SPEAKERS at Jersey’s first TEDx event in over a decade this weekend will show how a small island can be full of good ideas, according to the event’s organiser – with inclusivity and tech at the forefront of the agenda.
A global phenomenon, TEDx conferences attract millions of online viewers with almost 43m subscribers on the TEDx YouTube channel.
Events feature set of speakers sharing ideas from across disciplines. Its name stands for Technology, Education and Design, which provides a running theme for its events.
Ope Olaleye, who in TEDx parlance is known as the curator and TEDx licensee, organised Saturday’s event in her spare time alongside a job in the financial sector.
The conference at Cineworld takes place under the theme of “Your Voice, Our Story: Brave Ideas for a Shared Future”.
“If you look at any community, the way they bring people together is through stories,” Ms Olaleye said.
21 people applied to speak, with 14 topics and performances selected.
Those selected include Trudi Roscouet introducing the menopause to men, Jo Ferbrache on how a charity challenge was the catalyst to change her life, and Ballet d’Jèrri’s artistic director Carolyn Rose Ramsay speaking about accountability in the arts.
With neurodiversity, heritage and AI also on the programme, Ms Olaleye said: “There is something for everyone.”
Ms Olaleye said she wanted to create an event that “fosters intellectual curiosity and allow people to network in the Island” while showing that “good ideas can come from a small community”.
She received a TEDx licence in October, which allows her to put on the event.
It has been rewarding, she said, to see a positive response to the initiative.
There has been one TEDx event in Jersey previously, held in 2014 – and while this was a one-off, Ms Olaleye said she hoped this year’s event would be the first of many.
“We’ll go with the flow,” she said.
“I’m very happy I’m doing something that brings everyone together. I’m happy to be part of that.”
TEDxSt Helier takes place at Cineworld on Saturday 24 May from 1-6pm. Tickets are available through Island Ticket Hut.
