What do Bill Gates, Pope Francis, Prince Royce, Malala Yousafzai, Lizzo, Russell Wilson, and Prince William have in common? Each of these leaders have done a TED Talk. They covered topics ranging from the next outbreak, the Black history of twerking, protecting the natural environment, a global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, activism, or staying focused under pressure. But you do not have to be a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a star athlete, a billionaire technologist, the head of the Catholic Church, the heir to the British throne, or a successful singer to do a TED Talk. YOU can join the TED-Ed club.
What is the TED-Ed Club?
The TED-Ed Club supports students to discover, research, develop, and share their ideas in the form of short TED-style talks. Students obtain skills in research, storytelling, storyboarding, and the ability to communicate their ideas clearly. These skills are invaluable not only as a student, but also in any profession you decide to pursue. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, politicians, business leaders, engineers, and scientists all benefit from mastering public speaking.
The TED-Ed Club goes a step further than refining your presentation skills. Students often are encouraged to act after watching or discussing the ideas heard in TED Talks. This initiative can take the form of advocating for a cause or exploring community service.
By joining the club, everyone has the opportunity to identify a passion and craft and present his own TED-style talk. Your TED Talk will be uploaded to TED-Ed Student Talks’ YouTube channel and each student talk will have a unique YouTube URL that can be shared.
Who leads the TED-Ed Club?
Mr. Eduardo, a Spanish teacher at Jesuit since 2018, has moderated Jesuit’s TED-Ed Club ever since its creation in 2018. President Nikko Boling ’22 is the current leader for the club, along with Luke Scott ’22 as Vice President, and Trip Winans ’22 as secretary.
Club President Nikko Boling ’22 has high praises for the club. “After being in the club for 2 years, I’m appreciative that Jesuit has a club where you can have fun, meet students from various backgrounds, and also learn valuable skills that’ll be useful throughout your life. We are fortunate to have Mr. Eduardo as our club sponsor. Mr. Eduardo is an experienced TED Talk speaker who genuinely cares for his students.”
Vice President Luke Scott ’22 looks forward to a productive year for the club. “The TED-Ed Club is by far one of my favorite clubs that I’ve been in throughout high school. Being a senior, I wanted to have an impact and a larger role than the previous year. I wanted to have a chance to decide what the club was doing through maintaining structure and planning.”
How does the club function?
The TED-Ed Club usually holds bimonthly meetings during community time. This year, club participants have discussed a vast range of topics – from learning how to elaborate a successful TED Talk to discussing different topics members are enthusiastic about.
Luke Scott ’22 plans to do a TED Talk on nutrition, balance, and the lives of teenagers next semester. “Focusing on the massive impact nutrition has in our lives now and in the future, and why it’s so important to create a balance-filled lifestyle early on. I came up with this topic because being a fan of TED Talks and the witty and imaginative ideas that are talked about. I wanted to talk about something very important and present in my life, but that I also felt others who are my same age could understand and benefit from, and that has a big impact on the current lifestyles of so many around the world.”
What are a few favorite TED Talks?
Mr. Eduardo shared that he has watched several TED Talks, but his “favorite one is given by Elizabeth Gilbert. She wrote a book, Big Magic, based on a hugely popular TED Talk.”
President Nikko Boling’s favorite TED Talk is Bryan Stevenson’s “We need to talk about an injustice.” Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, which has been successful in legally challenging the elimination of excessive and unfair sentencing, the exoneration of innocent prisoners on death row, and confronting abuse of the incarcerated. “Mr. Stevenson was engaging by using personal anecdotes and alarming statistics of the racial discrimination in our criminal justice system. He successfully conveyed his argument that we must work together as a society and overcome poverty and privilege to reshape social justice and grow ourselves as humans. This TED Talk is a must see.”
Vice President Luke Scott’s favorite TED Talk is “Looks aren’t everything. Believe me, I’m a model” by supermodel Cameron Russell. “It’s the first TED Talk I ever watched, and it got me interested in this whole idea of TED Talks, sharing ideas and passions with others. And being able to connect with so many who may be wondering, struggling, or wanting to know more about certain things.”
For the most popular TED Talks of all time, see here.
Conclusion
Mr. Eduardo hopes students “join the club to learn more about the exciting journey of preparing and giving a TED Talk.”
For Nikko Boling ’22, his hopes are “that everyone enjoys their participation in the TED-Ed Club. I will be satisfied if at the end of the school year, each participant has more self-confidence in presenting a topic.”
