During my sophomore year of high school, I was in the car with two friends. We were talking about how we all loved watching TED talks and we wanted to go to a live conference someday. We are Gen Z so obviously we whipped out our phones and looked up how someone would get a ticket to a TED talk. We learned that there is a difference between a “TED” talk, which is organized by the TED organization, and a “TEDx” talk which is licensed by the TED organization but independently organized. Then we asked the question that started a year and a half journey: “If TEDx talks are independently organized, does that mean that we can organize one ourselves?”
From there, we set up a meeting to look at what it would actually take to organize a TEDx talk. Since we were all minors at the time, we were allowed to organize a TEDxYouth event as long as an adult signed on with us. We convinced a teacher to be our advisor and we were on our way. It took six months from the initial car ride before our TEDxYouth license was finally approved. After that, it took a year to fundraise for supplies and catering, secure a venue, audition the speakers, and market the event to our community.
The event date was set for the first week of the summer after my junior year (I was 17). Per the license agreement, the event size could not exceed 100 attendants, but we filled all 100 seats. Even though I don’t remember most of it since I was running around answering questions and solving problems that arose, the event was a blast.
I learned so much from the time I spent planning this event with my friends. I learned about myself, working with a team, 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt forms, event planning, fundraising, catering, public speaking, program printing, website design, problem solving, networking, licensing, and so much more.
This was really one of the first experiences I had that opened my mind to the realization that I can make things happen if I set my mind to them. When we first asked the question, it seemed like an impossibility for a group of three 16 year-olds. So on the day of the event when 100 community members showed up to the venue and listened to stories from cool speakers, it felt like we had accomplished a miracle.
