ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ High Schoolers Take On TEDx
TEDx ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ High School
July 7, 2016
A group of students from across ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡¡¯s affiliated high schools approached TED to organize an independent speaking event of their own in March 2016. , modeled after the widely popular TED-talk format, featured students and graduates from affiliated high schools and followed in a long tradition of public speaking at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.
An Early Start
Back in 2013, 15-year-old Kazuharu Fukui was already full of big ideas. He had created a smartphone app that reminded elderly people to take their medicine, garnering both awards and national media attention. He was invited to speak aboutat TEDx ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ (talk in Japanese), a TEDx event run by ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ that welcomed presenters from throughout the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ system. "It's been three years since I did that first TED talk," said Fukui, now a second-year student at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Senior High School. "I thought it was time to organize an event of our own within the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ high school system." Direct communication with TED in English was a challenge, he says, but well worth the trouble: he and his classmates were able to successfully negotiate an official agreement with TED.
At that point, the students formed a planning committee. ¡°We really struggled with our theme,¡± Fukui says. In the end, the students agreed that both students and alumni should present on ?a theme? that united ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡'s senior high school system across schools and generations. They decided on ¡°togetherness,¡± a nod to the diverse and talented people who come to learn and grow together at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡. The cast of speakers illustrates this well. Alumni speakers included a CEO, film director, and orchestra founder, who all drew connections between their studies and their current success. Presenters chose far-ranging topics that touched on,, and.
Kanji Yamamoto | Third-year student, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School
¡°Diversity is not just about ethnicity, culture, or other backgrounds. It¡¯s also about individual beings, ideas, experiences, and community.¡±
Working Together Towards Solutions
Perhaps the biggest effect was felt among the students involved in organizing the event. Senri Doi, a second-year student from ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Girls Senior High School, gave a very personal presentation about her experiences as a violinist and visual artist. ¡°I was nervous,¡± she said, ¡°so I was shocked at how smoothly my presentation went.¡± Public speaking was a first for many other presenters, too, who commented on how much they learned through speaking to a large audience.
Fukui reflected that he was struck by the importance of communication when organizing an event on this scale. ¡°There were so many setbacks and clashes of opinions along the way, but we were united in our end goal.¡± They were adamant to solve every problem they faced on their own, which led to the success of this year¡¯s event. Fukui says he is excited at the prospects of a second and even a thirdevent in the near future.
is the fourth TEDx event at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡: the first wasin 2012, followed byin 2013 and TEDx ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡U in 2015. Watch the video below to access the full playlist of speakers and presentations or visit the(Japanese) to read more.
*All affiliations and titles are those at the time of publishing.