TEDx Red Deer 2014 - Call for Speakers & Entertainers!

The call for speakers and entertainers at the 2014 TEDx Red Deer event is now open!

And the theme for 2014 is "Pushing Boundaries"...

“The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.” - Pema Chodron

In 2011, TEDxRedDeer connected people with ideas worth spreading. In 2013, TEDxRedDeer moved beyond talking to share ideas worth supporting. And now in 2014 (the 30th Anniversary of the TED Conference!) TEDxRedDeer is pushing the boundaries of what it means to innovate and thrive in the 21st Century!

Each of us has a story to tell. And the best stories come about when we find the courage to not be content with the status quo, to leave our comfort zone, extend our frontiers, and experiment with abandon. This is a chance to share your story of how you pushed boundaries, how you made life more interesting, invented something remarkable or noteworthy, or experienced a profound sense of learning something new!

In addition to inspiring speakers, jaw-dropping entertainment is a tradition of TED conferences. And TEDx events are no exception. Entertainment comes in all forms and can include music, dance, solo or group performances, comedy, theatrical, etc.  If you have a talent that is sure to impress, please apply to perform. Here's a sample of TED-esque entertainment, and another, and another... hee-hee!

If you're at the initial stages of crafting your story check out these great TED Talks on how to tell a good story.

Application deadline is August 1, 2014

To access the Speaker and Entertainer Application click HERE.

To access the Speaker and Entertainer Release form click HERE.

If you aren't sure if you want to apply but would like more information, please check out www.TED.com and www.TEDx.com or contact us at info@tedxreddeer.com

TEDx Red Deer Videos Now Live!

Alright! Thanks to Calvin Bellows and the team at Exposure Productions, here are the soon to be infamous TEDx Red Deer talks from May 24, 2013 at the Red Deer College!

Shut Up & Do It - moving from ideas worth spreading to action worth supporting!

Rob Aronson - Spread The Love


Monika Bolin - Mobile Dialysis


Emily Falk - B.R.I.T.E - Founding Chapter of the Global Enrichment Foundation


Brad Rabiey - The Carbon Farmer

TEDx Red Deer 2013 Photos

What a great return to the stage for TEDx Red Deer!

A great big thank you to all of the Speakers, Entertainers, Sponsors, Volunteers and Professionals that made this event a magical success.

We honored the 2011 event and gave a sneak peak into TEDx Red Deer 2014 alongside the 30th Anniversary of the main TED Conference (happening in Vancouver and Whistler BC)! Stay tuned for more updates soon!

(Photos courtesy of Charity Briere)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisnotachair/sets/72157633706052046/

TEDx Red Deer Livestream Link

http://new.livestream.com/tedx/TedxRedDeer

TEDx Entertainers Set to Take the Stage!

As if the 2013 TEDx Red Deer line-up of speakers wasn't enough reason to get your tickets, we've just confirmed four great entertainers for the evening!

CorryBoys Music - Jackson and Samuel Corry

 

Jackson and Samuel Corry love making music and sharing it with others. These bluegrass brothers are passionate about fiddling and also play guitar, mandolin, banjo and keyboard. They enjoy being active and outside so old time fiddle and bluegrass camps are their favourite places to be. These up-and-coming performers are pleased to kick off TEDx Red Deer 2013!

Ruth Purves-Smith

Leaving the comforts of country living alone with two children to chart out a path in the music scene was bound to be a challenge. This wouldn't stop Ruth. Having charted at #69 on CKUA's Top 100, garnered licensing to MTV, and gathered all rave reviews Internationally, Ruth Purves-Smith is a gem of Central Alberta's Original Music Scene. Ruth will wander you through places & tales of darkness and light, as did the Bards of old. Set to release her second full length album in Fall 2013, she is in full stride performing, writing, recording, and promoting her diverse brand of Alberta Music.

Shiv Shanks

Where does one start to describe this unpretentious outsider artist you’ve likely never heard of? He’s created his own unique blues by the ‘scenic route,’ teaching himself to play after digesting old ‘20s thru ‘50s blues cats, prior to discovering Zappa and Beefheart in junior high, and then was influenced by a recording of Indian snake charmer music. His job history provides enlightening life stories and song fodder galore. His moniker came from pro wrestling prior to working as a janitor at a strip club, then making sausages, being an adult video store clerk and then support worker. He spent time as a mixed martial arts cage fighter ‘back before it was cool or popular’ (he knocked out a pro kick boxer in 32 seconds in his first fight and got beat up in front of 6000 people his second). All the while, he wrote lyrics (‘like taking notes beamed into his brain’) on bits of napkin and his own skin, forming the duo Old Busted Bones - who he says ‘were as popular as a flying saucer cult and more elusive than the Lock Ness monster’ - in 2008 as a creative outlet. His one-man guitar and percussion format eliminates band squabbling and is the happy result of 20 years of penning songs, many in a tiny cabin in the woods.

TEDx Red Deer tickets still available!

2013 Speaker Spotlight

We are pleased to announce the 2013 line-up of five dynamic speakers for our theme, “Shut Up And Do It”.

Monika Bolin
After being diagnosed with kidney failure in 1988, Monika realized a “normal” life would be almost impossible as people with kidney failure had no chance of travelling and doing many of the things we take for granted. But that didn’t stop her. Monika will take us through her struggles and triumphs as she reveals how she had changed the face of dialysis for herself and hopefully for many others coping with kidney failure.



Damien Laliberte

It’s unusual to see such a young person interested in teen suicide, but Damien took it to a whole new level by working with teens in producing real, raw human expression. His eccentric and compassionate nature has led him to realize how the current system is failing these youth. And his inspiring, engaging story has driven him to produce a local documentary on this volatile and often misrepresented issue.


Emily Falk - B.R.I.T.E.

From an early age, Emily has recognized the importance of helping others, volunteering, investing in community, peace, and social harmony for the betterment of humankind. Her volunteer activities have impacted both the local and global community. In 2010, Emily had the opportunity to hear Amanda Lindhout - Founder and Executive Director of the Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF) - share her powerful story of hope and forgiveness. Lindhout’s message struck a chord very deep inside her, and Emily was moved into action.

In January of 2012, Emily established B.R.I.T.E. - Bringing Relief; Inspiring Through Education - which is proud to be GEF’s founding volunteer Chapter. Operating in Red Deer, Alberta and surrounding areas, B.R.I.T.E. strives to provide proactive and concrete ways for individuals to help GEF support, educate and empower the people of Somalia.

Rob Aronson - Spread the Love

Concerned about the multiple challenges brought about by poverty, in 2002 Rob set up Spread the Love, a not-for-profit organisation that combats hunger through the simple power of the sandwich. Ten years later, the organisation has provided over 100,000 sandwiches to the hungry and homeless across Canada, engaged hundreds of young people in supporting their communities and educated thousands of Canadians about the problems created by poverty. Rob started Spread the Love as a way of getting young people involved in supporting their local communities and educating them about the issues associated with poverty and food insecurity. He also identified an opportunity to create wider social awareness about Canadian poverty and over the past seven years has spoken to thousands of young people about Canadian food security, homelessness and social change.

Brad Rabiey - The Carbon Farmer

Brad grew up just east of Manning, Alberta, on a farm that has been in his family for three generations. He loved the connection to food and nature that the farm gave him, but every year he heard his dad complain about how the farm wasn’t sustainable the way it was. Factors like rising fertilizer costs and closing local elevators were making it harder and harder for “the little guys” in agriculture to survive.
Not seeing a future on the farm, after high school he left the only home he had ever known to get an education and chase a career in the bright lights of Edmonton, Alberta. He had some amazing life changing adventures during his seven years away from rural life, including meeting his wife Rebecca serendipitously outside an elevator, but despite all the positives, he just wasn’t happy in the concrete jungle. So he returned to his roots in the Peace Country and put some rather unconventional agricultural roots back into the soil of the Rabiey family farm.
On his journey to cut a new path for the family farm, without cutting down any trees, Brad Rabiey has been called many things, but crazy has certainly been one of the most uttered. You could say that this farmer has “gone wild” in the face criticism and is redefining agriculture along the way.


About TEDx:
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxRedDeer, where x = independently organized TED event. In 2013, TEDxRedDeer, TEDTalks video and live speakers combined to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.

TEDx Red Deer will be held at the Margaret Parsons theatre on Friday, May 24, 2013 to an intimate crowd of 100 people.

TEDx Red Deer returns on the evening of Friday, May 24 to present five incredible speakers and several performing entertainers!

In 2011, the inaugural TEDx Red Deer theme focused on "Connecting" and welcomed a total of 11 presenters and entertainers (click the link for the 2011 videos)

With the relationships established in 2011, the 2013 organizing committee is now moving from inspiration to action by showing how ideas worth spreading can turn into action worth supporting with the provocative and playful theme of "Shut Up & Do It"!

Five speakers have been identified who have not only shared their innovative ideas but they're doing the hard work to connect with the resources they need to bring them to life. And the TEDx Red Deer stage at Red Deer College's Margaret Parsons Theatre is the perfect place for them to share their stories!

The speaker line-up for 2013 includes:

• Rob Aronson - Spread The Love (Sandwiches For The Hungry)
• Monika Bolin - Mobile Dialysis Machine (Personal Journey and Innovation)
• Damien Laliberte - Inside My Reality (Local Documentary Film)
• Emily Falk - B.R.I.T.E - Founding Chapter of the Global Enrichment Foundation (Education & Aid for Somali Women)
• Brad Rabiey - The Carbon Farmer (Eco-Entrepreneurs)

Both the call for entertainers and ticket applications for the event are open until April 30, 2013. Ticket applications are available at: Servus Credit Union, North Hill Branch, 6757 50 Ave. Red Deer, OR through the online APPLICATION FORM. And interested entertainers can also apply online through the ENTERTAINER APPLICATION FORM.

For more information please send an email to  tedxreddeer@gmail.com

The Call for Entertainers for TEDx Red Deer 2013 is now open! If you know of an artist (or artists) with that special TED flair, encourage them to apply using our Application Form. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, April 30th.

Call for Volunteers

Ticket Applications for TEDx Red Deer Now Available!

This spring, TEDxRedDeer returns to move us from inspiration to action by showing how ideas worth spreading can turn into action worth supporting! Some of the finest speakers and performers Red Deer and Area has to offer will hit the stage May 24, 2013 at the Red Deer College's Margaret Parsons Theatre.

Join us for an evening of exceptional and insightful speakers, and the chance to build community and make new connections!

• Only 100 tickets are available and cost $50 each.
• All TEDx tickets are by application first, starting on April 1, 2013, and then drawn for on April 30, 2013.
• Applications may be submitted online, in-person or by mail to Servus Credit Union (see location below) until April 30, 2013.
• Successful applicants will be contacted by phone or email by May 3.
• Should your name be drawn, you can pick up your tickets and pay for them at Servus Credit Union, North Hill Branch (6757 50 Ave. Red Deer, just north of 67th St) before April 30, 2013. If for any reason you donʼt want them or donʼt pay for them by May 11, you will lose the tickets and another draw for them will be made. If you missed the first round of tickets, you will be added to the waiting list.
• All businesses have the option to purchase up to four (4) tickets.
• All personal tickets have the option to purchase up to two (2) tickets.
• Only 100 tickets are available and cost $50 each.

Applications are now closed for 2013.

You have two ways to apply:

1) Go to Servus Credit Union - North Branch to submit a hard copy application (6757 50 Ave. Red Deer, just north of 67th St)

2) Apply online by clicking on THIS LINK to fill out and submit the application form.

Confirmed speakers will be announced Friday, April 5. For more information please call 403-986-7981 or email  TEDxRedDeer@gmail.com and stay tuned to this website for all the latest details!