TEDxYouth forum aims for positive change in society
MUSCAT: Oman’s first ever TEDxYouth forum could be the catalyst for positive social change among youth in the country.
That’s according to Jack Otero, the lead organiser for TEDxYouth@ABA, which was held last Wednesday on the grounds of the American British Academy.
Aimed at spreading ideas and opening people’s minds to a broader perspective, preparation for TEDxYouth began as early as this May, and took plenty of effort from the school student to pull off successfully.
“After our licence approval in May, we had a lot of work in terms of coordinating with TEDx headquarters, guest speakers we’d invited, holding auditions at ABA, and meeting requirements and deadlines by TEDx,” said Otero, speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman.
“TEDx provides organiser guidelines, which took a long time to go through, and we had to make sure to meet every requirement so that we didn’t breach any TEDx protocol.”
“Unlike competitive events we have at high schools across the world, TEDxYouth is by the youth, for the youth,” he added. “With minimal involvement from adults, it’s an uncensored forum that is different from any other, where youth expression and empowerment is at a maximum. TEDxYouth effectively voices the opinions of ABA’s and Oman’s youth in a method never before used, and it’s important to find alternative and innovative ways for the youth to communicate and effectively address and solve challenges young people face today and in the future.”
Two local speakers had been invited to inspire the students and parents at TEDxYouth@ABA: U.S. Ambassador to Oman, Marc J. Sievers, and Anisa Al Raissi, director of Outward Bound Oman. “We have five student speakers from ABA, three student performers, two guest speakers, and two pre-recorded TED talks,” revealed Otero.
Diversity of ideas
“TEDx is all about ideas and diversity of ideas, so talks may be about anything a speaker desires. Our talks pay attention to our overall theme of TEDxYouth@ABA ‘Black and White: The Polarities of Our World,’ an ironic take on our world today, a world where now, nothing seems to be simply black and white. Talks range from personal youth - related stories to discussing prevailing problems of which the audience may not be informed.”
“We had a great response from the student body at ABA,” he added. “We had a large number of people audition to be a speaker or performer at TEDxYouth@ABA, but unfortunately due to time constraints only a small group of the pool of very talented and creative students who auditioned were selected. TEDxYouth@ABA specifically is entirely student initiated and led, by the youth, for the youth. My goal is for TEDxYouth@ABA to bring bright minds together to raise issues and hold performances that are idea-driven and from a diverse array of subject areas.”
In the wake of this very successful event, Otero hopes more student forums will encourage broader perspectives among Oman’s youth. “As an avid participant in debate and Model United Nations, I feel there is a significant absence of youth-oriented events in Oman. I hope that an inspiring event, such as TEDx, a world renowned media group, may change that and act as a catalyst for youth empowerment in Oman,” Otero stated.
“TEDxYouth provides a much needed platform for high school students in Oman to kickstart positive social change. While TEDxYouth@ABA is the first TEDxYouth event ever in Oman, we plan on cementing it as an annual event at ABA, and I hope it will motivate other learning institutions in Oman to follow our goal and collaborate with TEDxYouth as well.”