Theme: Dig Deeper

At this TEDx Youth event we want our students to investigate and explore beyond the first layer of ideas by questioning and challenging their thoughts and the world around them. This event will be centered around 3 main ideas:
The first idea is centered around history and ancestry- The idea that discovering a family history can help transform the future. We want to feature this idea to help our youth attendees think about the idea of who their family is and how studying and "digging into the past" the past can help someone thing about their future.
The second idea surrounds the investigation of the human body. Why and how does physical struggle or disease change a person’s outlook and motivation? How do humans dig deeper physically to survive a serious illness or tragedy. The idea that physical strife turns something on in the human body to make humans dig deeper and not only survive but thrive.
Lastly our third idea is around environmental change. We like to discuss ideas around the environment at each of our TEDx events because of the power we see that our young people have to either help or destroy our environment. We want to empower them to think and dig deeper into environmental issues.We also would like to explore the idea of how youth can impact change in environmental policy. What are the unique tactics the next generation can employ to drive transformational change and leadership to solve some of the most complicated environmental issues?

West Sacramento Community Theatre
1075 W Capitol Ave, West Sacramento, CA 95691
West Sacramento, California, 95691
United States

Chris Brown

Activist, Change Agent, Consultant, Environmentalist, Parent, Project manager

Chris Brown is the coordinator of the Sacramento Climate Coalition and animator of the Mobilize CA, a statewide climate advocacy network. He began his career in the civil rights movement as a community organizer and went on to work in anti-nuclear and environmental orgs. He has become a nationally recognized expert in water conservation. He has authored or co-authored studies, manuals, webpages and guidebooks on landscape water conservation, rainwater harvesting and water conservation. He is the principal co-author of the TX Rainwater Harvesting Manual, 3rd Ed. As the Exec Dir. of the California Urban Water Conservation Council, Brown played a central role in the development of recent conservation initiatives in CA including the 20% by 2020 per capita consumption reduction goals. He and his wife, Ruth, are converting an extra lot they have next to their home into a permaculture demo site. They are the parents of 3 young men who share a passion for the outdoors and a more just society.

Emma Fulenwider

Memoir Advocate

Emma is a biographer and self-titled "Lifestorian" who helps people to write their own memoirs instead of hiring a ghostwriter. She is certified in Guided Autobiography, a therapeutic form of memoir writing that helps people to overcome depression and rediscover their sense of purpose. A speaker and memoir-writing advocate, she believes that writing our life stories isn't solely about recording the past, but also learning from our life experience so that we can fully enjoy the time we have left. Emma lives in West Sacramento, where she conspires with her husband to raise the two goofiest kids on earth.

Linda Luna

Educator/Teacher

Linda Chin Luna was born and raised in Stockton, CA. Her father’s family immigrated from Kowloon, Hong Kong to Chinatown in San Francisco, CA. Her mother was born in Stockton where she raised 8 kids. After a K-12 public education and college at UOP Linda returned to Stockton Unified School District. Linda worked 26 years in Stockton serving a broad range of educational roles. In 2010 Linda was appointed as the Superintendent of the Millbrae School District. While in Millbrae, every school received the CA Distinguished School Award in addition to one school receiving the Title I Academic Achievement Award, In 2015 Linda was appointed as the Superintendent of the Washington Unified School District where she is currently. During her tenure in the school district has transformed into a more progressive organization focused on equity and opportunities for all students. Linda is also a musician singing with the Master Chorale in Stockton, CA and is a pianist for a church in Roseville, CA.

Maren Conrad

Activist, Artist, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Designer, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Global soul, Idea generator, Industrialist, Parent, Philanthropist, Potential employer, Project manager, Social entrepreneur, Student, World traveler

For over a decade, Maren Conrad’s engaging works have embraced a range of humanity’s obsessions from storied mythologies to pop culture icons. Conrad’s work has broken across traditional class boundaries finding homes on a variety of walls. Her murals have reclaimed abandoned city alleyways on behalf of local communities while her fine art garners the praise of aesthetes in boutique galleries and collections from San Francisco to Washington D.C. and as far as Tel Aviv. When not working in her studio Conrad utilizes her champagne aesthetic and whimsical style pursuing other creative endeavors such as building children’s art galleries, crafting unique cocktail menus, and designing award-winning restaurants and C-suite residences. She also travels throughout the country delivering speeches to universities, museums and Fortune 500 companies about the important role of female artists in public spaces.

Melissa Griffin

Writer, Public Speaker, "HR Mom",

Melissa B. Griffin, better known as “HR Mom,” has worked in Human Resources for almost 20 years, recruiting and hiring talent in Corporate America. As the skills and capabilities of entry-level workers have declined, Melissa has had a front-row view of how different parenting styles impact kids’ success in the workforce. She shares age-appropriate ways for parents to equip, challenge, and inspire their kids, using many of the same principles great leaders use to motivate their teams in the workplace. Melissa leads from the parenting trenches—she has one son in high school, another in middle school, and a daughter in kindergarten—and is determined to raise them into confident, well-rounded adults who have skills to pay the bills. Melissa aims to make you laugh while inspiring you to “Stop Parenting Your Kids and Start Leading Them,” since firing is apparently frowned upon in this establishment.

Supriya Patel

Climate Activist

Supriya Patel is a 14 year old climate justice organizer based on Sacramento. She is the founder of Fridays For Future Sacramento, a youth led climate group in Sacramento that fights for systemic solutions to the climate crisis and climate strikes in accordance with the global Fridays For Future movement. She was the lead organizer for Sacramento’s September 20th climate strike, which saw over 1000 attendees. She has organized numerous other strikes and was part of the effort to see the passage of the Sacramento’s Climate Emergency Declaration. She works on the international level as well, serving as Partnerships Coordinator at Earth Uprising, a global youth led climate organization.

Tyler Getz

Activist

My name is Tyler and I am 9 years old. When I was 6 years old I was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disease called Aplastic Anemia. I was in the hospital for 5 months. When I woke up in the hospital, I remember feeling very sick. I couldn't walk and threw up all the time, and I had to wear an oxygen mask a lot, not fun! I kept on saying "I Got This" which reminded me that I was going to be ok, it was hard, but I was going to be ok. With every hard thing that came my way, I would just keep fighting and staying strong as I knew it would all be worth it when I was healthy enough to go home. I got to go home the day before Thanksgiving 2017! Now that I am in remission and healthy, we try and help other kids. We also try and get people to sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry called Be The Match. We never found a match for me, and thankfully my treatment worked and I don't need a transplant today, but we do want to help all other people who need a bone marrow transplant.