TEDxDePaulUniversity returns April 18 to the Lincoln Park Student Center. (Photo by Diane M. Smutny)Building on the excitement of last year's inaugural event, TEDxDePaulUniversity will return in April, this year under the theme "Courage to Connect."
TEDxDePaulUniversity is currently seeking speakers and performers from across the DePaul community who will challenge thoughts and inspire ideas through a series of engaging talks that relate to this year's theme.
Speaker applications for the April 18 event at the Lincoln Park Student Center are being accepted until Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. (CT) at http://bit.ly/TEDxSpeakerApplication_2017. After a committee reviews applications, the selected speakers will be notified on or before Feb. 6.
In the spirit of other popular TEDx talks, speakers and performers interested in applying for TEDxDePaulUniversity should be devoted to creating "ideas worth spreading." TEDx talks and performances incorporate concepts that change perceptions, connect with emotions, are widely relatable and conveyed in 18 minutes or less.
Applicants are encouraged to interpret the theme creatively. For the 2016 theme, "What Must be Done," the TEDxDePaulUniversity speakers delivered talks on a wide-range of topics from homelessness and gentrification to work-life balance and the benefits of refugees. Combined, the powerful messages delivered in their talks have been viewed over 21,000 times since they were posted to the official TEDx YouTube channel earlier this year.
The DePaul community supported TEDx enthusiastically in its first year here. More than 80 faculty, staff, students and alumni submitted applications to fill 12 speaker slots and 98 percent of attendees said they'd attend TEDx again. Attendees called the talks: "Insightful," "timely," "diverse," "powerful," "inspiring," "relevant," and "awakening."
Want to be a speaker, but need inspiration? Explore TED's video library at TED.com or view the thought-provoking talks from TEDxDePaulUniversity 2016 here:
bit.ly/TEDxDePaulYouTube.
TEDxDePaulUniversity 2017 will be held April 18 from 1 - 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., room 120 A & B. For more information about the event, visit the
TEDxDePaulUniversity website.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
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. 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.
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.