Theme: Ignite

TEDxYouth@Toronto is held annually at the Ontario Science Centre during the weekend of Universal Children’s Day. The event follows the TED format with a line-up of exciting and diverse speakers and performers.

Also, the event will feature popular TED videos and interactive activities hosted by the Ontario Science Centre. The day incorporates networking sessions during and after the event for participants, organizers and presenters to interact and share experiences – a vital component of the experience. The live audience will be made up of high school students from all over the city. It will be also be streamed live for audiences locally and globally.

Ontario Science Centre
770 Don Mills Road
Corner Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue

Skating together since 1997, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have consistently placed amongst the top of the pack at International ice dancing competitions, including a gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, two silver medals at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi and gold at the 2010 and 2012 World Figure Skating Championships. Virtue and Moir are also six-time Canadian National Champions, winning in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The pair are known for their intricate footwork and innovative lifts.

Anton Rabie

Anton Rabie serves as Chairman and Co-CEO of Spin Master Ltd. His inspirational leadership, insight and strategic vision have been essential in taking Spin Master from a small start up and transforming it into the success it is today. Anton has been instrumental in nurturing and developing Spin Master’s European presence and as a past member of the Supplier Council of the world’s top retailers, he has worked directly with over 10,000 retailers to build Spin Master’s North American and International sales network as it exists today.

Billions Cobra

After graduating with high distinction from the University of Toronto with a degree in astrophysics and mathematics, Aidan Koper’s career took a dramatic left turn as he became a renowned circus and street performer known as Billions Cobra. He has since entertained thousands of audiences all over the world with his whip cracking skills, body contortion, fire juggling and other dangerous spectacles. Aidan’s career highlights include performing on The Late Show with David Letterman, and the Ellen show.

Chris Studer

Chris is the Founder and Executive Director at The Get REAL Movement - a movement of university students across Canada who speak to high schools about unlearning homophobia, and embracing difference in everyone. At Western, Chris joined the frosh leader program and began to speak to youth upon hearing discriminatory language such as fag or that’s so gay. The positive responses from this casual, peer-to-peer approach prompted a similar program be brought into high schools, and in February 2011, Get REAL was born. Chris is currently one of three directors of Get REAL, which now spans over 15 campus teams across Canada, and whose work has been recognized and reproduced as far as the US, UK and Australia.

Eric Chong

A self-proclaimed ninja, Eric already has a lot under his belt; he’s a chemical engineer, a graduate of McMaster University, a cook of 15 years, and now winner of MasterChef Canada. At 6 years old, he began with simple tasks in the kitchen and worked his way up, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who was the head chef at a Chinese restaurant. Determined to prove himself, Eric loves cooking foods with a ‘wow factor.’

Josh Liu

Dr. Joshua Liu is a physician turned entrepreneur who believes that the future of healthcare depends on the intersection of design, data and technology. He is currently the co-founder & CEO of SeamlessMD, a healthcare startup advancing patient care in surgery using mobile & web technology. During his medical training, Joshua co-led a project at the University Health Network’s Centre for Innovation in Complex Care on hospital readmissions. Joshua was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare in 2014 and previously a Canadian Top 20 Under 20.

Lynn Keane

Lynn Keane is an author and former broadcast journalist. Since the sudden passing of her son Daniel in 2009, she has dedicated her life to sharing her family’s story, educating about the underlying causes of depression and the importance of treating mental illness. At the heart of Lynn’s work is a belief that talking about mental illness can reduce stigma and save lives – especially our youth. Through her recently published memoir, Give Sorrow Words, advocacy, an open approach, and working with mental health professionals and organizations, Keane has become a passionate, highly respected voice on depression and suicide prevention in Canada.

Morgan Baskin

Morgan Baskin believes community is the basis for positive, meaningful change – be it with respect to our own personal growth, or making the world around us a better place for everyone. Faced by a Toronto with questionable leadership, Morgan became frustrated with the lack of any attention to youth issues as the mayoral campaign kicked ­off. Morgan asked herself, “how could youth be active and included in the Toronto it would inherit, if no one was talking about them?” Driven by a community that built her up, Morgan went to City Hall to on February 28th, to run as the youngest candidate for mayor of Toronto.

Sandhya and Swapna Mylabathula

Sandhya and Swapna Mylabathula are students at the University of Toronto. They have been developing a Private Member’s Bill with collaboration and advice from Member of Parliament Dr. Kirsty Duncan to create this Comprehensive Strategy to Address Concussions in Canada. They received recognition for their work including being two of the fifty most influential Torontonians of 2011 by GridTO magazine. Ultimately, the aim of this project is to make a tangible difference for concussion awareness, diagnosis, prevention, and management for all Canadians suffering from concussion, their families, and caregivers.

The Incredible Boris

Boris is an award-winning performer that travels worldwide and has appeared at venues ranging from schools, corporate functions, theatre, fairs, headlining in Las Vegas, to entertaining troops in Afghanistan and Kuwait. Boris motivates and inspires, while leaving a lasting impression. His stage name, The Incredible Boris, describes the sentiment of every performance literally – a positive attitude and constant state of mind. Boris delivers a powerful message of limitless possibilities as part of a hilarious interactive performance.