Theme: Rise Up

Missed our event? Experience TEDxYouth@Vail virtually with our photostream and talks on Youtube!
Flickr Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/128141200@N04/sets/72157706573542171
Youtube Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sorxFbckEU&list=PLsRNoUx8w3rPEAlINO9LgBtByQhBoKeEF

TEDxYouth@Vail – Rise Up – Where radically real ideas are delivered by youth and prominent figures in our valley. This event, organized solely by the valley’s youth, boasts ideas worth sharing that will open your mind to intimate revelations, brilliant creativity, and deep data. You’ll find live speakers, hands-on activities, hand-picked TED Talks and fascinating conversations with designers, technologists, cancer survivors, advocates, performers and more! Ten speakers will share short talks in two sessions on how they Rise Up, serving both as a source of knowledge and inspiration for youth in the Vail Valley.

Session 1: Don't Just Fly, Soar.

This session’s speakers utilize their outstanding talents for speaking, creating, and bringing people together to deliver messages focused on overcoming adversity and finding strength in the community around you. Their talks will encourage you to challenge your own perspectives and embrace the stories of everyone you meet. These speakers embody compassion, acceptance, and creativity, and urge all of us to do the same in our daily lives. Through their unique backgrounds and personalities, they’ll incite each of us to not only succeed at everything we do, but to join the people around us in Rising Up and soaring past our expectations.

Intersnacktivity: Decompress from the first session by enjoying interactive activities and food provided by local vendors.

Session 2: Surpassing Horizons

After overcoming limits imposed upon them by themselves and the rest of society, this session’s speakers exemplify what it means to discover your passion. Through travel, coffee, language, technology, and running, they’ll show you how possible it is to achieve anything you want in life and more. Whether it’s from journeying around the world or journeying into their own minds, these speakers are the epitome of broadening horizons - and surpassing them. Listen, engage, and Rise Up with our session two speakers.

Pre Registered Students are FREE | General Admission tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door | Register now to ensure a seat!

Schedule:

2:30 | Registration begins
3:30 | Doors open
3:45-4:45 | Session 1:
4:50-5:50 | Intersnacktivity
6-7:15 | Session 2:
7:20- 9:15 | After Party @BMHS | Dinner available for purchase

Battle Mountain High School
51 Miller Ranch Rd
Edwards, Colorado, 81632
United States

Anne Shutan

Door Maven

Central to Anne Shutan’s work as an artist is always to remind her audience – and herself – to smile! This is so essential to survival in the modern world. Sculpting wood is how she explores the relationship between artist, art and audience. Nearly 40 years of woodwork has given Anne a deep understanding of this medium, an intimate relationship with this once-living material. “That’s what sets wood apart from other artistic media,” explains the sculptor. “It is organic, not manufactured. It is grown, not synthesized. Each piece of wood, each trunk, each branch is absolutely unique.” Art is about communication and connection with people, places, ideas and objects. Those relationships are vital to Anne’s creative work, as well as to her enjoyment of everyday life. Shutan lives and works at her lakeside home/studio outside of Boulder, Colorado with her husband, Scott.

Avery Doan

Endurance Enthusianst

Avery is currently a senior at Eagle Valley High School. One of her greatest passions is long distance running, as she has competed in track and cross country all four years of high school and is planning on persuing it in college. In addition to running, she is also involved with the drama club, Eagle Valley Singers, Eagle Valley Student Media, and Devils Against Destructive Decisions. When she’s not running, singing, writing or sleeping, she can be found dancing or spontaneously bursting into song.

Beckett Hyde

Experimenter

Beckett Hyde is a Colorado High School Junior who is passionate about everything related to computer science and artificial intelligence (AI). In his spare time, he builds AI driven programs and algorithms and occasionally codes an app or two. He's especially interested in applying AI to finance and global markets, youth mental health and anxiety/depression, and online commerce. The message Beckett wants to spread is that AI is not something out of reach. Anyone, not just engineers at the big tech giants, can build with AI. All you need is a computer, some coding knowledge, and patience, and you too can do amazing things with this wonderfully powerful technology.

Cody Qualls Featuring FACE Academy of Music

Located in the heart of Boulder County, Colorado, the intention of the FACE Academy of Music is to help any level of singer access their fullest potential. This includes the full potential of their voice, musicianship, and finding the performing artist within.

Coleen Farrell

Bookworm

Colleen Farrell was born and lives in Vail Colorado. As a student at Vail Christian High School, Colleen explores philosophy, psychology, and history on her free time and enjoys acting and performing as well as choir and dance. She loves Roman, Norse, Egyptian but especially Greek mythology and adores all written stories. Her TED Talk is inspired by her own observations and life experience as well as her knowledge of classic greek myths.

Finn Mott

Cancer Survivor

The C words. Coffee and cancer have shaped Finn’s life, identity, and individuality. He is 16 years old and a junior at Eagle Valley High School. Finn has a passion for learning, getting involved, mountain biking, writing, reading, and coffee. Finn’s talk encompasses how coffee has facilitated the development of my new life as a cancer survivor. Finns goal throughout the TEDx process is too share his story and help and give inspiration to others.

Gaby Fuentes

Writer and Explorer

Gaby, a sophomore at Eagle Valley High School is 16 and has already been to 7 different countries around the world. Her mission is to educate herself and others while she travels and helps people around the world. Born in Denver and raised in Eagle, Colorado, she has always had a passion for helping others and being part of her community. Watch as she unfolds her story using poetry, and the meaning of life in art, right before your eyes.

Gerry Lopez

Risk Taker

Gerry Lopez was born in Mexico, but raised here in the Eagle Valley. He is a 19 year old Latino male, and is a sophomore at Colorado Mountain College, and is pursuing a degree in business administration. Gerry is passionate about mental health, and is always looking for ways to help others overcome obstacles they might face in life. Gerry works for the Eagle River Youth Coalition as their Youth Advisor, and works alongside many local leaders to better our community. Gerry is an avid runner, currently training for the Leadville 100, so you can find him in the trails whenever he is not at work or school.

Hannah Larkin and Roberto Mendoza MORE2Dance Studio

MORE2Dance (M2D) is Vail Valley's newly-renovated dance studio, where students can learn the art of dance in a joyful, creative, and safe environment

Saphira Klearman

Student Journalist and Activist

Saphira Klearman is a 15-year-old sophomore at BMHS. She strongly believes in equity, youth involvement, saving the environment, and is a strong supporter of the MeToo movement and LGBTQ+ rights. She’s an award-winning student journalist and her biggest goal is to create a positive impact on the world. She loves learning, Disney, Marvel, and really angsty punk music. She’s an active member in Youth Leaders Council, the Youth Partnership for Health through the CDPHE, and Colorado Youth Council. She created the I Don’t Idle Campaign and founded and currently co-presidents Project We Care Colorado, a completely teen-led organization set on decreasing stigma, educating and advocating for mental health and for the eventual recovery for other teens with mental illness. Remember that you’re never truly alone, your life is worth living, and even if everything seems dark right now, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Stay strong.

Tenley Burwell

Mental Health Activist

Tenley burwell is a 16 year old girl at Eagle Valley High School. She believes that people should be loved and everyone should be treated fairly. She is a woman that is bold and very courageous. Alongside passionate friends she is part of a teen lead organization called Project We Care Colorado. This has opened her eyes to the stigma surrounding suicide and the help that people truly need. She strives to help people with mental illness and help them find the right care. Through experiencing tough times of her own she knows how important it is to let people know that they aren’t alone. We all have things that get us down. We all have demons believe it or not. It is just a matter of if you want to get the help that’s needed. Remember you are loved.

The Graduates Alexandra Trosper, Alexander Peltier, Kingston Linder, and Trefor Jones

Student and teacher band "The Graduates" performs three stunning original songs with Alexander Peltier on percussion, Trefor Jones on guitar, Kingston Linder on guitar and vocals, and Alexandra Trosper on piano and vocals.

The Graduates Band

Student and teacher band "The Graduates" perform three stunning original songs with Alexander Peltier on percussion, Trefor Jones on guitar, Kingston Linder on guitar and vocals, and Alexandra Trosper on piano and vocals.

Xing Wang

Language Lover

Xing Wang is a Mandarin teacher from China and lover of languages and cultures. She currently teaches Mandarin in Colorado. She is fluent in four languages and one dialect. She has a bachelor's degree in Japanese and a master's in English, and has also learned Spanish on her own and worked as a Mandarin teacher for two years in Costa Rica. Languages please her ears and her soul. In her talk, she will explain the efficient ways to learn languages and tell her personal stories connected to language acquisition. Ms.Wang says, "Let languages take you across the world. Discover the diversity within yourself and the world through languages."