Theme: Rethink Realities

Challenging preconceived notions opens the door for innovation in addressing key global issues. Across any sector or field of study – from the arts, technology, social justice, and politics, to business – pushing the boundaries of the status quo not only helps solve the problems of today but also re-envision possibilities for the future. We are therefore holding TEDxGVAGrad under the theme, “Rethink Realities”, for our second edition at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

By tapping into the diversity of the Institute and Geneva as an international hub, TEDxGVAGrad aims to discover new paradigms beyond conventional perspectives through creativity, openness, and exposure!
The TEDxGVAGrad conference will feature:

11 External Speakers

4 Student Voices participating in the Student Corner

4 Music and Dance Performances

A Networking Event held after the conference

And more!

Tickets for the event can be purchased on TicketSpice or in person at the TEDxGVAGrad table in Maison de la Paix, Petal 2 on 13-17 March 2023 from 9:00 – 17:30.

All questions can be directed to gisa.tedx@graduateinstitute.ch

Maison de la Paix
Chem. Eugène-Rigot 2
Genève, Genève (fr), 1202
Switzerland

Bossa de Genéve

Bossa de Genéve is a truly international band which plays original modern bossa, jazz and variations of latin music. Founded in 2019, the band has played in several high profile festivals and tv/radio shows. The band consists of Luigina Rizzo (vocals), Yalcin Hasancebi (guitars), Georges Ette (bass), Amon Ette (piano), Emile Poitras (drums), Ioann Baszanger (violin) and Maellie Godard (flute).

Bram Corydon Barnes

Bram is an activist historian whose work focuses on the topics of education, epistemic communities, liberation movements, and community organizing. He has 15 years experience in various social and political movements, from immigrant rights to Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, 15 Now!, student government, AFZ, and union organizing. As a Phd and father of two, Bram holds student parent advocacy close to heart, and views raising children as a radical test of our commitment towards a humane and equitable future.

Cie Flamenco-Genève

The Cie Flamenco-Genève was born in 2019, as soon as the creative space bearing the same name opened. It is composed of a dozen dancers from various flamenco schools in the region, under the direction of Rebeca Castilla. Rebeca has been a flamenco dancer for some thirty years, choreographer and teacher. She founded the Association pour la Création & la Culture Flamenca in 2013 as a platform for artists from the region and opened the Flamenco-Genève space and school in 2019. She has been teaching since 2006 and is passionate about transmission, synergies between different artistic disciplines and coaching dancers. She has created several shows, performs regularly on stage, gives conferences/lectures and she is the programmer of the flamenco evenings of the wine bar Le Soleil Rouge.

Colleen Daniels

Colleen is the Deputy Director and Public Health Lead at Harm Reduction International. She has 25 years of work experience in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, gender, human rights, challenging operating environments, harm reduction, and community systems strengthening, working to deliver access to essential health services. She has worked in programs globally and has lived and worked in Australia, Kenya, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, the Kingdom of Tonga and the USA. She has worked in a variety of settings, including the Stop TB Partnership (UNOPS), World Health Organization (WHO), Treatment Action Group, Health Action International (HAI), and the Tongan and Australian Governments (Department of Immigration and AusAID). She developed the global strategy on tuberculosis and human rights and worked with tuberculosis and HIV civil society to increase their capacity to engage with the Global Fund, UN agencies, donors and governments. She also worked to catalyze global leadership to accelerate momentum toward universal access for high-quality tuberculosis and TB/HIV services; and to accelerate funding and progress in R&D for better tools to prevent, diagnose, and treat TB. While at WHO, she was responsible for developing and implementing advocacy campaigns and communications strategies to accelerate TB/HIV service delivery in developing countries. She is a member of the Technical Review Panel for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; and an Advisory Committee Member of the Racial Diversity in Global Health Project. She has a BA in International Relations from St Mary’s University and a MA in International Studies from the University of Melbourne.

Dom Smaz

Dom Smaz is a Swiss-Brazilian documentary photographer based in Lausanne (Switzerland) and frequently working in Brazil. Five times awarded with the Swiss Press Photo Award, he's been working for the Swiss & international press since 2011. Smaz's work's themes are often related to colonial heritage, social differences and exclusion. Smaz graduated from the Photography School of Vevey (Switzerland) in 2012. He is a member of the French agency Hans Lucas.

Farah Lalani

Farah Lalani has spent over a decade working with clients in the media and tech sector. Currently, she is leading Global Policy for Teleperformance’s Trust & Safety business. She previously initiated and led the World Economic Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety, working with regulators, business leaders, civil society experts, and academics to drive public-private cooperation on internet safety. Prior to the Forum, Farah consulted for a number of technology companies during her 8 years at Accenture Strategy. Outside of work, she volunteers her time as a Mentor through All Tech is Human, contributes to the work of the Trust & Safety Professional Association, and dedicates time to projects for the Aga Khan Development Network. She currently lives in Zurich, Switzerland and is originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Gregory Chollet

Gregory is a very curious and hyperactive person. After several Masters in different Swiss universities and a stint in a large American consulting firm, Gregory was quickly caught up by his entrepreneurial instincts which had already led him to develop several projects in parallel to his studies. In 2013, he co-founded Loyco, a fast-growing company with over 120 employees and no hierarchy. Deeply motivated by the desire to have an impact in his various commitments, Gregory co-directed the documentary "Demain Genève" in 2018 and joined the committee of APRES-Geneva (formerly Chambre de l'économie sociale et solidaire). All these activities allow him to defend sustainable entrepreneurship and to give meaning to his daily life.

Lara Twerenbold

Lara Twerenbold, a young mezzo-soprano born in 1997, has been studying classical singing with Juliette Galstian at the Geneva Conservatory of Music (CMG) since 2018. A year after entering the Conservatory, she joined the pre-professional program. Since the beginning of her studies, she has performed regularly as a soloist, both in recitals with piano and in concerts with orchestra. In three singing competitions organized by the CMG, she was awarded first prize by the jury. In June 2022, she reached the semi-finals of a singing competition in Finland. Lara is also pursuing a Master's degree in International Affairs at the Graduate Institute of Geneva, specializing in Global Security.

Marius Diserens

Queer social and environmental justice activist, he’s the first queer and non binary elected official in the city of Nyon, and one of the first in the entire French part of Switzerland. He’s been working closely with the public security and police sector to open them up to issues concerning LGBTQIA+ populations, and has been sitting on the finance commission as well as the cultural affairs commission in his city council. Believing that there is power in being in the political sphere were the future of our society is drawn and decided, he was a candidate for the Canton of Vaud’s General Council and will be a candidate in the 2023 federal elections. Politics isn’t unjust or crummy by nature, it’s the people we elect that give it such values; Marius wants to do politics differently, possibly leading with compassion and strength, empathy and determination. Marius Diserens has a Master’s Degree in Gender Studies with a specialisation in queer theory, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations. Very active in the French-speaking community, Marius Diserens worked as a reviewer and editorial counsellor for the magazine 360° and is now presiding over the PAV, an association providing help and support to LGBTIQ+ victims of sexual, psychological and physical violence. He worked as a general coordinator and Head of Thematic Department for Les Créatives Festival in 2022, while providing trainings in public administrations on DEI strategies and policies of non-discrimination. He is also regularly invited to various round tables on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as in the medias for his expertise.

Marwa Azelmat

Marwa Azelmat is a digital rights expert with a millennial twist supporting intergovernmental organisations, philanthropies and communities to understand how technology impacts social behaviour and change whereby Marwa is extensively exploring the gender, wellbeing and information nexus. In 2020, Marwa’s work was featured in the AU-UN book as one of the 20 most outstanding contributions in the women, peace and security field.

Pascal Bijleveld

Pascal Bijleveld joined ATscale as its first CEO in November 2021. Pascal brings to this partnership twenty years of leadership experience in global public health at country, regional and global levels. He has straddled the private and public sectors, embracing market-shaping strategies linked to deep systems transformations. Most recently, Pascal was the Director of Country Support at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. He led Gavi's largest team, responsible for country investments to drive greater coverage and equity in access to vaccines. In 2020/2021, Pascal also directed the Covid-19 vaccine delivery efforts across all Gavi-eligible countries under the auspices of the Covax Facility. From 2013 to 2017, he led the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy and Coordination Team, a multi-agency team hosted by UNICEF in New York. This team successfully managed a US$250 million trust fund used to support countries accelerate progress in reducing maternal and child mortality by making life-saving commodities more accessible through innovative market-shaping approaches. In this role, Pascal also co-led with the World Bank, the business development team that established the Global Financing Facility. Before moving to New York, Pascal spent several years in Africa with the Clinton Health Access Initiative as Country Director in Rwanda; Regional Director for West & Central Africa based out of Ghana; and as Executive Vice-President for health systems strengthening work, focusing in particular on health financing, based out of Kenya. From 2003 to 2007, he worked for the World Health Organization in Geneva as advisor to the Assistant Director General for General Management and acting Director General. As a management consultant with McKinsey & Co., from 2000 to 2003, Pascal spent a year helping launch the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Pascal holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Paul Phillip Stewens

Paul Philipp Stewens is a first-year Master’s candidate in International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute. He holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Technische Universität Dresden. Following a childhood passion for dinosaurs, he now researches the intersection of palaeontology and the law. As one of the few experts in the field, his interdisciplinary work has appeared in both science and law journals. His research has also been featured in Science and The Economist.

Sanaz Javadi Farahzadi

Ms Sanaz Javadi is an international lawyer, adviser, mentor, Vice President Partnership Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT),based in Geneva, Switzerland. She has 18 years of experience within United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, local governments, IGOs, NGOs, academia and research institutions in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East, consulting/coordinating projects, conducting training workshops/conferences on women and youth empowerment, gender equality as well as international trade. As a part of OWIT Geneva and OWIT International in Washington D.C, she has been establishing partnership and cooperation and conducting diverse trainings and mentorship programs for women in different countries through cooperation with European Union, World Bank, UN Women, UNECA, UNCTAD, Swiss Federal Institute for Gender Equality as well as international NGOs and local businesses from 2020 to 2022. She was also invited by UN Agencies based in Rome, to speak in a campaign on the occasion of International day for Elimination of Violence against Women, 25th November and addressed women empowerment, gender based violence and current challenges for Iranian women. She has been empowering women through training and mentorship programs and has supervised around 90 women since 2018.

Sarah Noble

Sarah Noble is originally from Canada and lives in Switzerland. A 42 year old, she has dedicated her career to building a better world and has held leadership positions at a number of international organisations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and media. Sarah is passionate about showcasing people’s stories about how we build peace with each other and the planet. Her most important job is being mom to Berenger who is 5 years old and Shera who is 8 months old. Sarah is passionate about international relations, peace promotion, and storytelling. She serves as Director of External Relations at the media outlet, the New Humanitarian, a non-profit newsroom that puts quality, independent journalism at the service of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world. She is also co- founder and Curator of the Peace Talks, an event platform co-founded by the United Nations, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, and Interpeace, that showcases the inspiring stories of people making a positive contribution to peace. These have taken place in more than 7 countries with over 8,000 attendees and 185+ speakers, ranging from elementary students to the former United Nations Secretary-General. She is pursuing a part-time Master of Science at the University of Edinburgh in Narrative Futures: Art, Data and Society and will be looking at the role of storytelling and narrative in social change. She has an MA in International Affairs from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a BA in Political Studies and Economics from Queen’s University. She is an Alumni and Past President of the Geneva Hub Association of the Global Shapers.

SING Geneva Choir

The Sing Geneva Choir started in 2021 just after lockdown, when Chloe Minost started a small private choir of 4 friends who wanted to sing together for fun. Since then, our choir has grown to over 70 people from all over the world, rehearsing in Eaux-Vives on a Monday and Thursday night and performing all over Geneva at the end of each term. All arrangements are original and our repertoire, mainly popular tracks in English with repertoire spanning folk, pop, indie, rock and motown. Our choir is for everyone and anyone and purely for the joy of singing - we are non-audition and we learn by ear so there is no barrier to join. “My favourite thing about singing and leading a choir is the togetherness it brings. More than anything, I love bringing voices together to discover and be amongst a sound that we create together. There is no other feeling like it.” Chloe Minost, founder and Musical Director.

Theresa Emily Niklas

Theresa Emily Niklas, from Germany, is a first-year Master in International and Development Studies student in the Gender, Race & Diversity track. Being passionate about music and arts, she is at the same time determined to dedicate her career to contributing to the vision of a gender-equal world and feminist policymaking. In her talk, she will explore the ways in which her feminist convictions, her love for hip-hop, and her personal background interact, contradict, and complement each other.

Wangchok Namgail

Wangchok Namgail is from Ladakh, a region in the trans-himalayan ranges in India. He is a Masters student at the Geneva Graduate Institute specialising in Environment and Sustainability. He has earlier worked with organisations serving the welfare of vulnerable communities in the Himalayan regions for a few years where he saw the challenges from climate change and environmental degradation in the ecologically sensitive region. He aspires to learn and understand these challenges, their causes and the impacts more deeply and wishes to contribute towards their mitigation and long-term sustainable solutions. Through the platform of TedX, he wishes to highlight the impacts of climate change in real-life through stories from the Himalayan communities.