What do a middle school student, world champion juggler, social entrepreneur, Pulitzer Prize winner, car designer, skateboarder, world champion yo-yo artist and a jazz singer have in common?
They all presented at TEDxYouth@Tokyo!
The core theme - Youth2Youth - was clear from the moment of arrival at reception: anyone looking over-age was asked to present their student ID cards!
As well as almost all presenters being 18 or under, the MCs, stage management team and tech teams were also staffed entirely by young volunteers, many of whom were taking on these roles for the first time.
Between the event's three sessions participants could be found rock-climbing, skateboarding, watching other TEDxYouthDays happening around the world on laptops, chilling out in the chill lounge - or taking part in the impromptu rave on the main stage!
iPod touches linked to the TEDxYouth@Tokyo Twitter account were handed out for participants to tweet the proceedings, whilst the backstage livestream camera crew (one of two channels used to live broadcast the event) carried out a number of interviews during break times, capturing the feel of the event from the participant's perspective.
To emphasise the global nature of TEDxYouthDay, live Skype video calls were included in the program, with the local team connecting with other TEDxYouthDay events in Singapore, Ipoh (Malaysia) , Hong Kong and Taipei.
And with this being Japan, instead of clapping, participants showed their appreciation for presenters by waving specially made fans featuring the unique TEDxYouth@Tokyo poster design shown above.
Overall, the event was a huge success, with participants describing it as a fun, inspiring, unforgettable experience.
To see all of the photos from the event (taken by one of our 11-year-old volunteers) view our set on Flickr.
Our thanks to the TEDx team for coordinating this global movement - the TEDxYouth@Tokyo crew looks forward to taking part in future youth-centered events.
Organizing team
