SA teenagers to take to the stage

Two SA students were selected from hundreds of entries to deliver their TED talks, “How can we stop racism in private schools” and “How criticism affects people’s confidence”.

Boipelo Moagi (Roedean School) and Ayanda Bokaba (Carlswald House) from Think Ahead’s club have been invited to New York to deliver their talks, at the upcoming TED-Ed Weekend event next weekend.

It is an annual gathering of students from around the world, who participate in the clubs, designed to amplify the voices of the next generation.

The TED-Ed team in New York has spent months reviewing hundreds of talks uploaded by clubs, such as Think Ahead, and have chosen a select group of passionate student speakers to present their club talks live on the stage – including the two students from South Africa.

The Think Ahead Club ran a 13-week public speaking curriculum to help participants from schools across Gauteng discover and develop their ideas to deliver their own talk.

During the event at the New York headquarters, participants will share inspiring performances, participate in hands-on workshops and attend sessions of talks.

They will also deliver their talks in a newly created theatre housed at TED’s New York headquarters.

Michelle Lissoos, managing director at Think Ahead, said: “Think Ahead believes strongly in giving young SA a voice.”

The club works in partnership with schools, bringing Apple technology to schools as part of a fully integrated solution including teacher training and parent support..

Participants will share inspiring performances and participate in hands-on workshops.