TED Talks time

Culture | July 17th, 2014

It’s TED Talks time. Tickets are about to sell out. So this article is a complete, rapid-fire attempt to convince you to go to TEDxFargo this July 24 or TEDxYouth@Fargo this July 25. Here goes …

Twenty-two of some of the brightest minds in the area, and in the country, have designed and developed speeches with some of the most exciting and thought provoking ideas imaginable – all for you, as an audience member, to consume, be inspired by and take action with. There will be about 800 people watching these speakers in Fargo – so each one of them will be sure to present his or her very best material.

GREG TEHVEN (Official TEDxFargo spokesperson): The talks are meant to challenge, to inspire, to encourage, to think about an idea differently.

Speakers include CEOs, presidents, tech gurus, a violinist, a theater director, a tree hugger and a toothbrush entrepreneur.

GREG: We try to curate the speaker list to bring different perspectives of new ideas that can be applied in our community. So there’s a little bit of a challenge for the audience … how can we imagine this concept that is shared and how can it be applied?

TEDxFargo will be a high-energy event with enough enthusiasm, inspiration and finesse to excite and move an entire community.

This year’s theme is “on purpose.”

There are numerous surprises planned. There will be musical performances, networking opportunities, “adventures” and “purposeful” who knows what.

TEDxFargo is created “by the community, for the community.”

GREG: This is created by volunteers, and supported generously by community organizations that make it possible.

TEDxYouth@Fargo

JONATHAN MELGAARD (TEDxYouth curator): This is more than just a talk; this is a complete experience. It’s totally immersive.

TEDxYouth speakers include an olympian, an American Idol finalist, a magazine founder and news anchor. There are 10 speakers total.

JONATHAN: What I look for in the speakers is – who’s doing something with their lives that they are doing for more than what it is at face value.

Irene Fernando, co-founder of Students Today Leaders Forever, for example, will elaborate more on her first TEDxFargo speech about how she planned to change the world.

IRENE: I’m trying to get into – what is our generation going to be known for generations from now. I’m going to broaden the scope of the talk to include those impacts that we can and should be having on generations that come after us.

TEDxYouth’s content will be more relevant for a younger audience, but will include the same level of excitement and energy as Thursday’s event.

Melgaard estimates “8th graders to college grads” are the target audience, but there are no strict limitations as to who can and cannot attend.

JONATHAN: This is for people who are youth but also people who are youthful at heart and those who care about the youth in our community.

For a complete list of all the speakers and ticket information, visit tedxfargo.com or Facebook search “TEDxFargo.”

IF YOU GO:

TEDxFargo: Thurs, July 24

TEDxYouth@Fargo: Fri, July 25

The Fargo Theatre

Tickets: tedxfargo.com