Theme: Pursuit of Progress

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).

362 Mariposa Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada

Alan Steele

Professor in the Department of Electronics at Carleton University

Dr. Alan Steele is a professor in the Dept of Electronics at Carleton University. He was the leading creator and first director of the Discovery Centre, a learning space in the library at Carleton. He is an engineering physicist whose research interests include nonlinear optics, engineering education and learning spaces. He is also an owner of a “natural building”.

Ayisha Gariba

Student and Entrepreneur

Ayisha Gariba is a 16 year old entrepreneur, designer, illustrator and filmmaker originally from Ghana and Lesotho. She currently runs a small greeting card company and spends her free time doing freelance work and making films. Ayisha has been featured on the cover of Munch magazine, a Toronto print and online publication as well as Young and Fresh, an online publication geared towards finding talented young people and having them share their stories. She hopes to study Anthropology and Sociology in University.

Brian Burns

Professor, University of Ottawa

Brian Burns is a long-time Professor of Industrial Design and the Director of the Institute of Environmental Science at Carleton University. He has been involved in the design of a wide range of products both in England and North America and has written and contributed to several books related to Design and Environmental Sustainability.

Emilie Taman

Former Public Prosecutor, Politician

Ms. Taman first moved to Ottawa in 2005 with the intention of pursuing law. After three years at the Supreme Court, and a brief stint as a policy lawyer in Youth Justice Policy, she joined the Public Prosecution Service of Canada as a criminal prosecutor on the Regulatory Prosecutions Team. In this position, she was responsible for the prosecution of offences under a wide array of federal statutes, prosecuting both individuals and corporations for offences such as tax evasion, human smuggling, environmental offences including offences in relation to protected species, contraband tobacco offences, and fraud to name a few. While working full time as a prosecutor and raising my family, Mrs. Taman is actively involved in politics on both a national and local level.

Gary Godkin

Head of Senior School, Ashbury College

Gary Godkin has 25 years of experience in education, in both the public sector and in independent schools. He has taught mathematics, economics, computer science, engineering and robotics. He also spent 5 years consulting with ING Canada helping them to prepare for Y2K. Mr. Godkin has a passion for design thinking and leveraging technology to allow us to do things previously not possible. He is admittedly obsessed with classroom design and the role it plays in the learning and teaching experience. Mr, Godkin is also a bit of a leadership junkie, reading or listening to the books and biographies of great leaders of the 20th and 21st century. When not doing any of the aforementioned, Mr.Godkin can be found at the rink coaching one his daughters.

Joel Westheimer

Professor, University of Ottawa

Joel Westheimer is University Research Chair in Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa. He is also the education columnist for CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning and Ontario Today shows. Dr. Westheimer lectures widely and has delivered more than 200 keynote speeches at conferences, public events, and universities including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.

John Richardson

Teacher at Ashbury College, University of Ottawa Adjunct Professor

Ashbury teacher and University of Ottawa Adjunct Professor Dr. John M. Richardson has degrees from Princeton, Toronto, Ottawa, Dalhousie and Calgary. His articles on education, youth culture and educational technology appear in journals in Canada and the UK. Most recently, he appeared on CBC Radio’s flagship arts program “Q” to discuss the promposal phenomena and next summer he will speak at Cambridge University on theatre audiences in the digital era.

Jonta Kamara

Student at Ashbury College

Jonta Kamara is a grade 12 student at Ashbury College. She is born to Sierra Leonean parents, though retains US citizenship. Having lived in Germany, South Africa, Tunisia, and Ghana, she noticed the different levels of health-care provided in these countries. She was aware also of her family members living in Sierra Leone, who struggled with health-care issues. This became an even larger problem with the 2014 Ebola outbreak hitting the country. Although, Sierra Leone is now Ebola free, a lot of progress still needs to be made in Health-care.

Joseline Beaulieu

Volunteer and Board Member/ Madagascar School Project

Joseline Beaulieu is a volunteer on the board of the Madagascar School Project (MSP) in Cornwall, ON. Hearing about the theme “Pursuit of Progress”, she thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share the many successes of the MSP school, 'Sekoly Tenaquip'. She has seen first hand how the work of volounteers has brought hope to some of Madagascar’s most vulnerable people. She believes that everyone has the ability to bring positive change through charity work.

Kate Oakley

Expert in Aging and Dementia

Dr. Kate Oakley, Program Director at SHAD Carleton from 2010 to 2015, is an expert in aging and dementia. She received a BA in both psychology and communications from University of Ottawa and an MA and PHD in experimental psychology from Carleton University, focusing on "Age and Individual Differences in the Calibration of Confidence. " She has also served as a policy analyst, consultant, and academic researcher in experimental psychology, and is currently a full time visual artist.

Kyle Wilson

Student at Ashbury College

Kyle Wilson is 11 years old, and is a student in grade 6 at Ashbury College. He was born in Boston, but has lived in Ottawa for the last six years. Kyle is very interested in sports, and biology. When Kyle travels with his family he enjoys checking out the wildlife wherever he goes.

Michael Nwabufo

Student at Ashbury College

Michael Nwabufo is a 16 year old international student from Nigeria, although he was born in the States and has also lived in Tunisia and The Ivory Coast. A boarder at Ashbury, with a passion for sports and world affairs, he will be presenting on the modern problem of forced labour, the challenges involved and how we can overcome this age old predicament.

Mitchell Kurylowicz

Founder, Project Jenga

Now studying commerce at the University of Toronto, Mitchell Kurylowicz is a recent alumnus of Ashbury College. At age nine, he saw the need for schools for boys in rural Kenya, and has since been working to open a boy’s school through his Project Jenga, the progress of which he will be discussing with us today. Mr. Kurylowicz serves as youth advisor on the Board of Directors for Free The Children and has appeared in the Globe & Mail, CBC, CTV, Ottawa Citizen, and other North American networks.

Sophie Slessor

Student at Ashbury College

Sophie enjoys step dancing, going for hikes, and just walking in general. She loves discovering new places and different cultures as she has lived in 4 countries. She raises funds for Habitat for Humanity and founded “No More Fear”, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of the LGBTQ population.

Tamara Doleman

Visual Arts Teacher, Educator

Ms. Tamara Doleman is Head of Visual Arts at Ashbury College and is a graduate student at the International Centre for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State where she is working towards her M.Sc in Creativity. Ms. Doleman is a passionate educator, a trained creative process facilitator, a practicing art-maker, a loving wife and a busy mother of two bouncing boys. She has a keen interest in researching ways to nurture creativity and has presented on breakthrough thinking in a variety of settings.

Tazim Lal

Entrepreneur

Tazim Lal is the owner and designer of “Thank You India,” a business which donates a portion of every sale to charities that benefit women, and the education of children. She is also on the speaker bureau for the Aga Khan Foundation, and is a strong supporter of the Ottawa community.

Tim Moss

Schebawes/ Volunteer with Aboriginals

Tim Moss has seen rainforests devastated in Borneo, oil spills affecting First Nation life in Great Bear B.C., and the desertification of grasslands in Patagonia through industrial agricultural practices. Upon graduating from university, he began a career in mental health and addictions recovery before going on to study sustainable agriculture. Eventually, he ended up living with an Anishnabe grandmother in Northern Ontario running the community vegetable garden, as a Kookum’s Helper, the topic of his talk.

Tuan Nguyen

Entrepreneur

Tuan Nguyen is an entrepreneur and creative business strategist with a strong background in accounting and a passion for philanthropy. His volunteer efforts have raised over $20 million for charities across the globe. Mr. Nguyen has coached hundreds of purpose-driven leaders and delivered over 200 public speaking engagements globally including TEDx Talks on entrepreneurship, leadership, volunteerism and communications.

William Kourlas

Student at Ashbury College

William Kourlas is a grade 8 student at Ashbury College. He is a “lifer” having started at the school in grade 4. He loves travelling, getting good marks, competitive soccer, and making mistakes.