One of the realizations of adulthood is appreciating, even yearning for, long-gone days when education was a primary occupation. The deeper irony: One thing students rarely learn is that study is its own reward, not just a means to a paycheck.
An expert on tobacco marketing, a young chef and a budding entrepreneur will fill out TEDxTuscaloosa’s inaugural slate of speakers on April 11. Eight speakers in total have been announced for the event, and organizers said applications to attend are still open.
The first TEDxTuscaloosa event now has its eight speakers to share “ideas worth spreading” on April 11. They will offer a mixture of voices on co-op innovation, post-tornado reconstruction, the need for meaningful debate in place of shouting matches, shifting health-care focus to prevention, turning hobbies into life-changing hustles and more.
When the first ever TEDxTuscaloosa event kicks off in April, a former TV reporter turned teacher will be one of the featured speakers. Mark Raines is a former ABC 33/40 anchor who left the TV business to teach journalism to Tuscaloosa City high school students. He is now a teacher with the San Dieguito Union High School District in California.
Another beneficiary of video ubiquity from YouTube to social media has been the TED (technology, entertainment and design) talks. Although TED seems a recent phenomenon, it started in 1984 as an intended one-time event with the slogan “ideas worth spreading.” TED has spread to Tuscaloosa. April 11, TEDxTuscaloosa will be held at the River Market, with eight speakers talking for under 18 minutes each.
TEDx is coming to Tuscaloosa this year with the aim of inspiring and reinvigorating the community through one larger event and four smaller events each year as planned.
TEDx is an offshoot of TED, a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short lectures. TED began in 1984 as a conference to converge technology, entertainment and design. Today TED covers almost all topics, from science to business to global issues, in more than 100 languages.
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — The popular speaking series TEDx is coming to Tuscaloosa, and organizers are looking for speakers to spread their ideas.
“We are searching for thinkers and doers in our community who can share with our TEDxTuscaloosa audience ideas that will impact Tuscaloosa and inspire growth,” Andrew Richardson, lead organizer of the event, said in a release. “As Tuscaloosa continues to evolve as a cultural and intellectual hub for the state of Alabama, we hope this event can foster growth, new ideas, and change for the better.”
That’s the slogan of TED, the organization that has become an international success in their mission to change attitudes, change lives, and change the world. TEDxTuscaloosa begins its first year by embracing that initial concept – that ideas with value should be shared. As we start our hunt for speakers for spring 2015, we will be looking for those with ideas worth spreading. That is both our theme and our mission.
We are searching for thinkers and doers in our community who can share with our TEDxTuscaloosa audience ideas that will impact Tuscaloosa and inspire growth. As Tuscaloosa continues to evolve as a cultural and intellectual hub for the state of Alabama, we hope this event can foster growth, new ideas, and change for the better. Help us tap into the many minds, voices and passions that make up our community. Encourage people you know who have great ideas that can impact Tuscaloosa to apply to share those ideas with our TEDxTuscaloosa audience.
TEDxTuscaloosa is now accepting nominations, including self-nominations, for speakers. We are also looking for volunteers to help with all of the work that is required to make a TEDx event happen. Everyone involved in TEDxTuscaloosa is unpaid, so we’re also looking for sponsors and partners, too.
We hope to see you in the spring.
Follow TEDxTuscaloosa on Facebook at facebook.com/tedxtuscaloosa, or on Twitter at twitter.com/tedxtuscaloosa.
TEDxTuscaloosa is actively looking for volunteers.
TEDxTuscaloosa is actively looking for speakers.