Give UBC students a challenge, and they’ll more than exceed your expectations. That’s what happened at Terry talks 2008, a day-long event where students took centre stage to share their academic knowledge, personal experience and passion to bring about positive change both locally and globally. Due to the campus response, organizers have scheduled the next event for October 3.
Terry talks is an outgrowth of the Terry Project, an initiative to engage the UBC community on global issues (www.terry.ubc.ca). Modeled on the popular global TED conferences—held each year in California and Oxford and devoted to discussing big ideas for our world – speakers are given 18 minutes to give the talk of their young lives. Terry talks 2008 showcased eight student speakers and one alumnus discussing topics that ranged from community outreach to the importance of access to essential medicines.
With participants describing Terry talks 2008 as an inspiring day that had “speakers of a phenomenal TED-like quality” who “stimulated not only great conversation but hopefully actions too” the project has joined forces with the non-profit TED as part of the TEDx independently organized TED event initiative to call this year’s event the TEDx Terry talks 2009.
Speaker applications are open till September 15. For more information, contact The Terry Project at terrytalks@gmail.com. All talks can be viewed at: www.terry.ubc.ca/terrytalks.
