TEDxYouth, Inspirational and Thoughtful Talks by AISG Students and Alumni!

On Saturday, March 25th from 10 am to 2 pm, TEDxYouth, a TEDx event in which students of AISG were speakers, took place at AISG Science Park Campus. 

The event started with an opening speech hosted by the National Honors Society presidents, Gwynnie G. and Alice J., seniors of AISG. They introduced the theme, Glocalization, “Think Global Act Local”. 

The theme of Glocalization aims to find powerful and inspirational stories that are addressing issues on a global scale but also share how the issues have been acted on locally. Each speaker had their own personal interpretation of the theme for their talk.  

The speakers included students from lower secondary to upper secondary. The topics ranged from global resources to currency and cultures.  

 Seoin Y., a sophomore and speaker at TEDxYouth, “Water is a basic currency for the rich”, “I chose to speak about water scarcity because of water’s significance to our society – I found it interesting that, despite being a vital source for life, we tended to treat it indifferently because we were given an environment that instantly provided water for us. 

I took this chance to challenge my growth, but as an individual, I took this opportunity to share these thoughts with the audience. Speaking on stage was exhilarating, it was overall an enlightening experience.” 

After three speakers there was a Glocalization Icebreaker Activity in which audience members shared one object that represented the theme to them. The audience members were encouraged to bring their objects beforehand, the objects varied from poem collections to snow globes and reusable shopping bags. 

“I participated in this event because I heard that one of my good friends was going to be a speaker. TEDxYouth was a great opportunity for me to learn and be aware of Glocalization.” Meg M., a sophomore and audience member at TEDxYouth,  

“TEDxYouth was inspirational in so many ways, I got to listen to many persuading speeches relating to Glocalization from people of different grades and points of view. Their speeches even got me researching globalization and how we are impacted by it after I got home. I would not hesitate to participate in it next year.” 

Following the Icebreaker Activity, there were 6 more speakers, a lunch break, and an audience discussion about thinking globally and acting locally. The speakers included topics from climate change to consequences and an alumni speaker. 

Afterward, a Glocalization workshop took place in which audience members were asked “What is something you would like to globalize from Guangzhou and how would that be done?”. The audience split into five different groups discussing the question with one representative to share their response.  

There was one final speaker which was followed up by reflections and a closing ceremony. During the reflection, the audience was split up into five different groups to come together to share their thoughts, and the closing ceremony thanked everyone involved in the production.