By the time 5pm on Feb 17th rolled around, the 15 kids who were participating in the TEDxKids@NBCC were bursting at the seams for it to begin. The momentum of the week, which included many rehearsals and cheering each other on, had hit a fever pitch.
One by one, each of them took the stage without any trepidation. They shared their passionate ideas for making Columbus a better place to live (especially in this Bicentennial year) and were patient as their friends did the same.
The audience, filled largely with parents, grandparents, the Center staff and some local TEDx friends, knew what they were in for. Each talk was between 45 seconds and 2 minutes long, enough that you had to feel the kids’ anxiety beforehand, but their elation quickly after. This was not an experience that would bend and twist the minds of the audience (like the big TEDx events often do), but a realization that indeed, we have a bright future ahead of us. And do we ever.
From being good stewards of our land, to taking care of homeless pets, to donating books to homeless kids that can’t get to the library, to walking more and speeding less, the kids covered a gamet of topics very personal to themselves but pertienent to the world. We were successful of getting them to break away from their Nintendo and iPod games to know that the world around them is a big place that needs them, needs their ideas, passion and commitment.
This next week we’ll be asking them how they can activate on some of the ideas that they heard. We know that there’s a sock matching marathon on March 15th (donate those sock widows that may have a match with someone else’s widow), some signs going up on a street to quell speeding traffic and some books being delivered to the homeless family shelter.
The event may have been a huge success and ended at 6pm on Friday, but really, it’s just the beginning.
TEDxKids@NBCC Final Journal Entry: The Big Event!
It can be summed in one word: awesome.
By the time 5pm on Feb 17th rolled around, the 15 kids who were participating in the TEDxKids@NBCC were bursting at the seams for it to begin. The momentum of the week, which included many rehearsals and cheering each other on, had hit a fever pitch.
One by one, each of them took the stage without any trepidation. They shared their passionate ideas for making Columbus a better place to live (especially in this Bicentennial year) and were patient as their friends did the same.
The audience, filled largely with parents, grandparents, the Center staff and some local TEDx friends, knew what they were in for. Each talk was between 45 seconds and 2 minutes long, enough that you had to feel the kids’ anxiety beforehand, but their elation quickly after. This was not an experience that would bend and twist the minds of the audience (like the big TEDx events often do), but a realization that indeed, we have a bright future ahead of us. And do we ever.
From being good stewards of our land, to taking care of homeless pets, to donating books to homeless kids that can’t get to the library, to walking more and speeding less, the kids covered a gamet of topics very personal to themselves but pertienent to the world. We were successful of getting them to break away from their Nintendo and iPod games to know that the world around them is a big place that needs them, needs their ideas, passion and commitment.
This next week we’ll be asking them how they can activate on some of the ideas that they heard. We know that there’s a sock matching marathon on March 15th (donate those sock widows that may have a match with someone else’s widow), some signs going up on a street to quell speeding traffic and some books being delivered to the homeless family shelter.
The event may have been a huge success and ended at 6pm on Friday, but really, it’s just the beginning.