In what is set to be its biggest ever year, TEDxYouth@Sydney 2016 will take place in the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House for the first time – in front of an audience of 2,400 young change makers across separate morning and afternoon sessions.
Made by young people, for young people aged 16 and 26, but with the eyes and ears of the world in mind, this year’s TEDxYouth@Sydney will present an extraordinary lineup of speakers and performers ready to bring their bold and rarely-discussed ideas to the stage.
Our TEDxYouth@Sydney Curator Anna Burns notes: “Returning to the Sydney Opera House after an incredibly successful event in 2015, TEDxYouth@Sydney is about providing a platform for ideas that have the power to get people talking, bringing together the youth community to spark ideas that get the rest of the world thinking.
“It’s a big year for us – we’re more than doubling the audience as we make the move from the Drama Theatre to the beautiful Joan Sutherland Theatre. I think this significant growth highlights just how engaged young Australians are in the issues that matter today.
“Whether it’s using the collective voice to drive change, discovering new ways to tackle depression or building an alternative economy, this year’s speakers will be breaking new ground with ideas that not only have the power to inspire but that leave us with a greater sense of optimism and possibility.”
The TEDxYouth@Sydney 2016 lineup includes:
- Dr Jodi Rowley is a conservation biologist at the Australian Museum with a passion for amphibians and communicating biodiversity conservation. Jodi has led over 25 research expeditions throughout Southeast Asia and co-discovered more than a dozen new frog species, including the Vampire Flying Frog.
- Emily Parsons-Lord is an emerging cross-disciplinary artist whose work is informed by research and critical dialogue with materials and climate science, through investigation into air, both materially and culturally.
- Amy Reichelt is an Australian Research Council Research Fellow and lecturer at RMIT University. Her research seeks to explore how the brain controls our behaviour and understanding the mechanisms by which our experiences in the environment can shape our responses to events.
- Nick Coyle is a writer, artist and theatre maker. His solo works include: Queen of Wolves, Blue Wizard, Double Tribute and Me Pregnant!. His work Guided Meditation was recently staged in New York, and has had previous seasons in London, Edinburgh, Sydney and Greece.
- Matthew Boon Meng Ng is a 22 year old unionist and progressive campaigner. He is a founding member and currently the National Deputy Director of Interns Australia, the peak body for interns and students on vocational placements. While studying Business at the University of Technology Sydney, Matthew completed two unpaid internships, which informed his view of a need for greater representation and advocacy of Australian interns.
- Amrita Hepi is a professional dancer/dance maker, writer and activist; a Bundjulung and Ngapuhi woman interested in movement as manifested by all bodies and reimagining the greatness that will be WOC first nation’s futures. Her work and practice sits in the nexus between pop culture and contemporary dance.
- Dr. Sandra Garrido is a pianist, a violinist and a researcher. With a background in both music and psychology she completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales in 2012. Her postdoctoral research at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions concerned the use of music in depression in both the modern day and historically.
In the lead-up to the event, TEDxYouth@Sydney is encouraging young Australians to imagine and share the futures they most want to see via Instagram. Whether that’s Australia’s first Indigenous Prime Minister, a thriving Great Barrier Reef or the Pope attending Sydney’s Mardi Gras Festival, simply write it down and share it using #WordsFromFuture, tagging @TEDxYouthatSydney to get involved.
Tickets for TEDxYouth@Sydney 2016 are available to purchase through tedxsydney.com
You can also follow TEDxYouth@Sydney on its own unique social media channels – find us on Facebook and Instagram.
TEDxYouth@Sydney is supported by principal partner the University of Sydney and Australia’s leading youth media content provider Hijacked.com.au.
