way of working with data makes it impossible to do so, especially for startups and small companies. But how could this be done differently, so one can be compliant? They started with a green field where the person, instead of a company or an institute, owns the data while still being able to be provided services based on that data. In such an infrastructure, mutual cooperation based on reciprocity is a must, just like in life.

Steven Dossou

Sail Force LTD

Featured on CBS, NBC, FOX, Steven is an Inspirational author and co-founder of Leadership University, Owner of Sail Force Catalyst a platform dedicated to supporting Aspiring, New and existing Coaches & Speakers. Steven has impacted thousands of lives on a global scale, Nicknamed "Action Man", he is viewed by his peers as a charismatic visionary who undoubtedly believes in unleashing the human potential by inspiring people to break their boundaries and redefine their limits. As a living testimony, Steven has followed his dreams and recreated a new path by elevating himself from humble beginnings in his country of origin (Togo-West Africa) to leadership and impactful roles on a global platform.