Theme: CHANGE: Beyond the Periphery

The morning session is a closed session with young speakers whose talks will create a wider understanding of how younger generations think, what matters to them and what they see as important for the future of humanity. The evening session will feature a diverse range of speakers whose individual perspectives on life will open our minds and are guaranteed to spark creative thinking..

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Haigh Terrace, Moran Park
Dún Laoghaire
County Dublin, Dublin, A96 H283
Ireland

Archer Bradshaw

Student

Archer is a 17 year old student, a friend, a brother, an activist, and an aspiring artist. He is also transgender. Archer has opened up the discussion on the broad topic that is gender at the Irish Young Philosophers Awards with his documentary being awar¬ded the critical horizons prize for social philosophy. He encourages us to think twice about the role gender and language play in our everyday lives.

Catherine Dunphy

Music Education Specialist

From a young age Catherine was involved in musical theatre and she appeared on national radio and television. She is a qualified teacher and after creating ‘The Magic of Music’ programme she now spends her days working with children of all ages and abilities making music a part of their lives. Her main goal is to help people of all ages develop their inner musicality to use it in their lives in a transformative way.

Colm O'Brien

Business Owner

Colm is a Business Owner, Coach and Blogger, a Best-selling Published Author, Accredited Thought leader in Entrepreneur Development and a Motivational Speaker. Outside of that he volunteers on the boards of CARI (Children at Risk in Ireland) as board member and The Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick as Chairman. He is the proud father of three adult children and is passionate about leadership and role-modelling for the next generation.

Conal O'Boyle

Student

Conal’s interest in environmental action came from a stark warning he received as a child, and, in March 2019, he combined his passion for politics and his interest in the environment by joining the Green Party. In July, Conal became the youngest ever speaker at the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co. Donegal, and uses his platform to encourage more young people into politics and political action and will demonstrate why younger people should care

Cuan Weijer

Student

Cuán Weijer is a student in Stepaside Educate Together National School and is one of just six House Captains who are a connection between the teachers and the student body. Recently he received Student of the Year in recognition of his contributions towards the school. Cuán is part of the 1 per cent of the Irish population affected by autism. At the age of twelve he was diagnosed with Asperger’s

Denis O'Connor

Student

17 year old Denis is a student at Newpark Comprehensive. After a difficult start in a baby home in Kirov, Russia, he was adopted by his Irish family at the age of three. Denis has always struggled academically at school and as a result has discovered his passion for entrepreneurship. He hopes his story will encourage other students to think outside the box of traditional career paths

Elizabeth Haughton

Student

Elizabeth is 12 years old and in 6th Class in the Kill O’ The Grange National School. She is a very enthusiastic sports player and loves to discover new sports. She is passionate about building resilience and confidence in girls and believes that part of this comes from equality in sport.

Fergus Finlay

Writer, Columnist, Broadcaster, Life-long Disability Campaigner

Fergus recently retired after 13 years as CEO of Barnardos, Ireland’s largest children’s charity. For twenty years prior to that he worked in politics and public affairs. He has been a life-long disability campaigner and chairs a government task force to implement a comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. Fergus is a board member of the HSE, a writer, columnist and broadcaster, and Chair of Lakers, a club for people with an intellectual disability

Finn Cahn

Student

Finn is a student of Ireland’s first democratic school, Wicklow Sudbury School, where each child and each staff member has an equal vote in the decision-making process of the school’s rules and regulations. Chil¬dren enjoy independent and self-directed learning towards becoming critical thinkers, equipped for life as unique, capa-ble individuals. Finn believes that being truly listened to and really listening to someone else can change everything

Grace Westrup

Student

Grace Westrup, age 16, is a St. Andrews College student in the International Bacca¬laureate program. She is involved in the Model United Nations Program (MUN), the Student Council and the Single Use Plastic Committee. Her interests include debating, writing, and wake boarding. Grace is an avid reader and her talk will focus on perhaps her greatest passion ‘Reading.’

Jessica Bourke

Fertility Specialist

With fourteen years of clinical experience dealing with fertility issues, Jessica has gained a reputation for helping people to conceive where everything else has failed. Jessica is co-author of the ‘Guilt Free Gourmet’, and regularly features in Irish media. She has also featured as the ‘Ask the Expert’ on herfamily.ie and rollercoaster.ie. As your ‘Fertility Detective’, Jessica’s goal is to help her clients get pregnant and stay pregnant!”

Jessica Supple

National Gallery Project Lead - Apollo Program

Jessica is a social care graduate and works at the National Gallery of Ireland as the lead of a new initiative that is creating programming for young people. She seeks to bring colour and zeal to all areas of interest and work in her life, no matter how big or successful. Illustrator, song-writer, author, education reform enthusiast, social worker, foodie and psychotherapist in training. Ready to change the world through opening people’s eyes to their own creative minds

Joanne Chester

Social Justice Advocate, Deaf Youth Coaching Specialist

Joanne is Deaf and an Irish Sign Language user. She is a Community Worker and Youth Worker with a passion for social justice. She featured in the “London Calling” documentary which was aired last May on RTE. In the light of the documentary, she is currently campaigning for Access to Work in Ireland and for Deaf people to be included as equal citizens. She says “There are many potential rising stars from the Deaf community who yearn to strive in society but they face barriers daily due to inadequate access and deep-rooted prejudices. With a shift in attitude, we can create a better society for us all.”

Joe Dalton

Executive Business Consultant, Broadcaster

Joe is an exceptional business person with vast expertise in sales and marketing, both in Ireland and internationally. His strength lies in successfully managing and motivating teams to achieve business growth. Joe is the founder of Breakthrough Brands and the Conscious Business Academy, helping organisations gain purpose, profit and prosperity. In his weekly radio show in Dublin, Joe interviews business leaders from all over the world about their life and business. He is also a member of the Global Goodwill Ambassadors (GGA). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Lory Kehoe

Founder BlockChain Ireland & CEO Consensys

Lory is an adjunct assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin, lecturing MBA and MSc students in Digital Innovation, Information Systems and Business Strategy. Lory is also the Managing Director of Ireland’s largest blockchain company, ConsenSys, and a co-founder, alongside the IDA, of Blockchain Ireland. He is excited and hopeful about how technology will continue to make people’s lives better around the world.

Nathan Moore

Student

Nathan is a passionate advocate for human rights and plastic pollution and has been involved with various NGO’s and humanitarian organisations. He believes toxic masculinity needs to be talked about more openly within our communites. He will discuss the expectations of males and how we all, as individuals are influenced by societal pressures and their subsequent consequences

Shona Edge & Molly Gordon Boles

Students

Temple Carrig students Shona Edge and Molly Gordon Boles are concerned with mis¬infor¬mation and desensitisation in the media and how this leads to an ineffective approach to overcoming climate change. Experiencing first-hand the wave of protest and desire for change taking place in the world, she wishes to share insights on the best and most productive ways to reach global goals. They feel a shift in the current lack of compassion in society today is a key component in combatting any world crisis especially the climate emergency. From desensitization in the media to the recent rise in student action, the climate crisis is an ever growing issue that won’t be solved without change.

Sophie Manning

Student

Sophie Manning grew up between America, Canada and France, has now been living in Ireland for the past eight years. This experience, together with her school trip to Kolkata gave her a unique understanding that drastically re-shaped her views and outlook on life and will share what she learnt about acceptance there. Winner of the ‘Rotary Award’ and ‘Social Action Prefect’, she looks forward to studying languages and international relations in the future

Waheed Mohuiddin

Writer, Broadcaster, Career Counsellor

Waheed Mohiuddin describes himself as a highly motivated happy man. From a stutterer, school drop-out to a university lecturer, fiction writer, and then a refugee, he defeated his existing reality. A master player of the game called ‘Time’ by Albert Einstein, a writer with two published novels ‘The Chains’ and ‘Revenge’, as well as a short story ‘Noble Stones’ which revolves around women’s rights, child abuse, peaceful and happy planet earth