Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of TEDxYouth@EB

Last week, I attended the 10th anniversary of TEDxYouth@EB. This event was close to my heart as I brought the initial idea to the school 10 years ago, and I am very proud of this legacy.

It was a fantastic event, with 13 middle school students speaking, four alum speakers, and an introductory talk from UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons.?

The idea of creating a TEDx youth event came up 10 years ago and has evolved into a unique yearly event for a middle school due to the support of the school, the fantastic work of Sue Campbell, and many parent volunteers. It is making a difference in generations of students who have had a chance to share their ideas with the world.

It all started at the TED Women conference in San Francisco in 2015. They made an announcement encouraging attendees to create TEDx Youth events. I got excited and shared the idea with a couple of other parents at the school Jennifer Villarina?and Laura Clydesd. We pitched the idea to our children's school, Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley. We got support from the administration, applied for the TEDx license over the summer, and put together our first TEDxYouth@EB in November 2015. We had no idea of the amount of work involved and ended up creating a full day of programming with talks, workshops, lunch, and a unique website over three months, which I learned later was an extremely ambitious timeline! This event was so successful that it became a yearly event. To this date, TEDxYouth@EB is still one of the few schools that have middle schoolers as speakers.

What I love the most about this event is its profound impact on the students' lives. Seeing them grow, learn, and share their unique perspectives with the world is a source of pride and hope for future generations.

• This TEDx event provides 11-13-year-olds a chance to be heard by their peers and the world, bring their unique perspectives, and share the richness and creativity in their lives. It is a chance to discover that "ideas that matter" (the TED claim) can come at any age. Too often, we may think that children have little to say. During these talks, we learn about tweens' accomplishments and unique perspectives. Over the years, talks included the perspective of a 12-year-old food blogger, a children's book writer, the meaning and challenges of growing up in an interracial family, being a flexitarian, having your world transformed when two adopted siblings come into your family, and many talks where young people imagine their future lives.? Some of these talks got thousands of views, showing that young people have critical perspectives to share.
• By giving these young students the platform for public speaking, we are not only providing them with a unique confidence that many adults lack but also showcasing their courage and bravery. Seeing them step up and share their ideas with the world is truly inspiring.

I sometimes wonder about my impact and legacy. Tedxyouth@EB is one of my proudest moments. I am so glad to have shared this evening with Eileen Loustau and Ann Lefkovitz (the two amazing parents who took over this event once the initial team left) and Sue Campbell, the school licensee and teacher extraordinaire who has kept the torch alive for 10 years.

If you are curious about middle schoolers' perspective on the world,? you can check the website https://tedxyoutheb.com/

If you have children or work with them, consider bringing TEDxYouth to your school or community. You may change your students' lives.