INAUGURAL TEDxKids@Yerevan EVENT SPARKS UNPRECEDENTED EXCITEMENT AND DRAWS GREATER ATTENTION TO KIDS ISSUES

June 1, 2012 – On June 1, the International Day of Children, the inaugural TEDxKids@Yerevan event took place in the Caucasus region at TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. Licensed by TED, the nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” the independently organized event brought together more than 300 participating children from Yerevan and Armenia’s marzes and featured 22 live speakers and recorded TEDTalks.

TEDxKids@Yerevan sparked great excitement throughout Yerevan and beyond. The organizers received a number of submissions from both kids throughout the country to do a talk coupled as well as partners looking to support the event. The event teaser video received more than 1,400 views on [available on http://kids.tedxyerevan.com/] in just two days. Throughout the spring the TEDx team in Yerevan worked with 10-18 year old children and students from various schools, including children with special needs, to audition and develop their talks according to TED commandments.

The 22 live speakers had one thing in common – they had something remarkable to share, and they were able to share it in an engaging way. While some of the talks featured their interests and dreams in life, such as bionic architecture, sports and acting, other talks focused on certain things in the society that they want to change, such as enabling a healthier environment and lack of invisible walls in interpersonal communication with stigmatized groups. The recorded talks will be available on the Internet at the end of June to continue sharing ideas from Armenian kids that are worth spreading. Moreover, some of the ideas the speakers voiced at the event will be further pursued to bring them to life in the near future.

“Our team believes that ideas worth spreading will help inspire Armenian children to voice and pursue their dreams,” said TEDxKids@Yerevan licensee Kristine Sargsyan. “We are confident that a country where children’s voices are heard has a greater potential to become one where dreams come true and we certainly wish that our kids do not lose sight of realizing them in Armenia.”

The event was made possible with the support of a number of organizations, including the official partner – TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, and World Vision Armenia, UNICEF, Armenian Caritas, Storaket studio, Child Health Now, Ashtarak Kat Diary Company, and Luys Foundation.

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About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED