Thought provoking talks from TEDxExeter 2017 are now available to watch online.
The sell-out ideas festival at the Exeter Northcott last month was attended by a combined audience of more than 900 people, both in the theatre and at Exeter University’s nearby Alumni Auditorium, where the event was streamed live.
Thousands more people were watching the live stream at gatherings across the city and in more than 50 countries around the world.
Now anyone who missed out on the day – or who wants to watch the talks again – can see them for free on YouTube.
Talks from the first five TEDxExeter events have so far been viewed more than 13 million times. That number is set to rise with the addition of 15 new videos from the sixth annual conference.
One of the biggest ovations on the day was for Gill Hayes, from Exeter, who aims to spread hope to people suffering with depression and challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness by sharing her own story of recovery.
Another powerful talk came from Nujeen Mustafa, a teenager who fled the civil war in Syria in a wheelchair in 2015 and now lives in Germany. Her TEDxExeter talk has already been featured in an online video by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Claire Kennedy, founder and curator of TEDxExeter, said: “The theme of TEDxExeter 2017 was HOPE and our speakers tackled issues ranging from mental illness to the energy revolution and marine conservation to the refugee crisis.
“The response of our audience on the day was amazing and we know many people have been eager to watch the talks online. Our team have been hard at work editing the video footage, ready for a global audience to watch and be inspired as TEDxExeter’s reach continues to grow.
“In this time of great uncertainty, we believe ideas have the power to change attitudes, lives and ultimately the world.”
Other talks to look out for on the TEDx Talks YouTube channel include:
- How open borders make us safe, by Andrew Solomon, a writer and lecturer on psychology, politics and the arts, whose previous TED talks have been viewed over 13 million times;
- Ending food waste one beer at a time, by Rob Wilson, an award-winning social entrepreneur and chief toaster at Toast Ale;
- How data brokers sold my identity, by Madhumita Murgia, European technology correspondent at the Financial Times;
- Be a (non-violent) hero, not a martyr, by Gulalai Ismail, co-founder of Aware Girls, which has trained and empowered hundreds of young people in Pakistan;
- Finding hope in dark places: Women in war, by Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent at the Sunday Times;
- Brexit: How can we move forward together?, by James Craig, a student at Exeter College;
- Your invitation to the community energy revolution, by Howard Johns, an advocate of community energy and author of The Energy Revolution;
- Countering political turmoil with a real summer of love, by Kester Brewin, a teacher, author and broadcaster;
- Hope in a (plastic) bottle: from beach to bathroom, by Virginie Helias, vice president of global sustainability at Procter & Gamble;
- How listening to communities can help save our oceans, by Vik Mohan, an Exeter-based GP and medical director at Blue Ventures Conservation.
There are also impressive performances by Matt Harvey, an award-winning poet from Totnes, Devon-based drummers Kagemusha Taiko and Plymouth dance company Street Factory, whose founders Jo and Toby Gorniak explain how they use hip hop to transform the lives of young people with low aspirations.
More than 145 registered viewing events took place at schools and workplaces across the city and beyond on Friday, April 21, including the Met Office and Devon and Cornwall Police headquarters. A public live stream event was held at Exeter Library.
A team of 10 translators travelled to Exeter to make talks from the conference accessible to a global audience. They will be subtitled in languages including Arabic, Russian and Japanese.
TEDxExeter is a not-for-profit event organised by a team of volunteers and made possible by support from sponsors, including local businesses.
Since TEDxExeter started in 2012, eight talks from the event have been chosen to feature on the main TED.com website – a distinction achieved by only 400 talks from independently organised TEDx events around the world.
To watch this year’s talks, head to the TEDx Talks channel on YouTube.
Image 1: Nujeen Mustafa speaking at the event
Image 2: Gill Hayes speaking at the event
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVN0qOZIePqF7VrocE1jgAA8Je8mRpU6B
