by Kelly Rogge
Time still remains to register for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s TedxWyandotte event later this month. The goal is to encourage community members to come together to discuss ideas and solutions to issues within their own community.
The 2015 TedxWyandotte event, “Breaking Through,” starts at 6 p.m. Sept. 15 at KCKCC, 7250 State Ave. Doors open at 5:15 p.m.
It will feature approximately six presenters speaking on the theme of “Breaking Through: Confronting the Barriers that Divide Us and Challenging Ourselves to Move Beyond Them.”
General admission is $20. Groups of 20 or more can attend for $15 each, and need to contact Shari Wilson at 913-269-3022 for more information. KCKCC students can attend for free with student identification. All tickets include a free T-shirt. KCKCC is the lead sponsor for TEDxWyandotte.
TED, a nonprofit organization, started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago and has grown to support “world-changing ideas” with multiple initiatives.
In the spirit of Ideas Worth Spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event.
TED speakers have include people such as Bill Gates, Jane Goodall and Sir Richard Branson, among many others. In addition, TED has created TED Prize, an annual award given to “exceptional individuals” who want to change the world. Award winners get help in translating their plans and ideas into actions.
Speakers at this year’s event include:
Janice Burdine – “Negative Space” – is an artist, educator, illustrator, print maker, author and community activist. While invisible to mainstream society, we never stop being productive “in the background,” which is why her images seem to emerge from that space.
Vi Nhan Tran – “The Empathetic Power of Storytelling” – is a musician and playwright and will talk about his family’s life story coming to the U.S. from Vietnam and growing up in Garden City, Kan.
Annette LeZotte – “Sorting Out Race” – Kauffman Museum Director at Bethel College in Newton, Kan., will speak about the exhibit “Sorting Out Race: Examining Racial Identity and Stereotypes in Thrift Store Donations.”
Hong Hong Hui – “My Pipa Speaks for Me” – will speak about how he grew up playing the Pipa, a traditional Chinese plucked-string instrument. Through music, she will show how it has inspired her through many life challenges.
Dre Tayler – “Males to Men” – is the project manager for the Kansas City Keys Nile Valley Aquaponic Project and the Males to Men program, which sets out to provide a platform for youth to step on and shine like stars. He will talk about the innovative ways his program helps to engage youth to overcome daunting circumstances and develop goals for their future.
Shannon Oleen – “What I learned from living on a canoe” – will talk about how living without regular comforts led to a realization of how disconnected society has become.
Wyandotte County is in transition to a thriving city with prosperous neighborhoods, quality schools, a diverse population and a new position in the Kansas City metropolitan area. TEDxWyandotte works to capture this transition by offering the community a forum in which to hear local stories from people involved in making the change happen. Organized by local volunteers, the annual event is in its third year.
For more information on TEDxWyandotte or to register, visit tedxwyandotte.org.
Information is also available by visiting TedxWyandotte’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TEDxWyandotte or by contacting Marisa Gray, TEDxWyandotte Organizing Committee and KCKCC staff member at [email protected] or 913-288-7284.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.