WOMEN TAKE CENTERSTAGE IN USC’S TEDX ON ADVERSITY

On Friday, Nov. 30, the USC (University of San Carlos) IdeaLab is once again organizing aTEDx University Of San Carlos Women event and it will be open to anyone, not just Carolinians. To be held at the Marcelo B. Fernan Press Center from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., this event will be the third of its kind to be hosted in Cebu and only the seventh in the entire Philippines. This year’s theme is “Amidst Adversity,” with the goal of highlighting the grace and power of women who came across the greatest ideas of their lives amidst failure, hardship and bias.

TEDx is an independently organized TED event where people come together to share ideas worth spreading through live speakers, TED videos and interesting conversations. TEDx events have been organized all over the world to spread ideas from science to business to art and soon from the local communities to the global community. This year’ sTEDx University Of San Carlos Women is made possible purely through the dedication of a small group of volunteers along with the members of IdeaLab. IdeaLab is a youth-led incubator group that enables students from all over the university to become advocacy-driven innovators who organize sustainable projects, and make effective advocacy campaigns and inclusive policies in order to bring together a community of trendsetters, creators and change-makers, and to provoke conversations that matter.

Attendees should expect to hear talks from Bea Alfar Evardone, the current creative communicator for Republiq Group of Companies and the founder of Queen City Plus, a self-love and body positivity inline platform; Reg Rodriguez, a trained political communications strategist from the University of the Philippines and the national chairperson for the Young Centrist Union; Issa Perez of “Issaplease,” a vlogger/blogger and podcaster who uses her social media influence to help her fellow youth in advocacy-building and self-growth; Hillary Overton, a US-born midwife and advocate of equality in care and complete treatment for the marginalized who came to Cebu and found Glory Reborn with her husband; Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, a mother of two, producer and the director of “The Vagina Monologues;” and Charisse “Chai” Fonacier, a Filipino theater and film actress as well as a singer/songwriter who is known by her followers for her wit, talent and Bisaya pride. There will also be performances from 2TinCans, Cebu’s premier theater communications company; Kristel Budomo, a Tawag ng Tanghalan finalist; and the USC Theatre Guild.

Carolinians, students from other schools, teachers and professionals are all encouraged to join in in the global conversation. Tickets are available at P250 per person, but a group of three can avail themselves of the discounted rate of P600 for three tickers.