Originally published Sunday, Sept. 13
Vi Nhan Tran, local actor, musician, and storyteller, and Dre Taylor, Kansas City Keys Nile Valley Aquaponic Project, are among those who will take the stage at this year’s TEDxWyandotte event, “Breaking Through,” on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
Registration begins at 5:15 p.m. with food and drinks available, and the program will begin promptly at 6 p.m.
With a roster of experts and innovators, TEDxWyandotte is confronting the barriers that divide people and challenges people to move beyond them. At this year’s TEDxWyandotte, the focus will be onurban solutions to deeply-rooted problems.
Supported by lead sponsor Kansas City, Kansas Community College, this independently organized TEDx event will gather speakers and audience members from diverse backgrounds to create new synergies, connections and collaborations across disciplines.
Confirmed speakers for the 2015 event include:
• Vi Nhan Tran, “The Empathetic Power of Storytelling.” Through music and personal stories about his family’s refugee journey, Tran demonstrates what he calls “the empathetic power of storytelling.”
• Annette LeZotte, “Sorting Out Race.” – LeZotte will speak about the Kauffman Museum’s exhibit “Sorting Out Race: Examining Racial Identity and Stereotypes in Thrift Store Donations.”
• Hong Hong Hui, “My Pipa Speaks for Me.” – Growing up playing this amazing instrument was a privilege for Hong Hong Hui. Through music, she will show how it has inspired her through life’s challenges.
• Dre Taylor, “Males to Men.” – Dre Taylor is the project manager for the Kansas City Keys Nile Valley Aquaponic Project and the Males to Men program. He will talk about the innovative ways his programs engage youth to overcome sometimes daunting circumstances and develop goals for their future.
• Janice Burdine, “Negative Space.” — While invisible to mainstream society, we never stop being productive “in the background” which is why her images seem to emerge from that space.
• Shannon Oleen, “What I learned from living on a canoe.” – Living without regular comforts, including cell phones, leads to a realization of how disconnected we’ve all become.
TEDxWyandotte works to capture the transition of Wyandotte County to a thriving city 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 and is eagerly awaited by many people in the community.
More information on TEDxWyandotte and registering for the event can be found at tedxwyandotte.org. Tickets are $20 each. Groups of 20 or more may attend for $15 each, and should contact Shari Wilson at 913-269-3022 to register. KCKCC students with valid ID attend free. Tickets include a T-shirt.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
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. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast event in nearby Whistler. The annual TEDGlobal conference will be held this October in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in holding local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.