Volunteering for TEDxYouth@Amman
Education is a very important aspect of our life, engaging most of us throughout our childhood and beyond. What we learn in school plays a big role in how our personalities, minds, and ways of thought develop when we are young. In many parts of the world, I believe that education must be reformed in a way that teaches creativity and builds creative minds, because education and creativity complement and depend on one another. That’s how the theme “Educativity” at TEDxYouth@Amman — a TEDxYouthDay event — was thought up.
When I first heard about TEDxYouth@Amman, I was very excited. I wanted to attend the event so that I could share creative ideas with creative minds, and I also wanted to play a role in organizing the event. So I volunteered to help out at the event, which had a big and positive impact on me.
The event had around 27 speakers and performers. There were inventors, entrepreneurs, musicians, dancers and more. All of the presenters had their own stories to share about how they reached their dreams, how creativity helped them, and why it is important to teach creativity through education. The event was a full day experience, and as volunteers we had a lot of interesting and great work to do. I had a great experience guiding and helping attendees and guests, sharing information about the event, and live reporting throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook.
Written by Abdallah Alashqar, an official TEDxYouth@Amman reporter.
A graphic representing the most active #TEDxYouth hashtag Tweeters over the course of TEDxYouthDay!
Created by Ayd Asraf, an official TEDxYouth@Amman reporter.
Watching the TEDxYouth@Amman Livestream
TEDxYouthDay was a day of firsts for me:
- First time watching a livestreamed TEDx event
- First time watching a livestreamed TEDxYouth event
- First time hearing the word “Educativity” from TEDxYouth@Amman
- First time live reporting over the Internet
The first event I watched was TEDxYouth@Amman. I watched the livestream between 11:00PM and 9AM although I did manage to get a few hours of sleep during the scheduled breaks. The event itself was incredible.
I got to see how TEDx events bring the ideals of TED, “ideas worth spreading,” to a broader audience around the world. At TEDxYouth@Amman, the theme was “Educativity,” which each speaker addressed in his or her own way. The speakers at TEDxYouth@Amman were amazing and many of them broadened my world view! Here were some of my favorites:
1. A Jordanian dance group that performed at the end of the TEDxYouth@Amman blew my mind. I love that TEDx events don’t just stick to the standard conference format of having someone stand up on a stage and talk, and allow for the program to integrate this type of performance. There were more than 20 young people on the stage, each doing a different style of ballet, hip-hop, and other dance forms, but the choreography made the piece come together.
2. Ward Wakileh, a slam poet, nearly brought tears to my eyes. He presented his idea of school, and how “Educativity” can help those who are out of the box when it comes to the standard model of learning. He shared his own frustrations from his experiences as a student in the classic school environment. He concluded by showing us that he figured out how he learns best, and that he has continued to learn through this process throughout his life. He views this process as “Educativity” and described it as an environment where creativity is integrated with education to enhance learning. He believes it’s the future of classrooms around the world.
There were many more speakers who inspired me to take a new perspective on education and how it can meld with creativity. After all, they are two similar concepts! Thank you, TEDxYouth@Amman, for broadening my horizons, and leaving me with an brain overloaded with “idea’s worth spreading.”
By Adi Davis, an official TEDxYouthDay viewing party reporter.
Ayd Asraf is an official TEDxYouthDay reporter for TEDxYouth@Amman, one of 100 TEDxYouthDay events happening between November 19 - 21, 2011, around Universal Children’s Day.
Being part of and contributing to TEDxYouthDay, an amazing global phenomenon, is something that comes with lots of fun and responsibility. One of the fun journeys I went through was providing an Arabic subtitle translation for the official TEDxYouthDay introduction video.
The journey began when I was surfing the TEDxYouthDay website, looking for latest news and activities. I found the very creative introduction video, which introduces TED, TEDx, and TEDxYouthDay to the public. There was also a request beneath it for those who are interested in providing subtitle translations in their local languages. Knowing that lots of Arab youth are deeply interested in TEDx and TEDxYouth events, and knowing that nine TEDxYouthDay events are being held in the Middle East and North Africa region, I felt compelled to provide an Arabic translation for the video and its message for all young people who are inspired by TEDx and TEDxYouthDay events.
To do the translation, I watched the video over and over again, with my notebook beside me and my pen in hand. I wrote my initial translation, trying to improve it with every replay. After creating a very satisfying version, I read about making the subtitle files and how they synchronize with video. Applying the what I learned about subtitle files, with the help of family and friends, I worked through the challenging process of properly timing the subtitles with the audio in the video.
After reaching the final version, I emailed the results to the TED staff and TEDxYouth@Amman team. Seeing these subtitles available online made my day — it was the sweetest repay for my work, and I felt so happy that my efforts were appreciated.
In my opinion, the essence of volunteer work is the concept that life is not only about money. There are many other amazing things to be gained as a payment for effort, such as appreciation, knowledge, publicity, influence, and most importantly, knowing yourself by constantly motivating and challenging yourself to do things you never thought you were capable of doing.
