Most people have heard of a TED talk. TED is an organization that began in 1984 to provide a platform for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It is a non-profit organization that is devoted to “spreading ideas of the people in short talks 18 minutes or less,” according to their website.

Teachers in many schools today, including Abington High, use TED Talks in their classrooms for various reasons. Students get inspired by these amazing talks and use the information in their studies and life.

While students know about TED Talks and learn from watching them, the majority of students do not know how to host a TEDx event or give a TED Talk.  I am here to tell you that it is possible for you to create a TEDx event. “Independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world,” their website states.

So can anyone organize a TEDx event? It begs the question. Are there any limitations for one to host a TEDx event?  Yes.

There are conditions for a student to host a TEDx event. First if you’re interested to host a TEDx event, you don’t need to worry about age for it has no age limit. In 2012, TEDxYouth@Tokyo was organized entirely by 11 to 18 year-olds; everyone from the hosts to the tech team were teenagers. So age is not a factor.

One thing to consider is the environment where you hold the TEDx event. You need to organize the event and provide a creative activity like a photo booth and live science demonstrations to keep people engaged. Usually, the activities depend on the main topic of the speech. The  online TED resource page says, “Since your audience at TEDxYouth events is kids, it’s important to make events fun! Consider hosting workshops and activity breaks between speaker sessions: Give kids tasks to complete, organize icebreakers, experiments, hands-on workshops — anything that gets kids active and talking to one another.”

Now that you have what you need to host a TEDx youth event, the only thing left to do is apply for a TEDx license. Along with finding sponsorship for the event, creating an engaging environment, and finding good topics that sounds exciting and will be interesting to your audience, the only thing you need to worry about is your ability to provide a solid speech. According to TED.com “Most youth speakers won’t have experience with public speaking, so start training early to give time to gain confidence.”

It really is possible to host a TEDxYouth talk. My 18-year-old cousin, Adham Elhannawi, who is a jiu jitsu champion, gave one called “The Illusion of Physical Limitations” on May 8, 2018 TEDxYouth@SAIS. He said that, “in order to improve your speech you need to practice every day and say the phrase three times before actually presenting it.”

Follow these tips and rules and you will be able to have a platform to provide amazing speeches for your amazing ideas.