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Archives for 2012

Get your students excited about the power of ideas

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TEDxYouth@MileHigh, made possible by University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus, connects students aged 12 to 22 with the state’s most brilliant thinkers to inspire students to be more creative and innovative in their own lives and communities.

What better way to inspire the innovators and leaders of tomorrow than connecting them to the power of ideas—for free? That’s the driving thought behind TEDxYouth@MileHigh. Students and educators from across the state are invited to the event, which will be held on Friday, June 1st from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Colorado’s most brilliant thinkers and accomplished doers will share their big ideas on topics such as education, science, health, technology, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

The Youth Event is open to students aged 12 to 22 and offered at no cost. Students will hear from powerful speakers from around the state—some of whom will speak at the main TEDxMileHigh event. Youth event presenters include international social entrepreneur Bianca Griffith, five-time cancer survivor and comedian Woody Roseland, slam poetry trio Slam Nuba, and several others. Youth speakers will also take the stage to share their experiences.

The program promises to challenge audience members to think critically about their lives, communities and own leadership, and is designed to inspire the students to be more creative and innovative. The event will be a great way for students of the same school to connect around the ideas and collaborate on how they might implement them. Also, the topics discussed can serve as a way to supplement existing classroom lessons. Comparable leadership experiences to TEDxYouth@MileHigh typically cost hundreds of dollars per participant.

Schools can bring as few as 20 students and as many as 350. TEDxMileHigh recommends one to two adult chaperones for every 15 to 20 students under the age of 18. Schools are asked to coordinate the logistics of getting teacher and parent approval and arranging transportation. For those schools that need to pay for buses, TEDxMileHigh can cover some or all of these transportation costs.

In addition to hearing live speakers and recorded TED Talks on June 1st, attendees will be able to visit the TEDxMileHigh Exhibits Lounge before and after the Youth Event, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Exhibits Lounge will showcase technology demonstrations, new products, creative works of art and other innovative projects.

A special thanks to TEDxMileHigh’s partner, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus, and TEDxMileHigh volunteers and supporters for making TEDxYouth@MileHigh possible through their generous support.

If you are interested in having your school attend TEDxMileHigh’s Youth Event, click here to reserve your tickets.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Áthila Armstrong.

What topics would you like to see addressed at the Youth Event? What innovative ideas have 6-12 graders implemented in your community to create an impact?

The future of Denver traffic gridlock

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As the world continues to add more and more people, and upward mobility allows more people access to basic technologies (like computers and cars), the world feels infinitely smaller. Over the last twenty years or so, there has been a focus on environmental responsibility, the containment of greenhouse gasses, and reductions of carbon emissions. Much of the discussion, though broad, has been focused on the almighty automobile.

In this TED talk, the Chairman of Ford Motor Company discusses his obsession with cars, the environment, and the future of “global gridlock.”

The talk got me thinking a lot about Denver, and the biggest frustration I have with our city: traffic. Many of us live in Colorado to be in the mountains, which means hiking in the summer, and skiing in the winter. People come to live in our state from all around the country to experience the Rocky Mountain powder in Summit County and beyond. Last winter was epic for Colorado skiers and riders, many days were full-on powder bliss in the high country, while Denver remained fairly dry. There were only a few days when I didn’t want to ride last season, all due to my fear of horrible traffic delays on I-70.

The front range of Colorado is still experiencing growth, which is leading to more traffic on the highway systems around Denver and into summit county. For years, there have been initiatives to build rail systems in the mountains (including when Denver won the 1976 bid for winter Olympics, which it subsequently turned down due to high costs), and think tanks about how we might find a solution to the problem. Yet very little has happened. Road expansions can’t keep up with the influx of cars on the road, especially during ski season. 

 

What are we doing as citizens of Denver, and lovers of the outdoors, to curb traffic gridlock in and around Denver? What needs to happen to alleviate the issue?  

Photo courtesy of Flickr user: Jared.

Who will grace the stage at TEDxMileHigh 2012? The initial lineup is revealed…

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You’ve been waiting, watching and wondering – who will be the innovative Coloradans to speak at this year’s TEDxMileHigh? Well, your wait is over!

This year’s presenters include a two-time Olympian, VH1’s “top world-changer under 25,” the Chief Animator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, and three masters of slam. To go along with this year’s theme of “Risk & Reward,” the speakers will talk about risks they took and how it helped them think differently, venture into new territory and take action in our community and around the world. More speakers will be added in the coming weeks. Checkout the initial list of presenters and then join us at TEDxMileHigh 2012!

Jeremy Bloom

This three-time World Champion, two-time Olympian and eleven-time World Cup gold medalist in freestyle skiing has taken up a new cause in recent years: granting lifelong wishes to low-income senior citizens. Jeremy’s Wish of a Lifetime foundation grants about 120 wishes each year from skydiving to playing in a jazz band to publishing a children’s book. Last year, Jeremy co-founded Integrate.com, an online performance marketing company that was named the “Best New Company” at the 2011 American Business Awards in New York City, and this year received the award of “Fastest Growing Company” by the 2012 Business Excellence Awards. Jeremy is also recognized as a “Forbes 30 Under 30: Technology” up and comer.

Adam Lerner

As Director and Chief Animator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver), Adam is harnessing and advancing a broad, new understanding of art that is connected to the creativity that runs throughout society. This unique approach to museum programming is reshaping the traditional role of the art museum. Creating a strong, singular voice for his museum, Adam has created exhibitions, education and marketing that have been replicated at museums throughout the country. Developing many of these ideas at the Lab at Belmar (which merged with MCA Denver in 2009), he has also lent expertise to the Denver Art Museum and the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, and he served as a fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Jessica Posner

While studying abroad in Nairobi, Kenya, Jessica saw firsthand the devastating effects of extreme poverty and gender inequality. This experience served as the spark that led her to co-found Shining Hope For Communities. Jessica created the non-profit to provide the first free school for girls in Kiberia, Africa’s largest slum, as well as a community health clinic, clean toilet and water initiative, youth and community education, and economic development initiatives. A nationally recognized social entrepreneur and activist, Jessica earned the 2010 Do Something Award, and was named “America’s top world-changer under 25” by VH1. She also won the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship, which provides seed funding for social entrepreneurs and has been featured by CNN, NBC Nightly News, and The New York Times.

Slam Nuba

Back by popular demand are award-winning slam poets Ken Arkind, Bobby Lefebre and Theo Wilson (aka Lucifury). Members of the critically acclaimed slam team, Slam Nuba, Ken, Bobby and Theo use language and voice like no other to bring attention to social issues and causes. Ken is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Nuyorican Poets Café Grand Slam Champion, and has been featured in documentaries “SPIT!” and “Slamplanet”. Bobby is a two-time Grand Slam Champion, a National Poetry Slam finalist, an Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, and has been a member of three national poetry slam teams. A relative unknown at the time, Lucifury shook up the slam poetry world by taking 5th in the International World Poetry Slam in 2009, and with Slam Nuba, has seen the finals stage at the National Poetry Slam.

More presenters will be announced in the weeks come. Any guesses on who the others speakers might be? Who are you most excited to see of the speakers who have been announced?

Remember, you can only see these awesome speakers if you purchase a ticket to TEDxMileHigh 2012, so get yours today!

Have coffee or a cocktail with your fave TEDxMileHigh speakers

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How often do you get the chance to talk one-on-one with a former Olympian, a renowned social activist, creator of the pay-what-you-can restaurant concept, or the Erin Brockovich of the American food system? Well, you’ll soon get your chance.

You, our fans, asked for the chance to get up close and personal with past speakers and TEDxMileHigh is making it happen. In a few weeks, we will launch a series of Coffee & Cocktail Chats (TEDxMHChats) where you and a few dozen people can catch up with and pose questions to your favorite speakers from TEDxMileHigh 2011 and TEDxMileHighSalon. Attendance is limited at each venue so admission will be on a first-come-first-served basis. The tradeoff? These events are free! The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, April 25th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
D’Vine Wine, 1660 Champa Street (accommodates 35 people)
Guest speaker: Shannon Galpin, Founder of Mountain2Mountain
Last appearance: TEDxMileHighSalon

Topic: Shannon will talk with you about how “The Power of Voice” can incite positive change. She has spent years in Afghanistan, providing a voice to women and children who are oppressed and found that using an individual’s story to highlight a greater problem gets people to listen and to understand. “Voice” changes lives, communities and countries from within, she says, and Shannon would like to hear your thoughts on the subject and take your questions.

Friday, May 4th from Noon to 1 p.m.
Tattered Cover, 1628 16th Street (accommodates 75 people)
Guest speaker: Robyn O’Brien, Author of “The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It”
Last appearance: TEDxMileHigh 2011

Topic: Dubbed as the Erin Brockovich of the American food system, Robyn asks, “Do you know what you are eating” in her talk: “Patriotism on a Plate”. Robyn will talk about her latest research on the health of our food system and take your questions on the topic. She is also founder of AllergyKids Foundation and asks that you bring gently used kids’ clothes, blankets or sheets to her event, which her Foundation will in turn donate to a women and children’s shelter.

Wednesday, May 9th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Mile High Spirits, 2920 Larimer Street (accommodates 75 people)
Guest speaker: Jeff Olson, former Olympian and Founder of Well Nourished Worldwide
Last appearance: TEDxMileHigh 2011

Topic: What could a successful 2022 Olympics bid mean for the health and well being of our community and the world? Jeff will expand upon his last talk “An Olympic Why”, explain why you should get involved in bringing the Games to Denver and how you can do just that. The timing of this chat is just right given that Denver’s 2022 Exploratory Committee will deliver its report to Mayor Michael Hancock and Governor John Hickenlooper for consideration this spring.

Wednesday, May 16th from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
S.A.M.E. Café, 2023 East Colfax Avenue (accommodates 40 people)
Guest speaker: Libby Birky, Founder of S.A.M.E. Café
Last appearance: TEDxMileHigh 2011 and TEDxMileHighSalon

Topic: Creator of the pay-what-you-can restaurant concept, Libby creates community in an unusual way. She offers healthy, organic meals and “Dignity, Community and a Side of Veggies” to all who walk through the S.A.M.E. Café door, regardless of their ability to pay. According to Libby, positive change in the community begins with you and me, so she would like to talk with you about how just one person can create ripples that affect hundreds or even thousands of people.

Did we mention that you get free admission to these chats? It doesn’t get much better than that! And why wait to start the conversation when we can do so now. Post any questions that you have for the speakers on our Facebook page, on Twitter using the hashtag #TEDxMHChats, or in the comments section of this blog. We’ll make sure that the speakers address each and every one during their chats and online. So even if you are unable to attend the chats, you can still be a part of the conversation.

We look forward to your questions and to seeing you over the coming weeks.

Image courtesy of Flickr user tonx.

Who will grace the stage at TEDxMileHigh 2012? The initial lineup is revealed…

by

You’ve been waiting, watching and wondering – who will be the innovative Coloradans to speak at this year’s TEDxMileHigh? Well, your wait is over!

This year’s presenters include a two-time Olympian, VH1’s “top world-changer under 25,” the Chief Animator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, and three masters of slam. To go along with this year’s theme of “Risk & Reward,” the speakers will talk about risks they took and how it helped them think differently, venture into new territory and take action in our community and around the world. More speakers will be added in the coming weeks. Checkout the initial list of presenters and then join us at TEDxMileHigh 2012!

Jeremy Bloom

This three-time World Champion, two-time Olympian and eleven-time World Cup gold medalist in freestyle skiing has taken up a new cause in recent years: granting lifelong wishes to low-income senior citizens. Jeremy’s Wish of a Lifetime foundation grants about 120 wishes each year from skydiving to playing in a jazz band to publishing a children’s book. Last year, Jeremy co-founded Integrate.com, an online performance marketing company that was named the “Best New Company” at the 2011 American Business Awards in New York City, and this year received the award of “Fastest Growing Company” by the 2012 Business Excellence Awards. Jeremy is also recognized as a “Forbes 30 Under 30: Technology” up and comer.

Adam Lerner

As Director and Chief Animator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver), Adam is harnessing and advancing a broad, new understanding of art that is connected to the creativity that runs throughout society. This unique approach to museum programming is reshaping the traditional role of the art museum. Creating a strong, singular voice for his museum, Adam has created exhibitions, education and marketing that have been replicated at museums throughout the country. Developing many of these ideas at the Lab at Belmar (which merged with MCA Denver in 2009), he has also lent expertise to the Denver Art Museum and the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, and he served as a fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Jessica Posner

While studying abroad in Nairobi, Kenya, Jessica saw firsthand the devastating effects of extreme poverty and gender inequality. This experience served as the spark that led her to co-found Shining Hope For Communities. Jessica created the non-profit to provide the first free school for girls in Kiberia, Africa’s largest slum, as well as a community health clinic, clean toilet and water initiative, youth and community education, and economic development initiatives. A nationally recognized social entrepreneur and activist, Jessica earned the 2010 Do Something Award, and was named “America’s top world-changer under 25” by VH1. She also won the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship, which provides seed funding for social entrepreneurs and has been featured by CNN, NBC Nightly News, and The New York Times.

Slam Nuba

Back by popular demand are award-winning slam poets Ken Arkind, Bobby Lefebre and Theo Wilson (aka Lucifury). Members of the critically acclaimed slam team, Slam Nuba, Ken, Bobby and Theo use language and voice like no other to bring attention to social issues and causes. Ken is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Nuyorican Poets Café Grand Slam Champion, and has been featured in documentaries “SPIT!” and “Slamplanet”. Bobby is a two-time Grand Slam Champion, a National Poetry Slam finalist, an Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, and has been a member of three national poetry slam teams. A relative unknown at the time, Lucifury shook up the slam poetry world by taking 5th in the International World Poetry Slam in 2009, and with Slam Nuba, has seen the finals stage at the National Poetry Slam.

More presenters will be announced in the weeks come. Any guesses on who the others speakers might be? Who are you most excited to see of the speakers who have been announced?

Remember, you can only see these awesome speakers if you purchase a ticket to TEDxMileHigh 2012, so get yours today!

Do schools foster or squander kids’ talents?

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This is a guest post by Sari Levy who consults with education reform organizations, including Democrats for Education Reform, A+ Denver and the Colorado Legacy Foundation. Follow Sari on Twitter @saril78 and visit her blog.

Sir Ken Robinson’s 2006 TED talk has been popping up on my Facebook feed about once a week for five years. It’s called “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity” and has been viewed 9,696,582 times. You’ve probably seen it. I’ve seen it twice.

“It’s education that’s meant to take us into a future that we can’t grasp,” Sir Robinson says. “All kids have tremendous talents and we squander them, pretty ruthlessly. My contention is that creativity is as important as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.”

Both times I watched the video, I dismissed Robinson’s point because after spending seven years working in education reform, I know how far behind U.S. students are academically. I don’t mean to dismiss creativity, but shouldn’t we nail reading, writing, science, math and history first — and worry about creativity later? After all, 90% of U.S. students (including myself) never even get to calculus in high school. Even our “best and brightest” are dead last (and second-to-dead-last) in math and physics compared to other developed countries.

Then, last week I flew to New York to see a solo show that my college friend Max had created. It was jaw-dropping. He’s since been asked to do other shows in New Orleans and Amsterdam. He is starting to gain traction in the kind of career we tell most kids they’ll probably never have. Statistically true but dream-killing all the same. Max had been a very good artist when I met him at 17, and has become astoundingly good in the 15 years since then. I asked him if he’d been born with talent.

“All kids are born artists,” he told me. “They usually just stop when they realize that what they’re drawing doesn’t actually look like the object in front of them. I was lucky that my dad encouraged me to keep drawing and helped me. Then I was able to go to a (private) arts high school. By the time I got to college, I’d already been drawing and painting for 14 years.” It occurred to me that it was a very unique set of circumstances that had allowed Max to follow his dream, that he’d had the kind of opportunities most of us didn’t. It occurred to me that it wasn’t fair.

Maybe Sir Robinson has a point.

In a strange coincidence, the day after I returned from New York, I got a call from Van Schoales, the Executive Director of A+ Denver. A+ is an education advocacy group chaired by Federico Pena. Traditionally, the group has focused on academic achievement.

“I’d like to look at arts programs in Denver,” Van said. “Do you have time to help? No one has done this in a serious way. How many kids at Julliard and Rhode Island School of Design are coming from Denver? Let’s find out what opportunities (like Denver School of the Arts) are out there, who is getting in, and where those kids are going next? Are there places in Denver where students are learning to play in mariachi bands and create great short films? Where are they? How do people learn about them?”

And so, over the next two months Van and I are going to talk with experts, visit schools, look at other cities, and read up on the literature. We want to continue this conversation where Sir Robinson left off: How can we give kids opportunities to live their dreams if those dreams are off the beaten path? 

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