What is TEDx?

x = independently organized TED event

TEDx is an event formed on a community-by-community basis, where local gatherings are organized to hear idea-focused performances. TEDx encourages speakers to discuss a range of issues and to cultivate an inspirational environment. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently by local volunteers, which makes every event unique and from the heart. Just like TED, TEDx strives to nurture inspiration, learning and to provoke conversations that matter, in a suite of short talks. The events are not organized with an emphasis on any commercial, religious or political agenda. Moreover, TEDx does not focus solely on entrepreneurship, technology or business - the aim is to promote diversity as well. Another aim of TEDx is to provide a platform for individuals who often do not have one. This means that a TEDx event is not a platform for professional or motivational speakers. Overall, the goal of TEDx is to spark connection, conversation and community.

What is TEDxYouth?

TEDxYouth is an event held by the youth, adults, or both. Here, the youth finds an opportunity to raise any topic that is interesting to kids and the youth. However, the youth can, of course, present other subjects! The size of the event has to be up to 100 guests. The main target audience of a TEDxYouth event are young people from local communities, but this does not limit the audience to young people only. The themes for the TEDxYouth events should be broad, featuring a diversity of topics and speakers from various disciplines. Similarly to TED, TEDxYouth aspires to motivate and open up doors to influential conversations and debates among the youth!

TEDxYouth@AgiouAndreou

We are the first ever TEDxYouth event in Cyprus, organized thanks to the initiative of the IMS Private School. Our team consists entirely of young adults and as a community-based event we aspire to host an event where the youth of all genders and nationalities in Cyprus has a chance to express themselves and spread ideas that are beyond everyday considerations.

Theme

Back in 2019, at our first meeting, the six of us started discussing our theme. We needed something that would encourage our speakers, instead of limiting them. We needed something abstract, but not too vague because we know how overused titles can sound/be sometimes. “Beyond” sounded fresh, modern and dreamy. When you’re young, you can’t help but wonder what is going to follow school and adolescence. And we can’t think of a lot of things that are more exciting than what is yet to come and be explored! Thanks to TED and other platforms like it we’ve got a chance to discover something that is beyond the usual for us, beyond the challenges we all face, even beyond our own understanding. And that’s how it came to us. Everyone needs an opportunity to learn about the things that we see every day, as well as to speak about their problems, the things they are passionate about and their beliefs on a deeper level. Our theme seems to capture everything: our excitement to know more, our aspirations and our hopes for the future. We hope our theme will unite remarkable speakers and ideas.

Our speakers

An Anxious Girl and Beyond Herself Converse, Anna Maria Loysha

Born in Limassol, but of Russian heritage, Anna Maria is an 18-year old graduating high school student. Passionate about the arts, she plans on studying animation in university abroad next year. In her talk, Anna Maria offers a visual and creative exploration of anxiety, a topic that is familiar to most young people. Talking about some of the most nerve-racking months of her life, she unravels her inner world, gives a poetic perspective on mental health and a hopeful verdict, all inspired by her faith and personal experiences.

Beyond What Our Eyes Perceive, Phivos Phylactou

Phivos is currently a PhD researcher at Cyprus University of Technology. He considers himself a science communicator, an athlete, a book lover and a volunteer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and this, along with his passion for research, made him curious about the neuroscientific basis of cognitive processes. Currently, he is investigating healthy individuals to discover basic neuroscientific evidence about memory and perception with the use of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, brain imaging, and behavioural experiments. He is going to explain how we don’t just see with our eyes, but also with our brain. But how do we know that? How does the brain see? And, how do we understand this using science?

Resetting the Way We Tackle Food Waste, Sotia Papapetrou

Born in Limassol, Sotia is a 16-year-old high school student, who has lived her entire life in Cyprus, while traveling around the world from a young age contributed to broadening her perspective on global environmental issues. Later on in her life, this turned into a source of concern, research and involvement in these problems. She is a member of a youth volunteer group that acts for multiple causes, including the protection of the environment. In her talk, she unveils one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time, food waste. She delves into the shocking data of wasted food and sounds the warning bell, as large quantities of food end up in trash heaps. She believes that we are at the tipping point for ending food waste and calls for citizen action.

How the World Ended Up on Your Plate, Jack Givhan

Jack is a 17-year-old high school senior, born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus. For the past few years, he’s been cooking at home with a focus on trying as many new recipes from as many different cuisines as possible. Through researching recipes and their historical backgrounds, he’s become fascinated by the way each culture’s ingredients are interconnected in ways that we all take for granted. In in his talk, he hopes to unveil some of the historical ties of our favourite dishes and the way we can learn from these to better our lives in general.

A Common Misconception, Peter Michaylov

Peter is a 16-year-old high achieving student and a rail enthusiast from Limassol. Having great interest in railway systems all over the world, he particularly favours is the metro of Moscow, the city where he was born. However, there is more to Peter than grades and the passion for metro systems. He really enjoys watching cartoons – an activity that, he believes, is often greatly stigmatised as being “only for small children”. In his speech, Peter will fight the “misconception that, sadly, is quite widespread” and “shouldn't be”.

Tomorrow, Kiara Pinto

Kiara is the youngest speaker in our event. In her own words, she “loves to read and is a bit of a cinephile with a love for theatre.” She has a passion for “anything historical or political” so when Covid-19 appeared, along with it came a lot of questions. After the pandemic was announced her confusion overtook her along with a thirst for knowledge. She decided to take a walk through our past... And you are welcome to join her!