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    TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai: The Future Starts Now and Begins with Us

    EdFutures News

    18 Jun, 2024

    17 : 39

    The rapid development of emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), has resulted in both convenience and the continual expansion of human boundaries. However, this technological advancement requires us to ponder essential questions: In the AI era and beyond, what defines humanity? What makes human beings irreplaceable?

    The future starts now   and begins with us
    The future starts now and begins with us

    The TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai event, held on 15 June at the Shanghai Children's Art Theatre located on the banks of the Huangpu River, brought together students, teachers, parents, and community members from YCYW campuses across the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong SAR. Through presentations, art, and workshops, participants had the opportunity to reflect on their ideas and responses to both the present and the future.

    • The future begins with each specific thought at the present moment

      The fourth TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai was unprecedented in scale. Fifty-five TEDx speakers from YCYW campuses across the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong SAR participated, and the youngest were only seven years old.

       

      In her opening remarks, Dr Betty Chan Po-king, CEO & School Supervisor of YCYW, said, "Participating in this TEDx event offers our students valuable opportunities to develop their skills regarding critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork. More importantly, our students will learn to articulate their ideas clearly and engage with diverse perspectives. These experiences will help prepare our students to become global leaders with a spirit of service to society."

       

      In her opening remarks, Dr Betty Chan Po-king, CEO & School Supervisor of YCYW, said, "Participating in this TEDx event offers our students valuable opportunities to develop their skills regarding critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork. More importantly, our students will learn to articulate their ideas clearly and engage with diverse perspectives. These experiences will help prepare our students to become global leaders with a spirit of service to society."

       

    • Primary TEDx Talks Session

      Primary TEDx Talks Session

    • Dr Betty Chan Po-king   delivering the opening remarks

      Dr Betty Chan Po-king delivering the opening remarks

    Dr Christopher Hurley
    Dr Christopher Hurley

    When elaborating on the theme of the event, FUTURES, the event organiser Dr Christopher Hurley, Head of YCYW’s EdFutures Division, said,

     

    "We have really been searching for people who are building better futures. We have been seeking out those students, as they develop their ideas about what it means to be uniquely human in this age of technological advancement and AI. For us, that unique humanness is about creativity and innovation. More than that, it's the values about caring for the environment, caring for one another, and having that bond with one another. Technology and AI can't replicate these aspects of human life, although they can try to emulate them. Technology and AI cannot reproduce these uniquely human traits."

     

    • In main theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,088, 55 TEDx speakers brought Dr Hurley's vision to life with their inspiring stories. The talks covered a wide range of topics such as body images, gender-based violence, war, sustainable fashion, cultural identity, the protection of stray animals, the caste system, mobile phone addiction, dreams, and the healing power of honest communication. These diverse topics showcased the speakers' insightful perspectives on personal growth and society.

    • Olivia, a Year-4 YCIS Chongqing student, was the first speaker at the event. Surprisingly, this nine-year-old did not show any stage fright when she was in the spotlight. In her still immature voice, she recounted her experiences of being ostracised by her classmates, and then trying to understand the psychology of bullies by reading research on the topic.

       

      "When you find it difficult to get along with other people, you should try to understand them. Do what I did: dig deep, and try to understand their thoughts and their feelings," she said.

    • Olivia

      Olivia

    Mr Jedediah Friedman
    Mr Jedediah Friedman

    Mr Jedediah Friedman, the Lower Secondary Coordinator of YCIS Shanghai Puxi, participated in the selection of the TEDx speakers. He emphasised that, in addition to public speaking skills, the originality of the topic, and the strength of the arguments, an essential criterion was whether the contents of the speech included personal experiences that could resonate emotionally with the audience.

    Phoebe
    Phoebe

    Phoebe, a Year-9 student at YCIS Shanghai Puxi, began her speech with a black and white photograph of an elephant. The image evoked a very sad memory. When she was seven, her parents had body shamed her by telling her that her thighs were too thick, and that they resembled elephant trunks. Phoebe spent the past few years suffering from body shaming. In an attempt to achieve her "ideal" body shape, she even tried extreme measures such as eating nothing but salad for lunch and dinner every day for two weeks. She lost weight, became hungry and weak, and fell into a state of depression.

     

    Signals from her body, made Phoebe realise that: "Your body is not a machine that you change into any shape or form, in order to conform to society’s standards of beauty. You should treat your body like a vulnerable child."

     

    In May, she collaborated with her teacher during a health class and shared her experiences of going from hating her body, to accepting her body, and then to loving her body. She hopes that her story can inspire people to gain energy and courage.

    Emma
    Emma

    Emma, a student from YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang, also mentioned elephants in her presentation. She bravely confronted the "elephant in the room"—stereotypes. As a short girl wearing glasses and of mixed ethnicity, Emma has experienced various stereotypes. Because of this, she even became introverted and unwilling to engage with her classmates.

     

    "The stereotypes people hold are useless. When we stereotype someone, we are refusing to see them as the complex and diverse persons they are. Stereotypes can hurt people, and stereotypes limit our perspectives." Emma said firmly.

    Avneet
    Avneet

    Avneet, from YCIS Beijing, and James, from YWIES Shanghai Lingang, had set their sights on larger issues. Avneet is from India, and moved to Beijing a decade ago with her family. In her school's Global Perspectives class, Avneet was exposed to diverse cultures and perspectives. This led her to reflect on India's caste system. 

     

    In her speech, Avneet called on the Indian government to provide necessary education to young children so that they could grow up to be more open-minded and accept differences among groups.

    James
    James

    James had enraptured the audience with his "Third Culture Kid" rap at the last TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai event, and he returned to the stage with another original rap. This time, he explored the reasons why people engage in wars. "It’s prevalent in history. From the past until now, there have always been wars. War is a constant occurrence in human history," he lamented.

     

    On stage, James wore a crown and rapped a rendition of Shakespeare's Macbeth. At the end of the performance, the crown fell to the ground, and James warned the world: "Unchecked ambition leads to violence and destruction. Don’t hurt each other, the consequences can be disastrous."

     

    • In March this year, Year-8 students from the YCIS Shanghai Pudong and Puxi campuses collaborated for the first time in a joint, project-based learning programme. The project centred around the theme of sustainable fashion, and the students explored the environmental and socio-economic costs of fast fashion. 

       

      During the TEDx event, Felix, Zoe, and Vivian from YCIS Pudong presented their findings, urging the audience to become "responsible consumers" and to understand more about the environmental impact of clothing before deciding to buy or discard clothing.

       

      To illustrate the concept of "turning waste into treasure," the three students wore clothes made from discarded newspapers, plastics, and other items. After the presentations, more than 20 YCIS Shanghai students and teachers presented a unique fashion show by wearing "fashions" made from waste materials.

       

      "The students' speeches reflected the challenges and opportunities we face in this era, and helped us adults to better understand the students, and how to support and listen to them. The students have their own unique perspectives and rich imaginations. Moreover, they are bold enough to express themselves, think carefully, and implement their ideas," commented Ms Sissy Shen, the Chinese Co-Principal of YCIS Shanghai Pudong.

       

      Ms Diao Ning, a parent of two YCIS Shanghai students, expressed her pride in the diverse, confident, and relaxed presentations given by the students. She remarked, "Seeing these kids on stage, I now seem to understand and know my own children better because they are all partners together with the other students."

       

    • Sustainable style fashion show

      Sustainable style fashion show

    • The future begins with you and me

      TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai is not only a stage to witness the talents of student speakers. It is also an event to share the learning achievements of YCYW students and to demonstrate the unity of our community.

       

      On the same day, students and teachers from YCIS Shanghai, YWIES Shanghai Gubei, YWIES Shanghai Lingang, and YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang jointly performed two summer concerts, which added colour to the sharing of ideas. The performances presented a combination of Eastern and Western music, showcasing the talents of the students and teachers.

       

    • The YCYW Collaborative Art Exhibition, themed "Imaginarium – A Future Vision", showcased hundreds of artworks of students from the early childhood to the senior secondary level. The exhibition included paintings, photographs, sculptures, and installations, providing an immersive viewing experience for the audience.

       

    • During the exhibition, YCYW Artists-in-Residence, Ms Haruka Ostley and Ms Elena Hasnas, collaborated with the students in a live painting performance titled "Dragon of Peace".

       

      "When we think about the future, peace would be the most relevant topic for the future," Ms Hasnas explained. "Not only peace in the community. We also have inner struggles, and battles among different people, and we still have wars happening on this planet."

       

      For the main colour, the Artists-in- Residence chose blue, which symbolises the  sky and infinite possibilities. On a huge canvas, they painted carps that eventually converged into one giant dragon.

       

      "Individually, we may not have enough power to change anything. But collectively, we want to send the energy of world peace," Ms Ostley said.

       

    • Dragon of Peace

      Dragon of Peace

    • Students and teachers from various YCYW campuses showcased a diverse range of campus projects at the TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai event. These projects included FIRST Robotics Competition, VEX Robotics, underwater robotics, drones, smart farms, and the Hope Beans Service Learning Project. The purpose was to share innovative learning experiences that go beyond the traditional classroom.

    • Among the participants were four students from YWIES Guangzhou--Yola, Elaine, Bowen, and Eric—who were attending TEDx for the first time. They had travelled from Guangzhou to Shanghai to showcase their EdFutures Division's Smart Farm project. At their booth, they carefully explained to the guests how  the farm's fertilisation and automatic watering systems worked.

    • The Smart Farm booth

      The Smart Farm booth

    • The TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai event lasted for more than ten hours, from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and successfully concluded with a spectacular performance by the YCIS Shanghai Pudong Stage & Show Band.

       

    As Chloe, Amy, Lisa, and Zoe from YCIS Shanghai Pudong confidently declared at the end of their speech on gender-based violence, "The future is ours to create!" We believe that every idea shared on the TEDx stage is like a shining star, leading us to a world of endless possibilities and hope.