Feminism can be an idea, a movement or an ideology, it seeks to empower women. Throughout history, in most cases men have been the dominant of the two sexes, always holding the position of power and having control over most women. Thus feminism aims to establish the total equality of sexes. Since the 18th century feminists have campaigned throughout the western world for women’s rights such as voting, working, playing sports, equal pay, owning property,… Feminist campaigns have been responsible for some major “societal changes” like women’s suffrage.
One of the great victories of feminism is women’s suffrage, even though it only happened recently. The 21st of November 1918 the British parliament passed a law allowing women over 30 and owning property to vote in the United Kingdom, ten years later in 1928 women were allowed to vote on the same terms as men. The 26th of August 1920 the Federal Government of the United States of America passed the 19th amendment to the constitution. This amendment states that: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”. Thus women were given the right to vote in both the UK and the USA in the first quarter of the 20th Century. This wasn’t the case in many nations though, for example women were only granted the right to vote in France in 1944 by Charles De Gaulles’ French government in exile. Yet even in the modern world we live in today, many nations and societies still discriminate women

Even though there is no such thing as a matriarchal society in Human History, lots of powerful women have ruled nations and empires throughout history. One of the most powerful women in history is Queen Victoria (1819-1901). She ruled over the largest empire in history and funded countless new technologies and scientific experiments. Queen Victoria’s reign is considered the golden age of the British Empire, it was said at her death that “the Sun never sets On the British Empire”. Queen Victoria is described as “ the Matriarch of the British Empire, she epitomized the values of her time and created a new role for the decaying British monarchy. She presided over Britain’s industrial expansion, abolition of slavery, workers’ welfare, and educational advances. She fought for all these ideas. However, Queen Victoria was horrified by the prospect of women’s suffrage. In a letter to the Scottish poet Theodore Martin, Queen Victoria stated “The Queen is most anxious to enlist everyone in checking this mad, wicked folly of ‘Women’s Rights’. It is a subject which makes the Queen so furious that she cannot contain herself”. Despite this Queen Victoria remains a symbol for women and feminists all over the world.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) is a great example of a feminist fighter in history. Simone was born into a wealthy Parisian family. After World War I the Beauvoir family lost a great amount of its fortune. Thus Simone could no longer rely on her dowry, so she began to learn how to make a living for herself. Simones’ family was staunchly catholic and she at one point even intended to become a nun. She abandoned her faith in her early teens and remained an atheist for the rest of her life. As an adult she became a feminist author, writing dozens of books during her life. Her most notable, The Second Sex, explains her feminist theories. She demanded women be able to access the same activities, jobs, and projects as men. The Second Sex is also said to be the beginning of second-wave feminism. Simone also refused to marry, considering it an outdated practice.
Nowadays, in most Western countries we have come far in terms of gender equality. Even though Women still earn less than men in lots of Western nations ( the United States, France,…), they have equal rights. However, there is still much progress that can be made with subjects such as Male preference for jobs or the pay gap between men and women. In the end, there will be and will have to be complete equality between the two genders.

Queen Victoria and the womens mouvement: https://www.cambridgeblog.org/2019/08/the-right-to-rule-and-the-rights-of-women-queen-victoria-and-the-womens-movement/
Feminism today: https://abcnews.go.com/US/examining-modern-feminism-wave-now/story?id=97617121
Simone de Beauvoir: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/beauvoir/
The best Simone de Beauvoir Books: https://fivebooks.com/best-books/simone-de-beauvoir-kate-kirkpatrick/

( sources: Oxford Internet Institute )

The earliest uses of OSINT have been documented in mid 20th Century America and early 21st Century Great Britain. In the United States OSINT traces its origins back to 1941 with the creation of the FBIS ( Foreign Broadcast Information Service ), as you might expect it was responsible for monitoring foreign broadcasts and gathering intelligence. In 2004, following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the 9/11 commission recommended the creation of an Open Source Directorate within the CIA. In 2005 the Iraq Intelligence Commission did the same. Following this the Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, announced the creation of the DNI Open Source Center. The Center was established to collect information from all public and legal sources. It eventually absorbed the FBIS and was reorganized into the OSE ( Open Source Enterprise ). 

( sources: Wikipedia )

Let’s take a closer look at the Foreign Broadcast Information service. Established the 26th of February 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was placed under the authority of the Federal Communications Commission. The FBIS proved vital during World War II, it was supposed to monitor Axis radio propaganda, record or transcribe information and forward it to War Agencies with weekly reports. Multiple speeches of Axis leaders and officials such as Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and Philippe Petain were monitored. Japanese radio stations were also monitored. In total the FBIS had to keep track of 60 different radio stations around the world. After the Second World War the FBIS redirected its attention to the Warsaw Pact and other communist countries. Monitoring their radio, news, and speeches throughout the Cold War. At its peak the FBIS had stations throughout the world in US embassies. It became a very important tool for the CIA and shows us the importance of OSINT.

( sources: Wikipedia and University of Washington )

A modern example of the use of OSINT is Swiss leaks, a journalistic investigation, released in 2015, of an immense tax evasion scheme allegedly operated with the knowledge and encouragement of HSBC through its Swiss subsidiary, HSBC Private Bank ( Suisse ). Investigators allege that 180.6 Billion euros passed through HSBC accounts held in Geneva by over 100,000 clients and 20,000 offshore companies between November 2006 and March 2007. The man responsible for these findings is Hervé Falciani, he acquired proof of the scheme through OSINT. Later in 2008 he handed over the information to the French Authorities. After going through the files. French authorities began notifying other countries of the scheme. Following the investigation in France there were two more, one conducted in Morocco and another by the International community. In 2015 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released more information on swiss bank accounts, this involves the Swiss leak project, a website that contains almost 60 000 leaked files with details on 100 000 HSBC clients and their respective bank accounts.

( sources: ICIJ and Wikipedia )

In a way OSINT has existed since the beginning of public records, journalism and government. Different individuals have always had to use public records to get information for different purposes. Journalists, Historians, most Government employees analysts, and others have used OSINT for Centuries. 

Further Reading:

Swiss Leaks

FBIS

OSINT

By Laird Balas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise licensed by original authors.

For most of debt history credit reporting has been a personal practice, most individuals would ask friends to vouch for their character to the banks. But in the 1820s credit reporting began to modernize as banks were becoming more important because of colonial ventures and globalization. The old system didn’t work anymore as transactions and loans were increasing in quantity and importance. In 1841 the Mercantile agency founded by Lewis Tappan, burned down during the panic of 1837 due to merchants over-extension of credit. Tappan set out to regularize rumors regardings debtors’ character and assets. Many of these early reports were incredibly racist, sexist and anti-sematic. They reinforced social hierarchy, becoming an early form of redlining. Later it became a sort of “financial identity”, it summarized one’s financial history. 

( sources: Time and Wikipedia )

A good example of bad credit rating is the Greek State. Greece was less productive then than other European nations, and Greek goods and services were less competitive. Ever since after World War I Greece has had financial problems. During the 1930s the Greek State owed money to the British, the French and the Italians. Before 2001 Greece experienced high inflation, high fiscal and trade deficits, low growth and currency problems. The only way Greece was able to join the Eurozone was by misrepresenting its financial situation. The crisis lasted from 2008 to 2018 because of the dangerous sum that the Greek state owed the EU. By 2010 Greece notified the European Union that it might default on its debt. In order to avoid this, the EU lent Greece just enough money to continue making it by. The Greek government was thus obliged to implement austerity measures. It is considered the biggest financial rescue of a bankrupt nation in History, Greece is expected to continue repaying its debt until around 2060.

( sources: The Balance and Wikipedia )

We can see that the Greek debt crisis started when the Greek State was given a bad credit rating, so the importance of Creditworthiness in the 21st century is not to be underestimated. Keeping a positive Credit Rating is very important.

Further Reading:

Creditworthiness

Greek debt crisis

Greek debt throughout history

By Laird Balas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise licensed by original authors.

Other leaders prefer to lead in a humble and empathetic way, these individuals don’t really care about their public image as long as it is acceptable. These leaders will create links with their workforce and subordinates. In the end these are the people that will get the most done because of the amiability of their work environment and employee happiness. 

Leaders that have God-Complexes and are arrogant have caused the fall of numerous companies, enterprises, nations, and even entire civilizations. 

A great example of a leader that caused a nation to fall into chaos is the 18th emperor of Rome, Commodus ( 161-192). He was born into the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty, the emperors before him were known as the “Five good emperors” because of their exceptional service to the Roman Empire. Commodus was unlike the previous emperors because he was uninterested in state service. His decision to entrust the rule of the empire to the palace chamberlain and the praetorian prefects had disastrous consequences. After many attempted coups against him he decided to take almost dictatorial powers, this ruined his standing with the Roman Senate. During his reign the Roman economy was severely crippled. He enjoyed styling himself as Hercules and performing in the Colosseum as a Gladiator. Yet he was no exceptional combattant. In the arena he would usually kill animals with a bow and arrow or when he did fight gladiators they would submit to him or be crucified. His reign ended because of being held underwater by a wrestler in a bath. Commodus’ time as Emperor of Rome plunged it into multiple years of chaos and instability.

( sources: Wikipedia and Phys.org )

An example of a company that fell due to bad leadership is Nokia. Nokia used to dominate the cellphone market, yet around 2010 the company lost 90% of its market value because it couldn’t keep up with its rival Apple. This was mainly due to something experts call the Ostrich Effect. The Ostrich Effect happens when a companies’ leadership refuses to hear bad news. An investigation into the fall of Nokia by INSEAD showed that the fall of the company wasn’t due to old tech but bad leadership. Things like “organizational fear, temperamental leaders, frightened managers, and just the fear of telling the truth” caused the fall of this company.

( sources: Idea to value and Predictable Profits )

A shining example of exemplary leadership is Nelson Mandela ( He went through extreme hardships just as the rest of the Black population of South Africa during the Apartheid. He first led the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, Nelson admired Ghandis’ principles of Non-Violence but quickly realized that that wouldn’t work in South Africa. Even throughout 27 years in prison he stayed dedicated to the Anti-Apartheid movement. In the end Nelsons’ persistence ended Apartheid in 1992. Nelson Mandela went on to become president of South Africa in 1994. His main concern became “National Conciliation » in order to create a multicultural democracy. During the 1995 rugby world cup, Nelson Mandela Famously utilized the South African Rugby team to unify the nation. The slogan was “One Team, One Country”. Coincidentally that year South Africa defeated its rival, New Zealand, and won the rugby world cup. Nelson Mandelas’ leadership is a great example to us all, he never gave up through all the hardships he went through. He stayed a man of the people and is one of Historys’ most inspiring figures.

( sources: IMD Magazine and the History Channel )

In conclusion, leaders should always maintain contact with the people, they must remember no individual is above another whether they hold more or less power. A leader should also give the example by being a respectable, honest and caring person. 

Further Reading:

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela movie ( invictus )

Emperor Commodus

Watch the movie Gladiator for a good representation of Commodus

Fall of Nokia

By Laird Balas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise licensed by original authors.

Currently Norway is ranked first in the RSF, reporters without borders, Worldwide Press Freedom Index. Freedom of press in Norway has existed since the Constitution of 1814. Most of the Norwegian press is privately owned, yet the State provides support. As in other western democracies the press in Norway is accused of often being biased towards the political left. This could be due to the fact that most Norwegian editors have leftist views.

( sources: Reporters without Borders and BBC )

The country that currently has the least freedom of press in the world is North Korea. The media in North Korea is completely controlled by the state and only allows speech that supports it and the Workers’ Party of Korea. All journalists and Editors adhere to the WPK and news is incredibly censored. The media also upholds a cult of personality for the Kim family. All this, despite the fact that freedom of speech is guaranteed by article 67 of the North Korean Constitution. 

( sources: Wikipedia and Reporters without Borders )

A great example of censorship is the Empire of Japan. With the Meiji restoration in 1868 the Imperial government began censoring anything about liberal democracy and hostility to the Emperor. Later the Press Ordinance of 1875 gave the Home Ministry the power to ban or shut down any newspaper. In 1937 with the outbreak of the second Sino-Japanese war, the press was taken over by the military. The Ministry of the Army, the Ministry of the Navy and the Home Ministry held regular meetings with Japanese editors and Journalists to advise them on what to publish. Any photographs or description of atrocities committed by the Kwantung Army ( Japanese Army) were censored. Dead bodies of Chinese soldiers and events such as the Rape of Nanjing by the Japanese were not to be described to the public. The Imperial Japanese media became simply another tool of Propaganda. Thus allowing the government to fully control the press. In 1941 with the General Mobilization Law, freedom of press was completely eliminated. In 1942 all newspapers were ordered to merge or be completely eliminated. 

( sources: Hoover Institution and Wikipedia )

The situation was similar in Francoist Spain. From 1936 to 1975, the Caudillo, Francisco Franco mandated censorship in Spain. In the region of Catalonia, which was a Republican bastion during the civil war, there underwent extensive censorship and repression. The Catalan identity was removed from education, newspapers and magazines. Publishing anything in the Catalan language was made almost impossible. By doing this Franco wished to rid Spain of the Catalan culture and language. Another one of the goals of the Francoist Government was to eliminate any form of “political and cultural liberalism”, thus the state controlled all forms of media (literature, films,…). This was done on grounds that political and social pluralism presented threats to the unity of the Spanish State.

( sources: Wikipedia )

Allowing the press to be completely controlled by the state or certain individuals is dangerous because the government can influence what the people think. Diversifying our sources is truly important to be well informed.

Further Reading:

Japanese media throughout modern history

The Kim familys’ cult of personality

The Legacy of Censorship under Franco

More about Francoist Spain

Reputable Norwegian news:

The Nordic Page

The Local

NRK

By Laird Balas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise licensed by original authors.

The United States is a perfect example of a pluralistic society, it has had its faults throughout history but it is still generally a place of great acceptance. Especially in states such as California or New York where the foreign populations are significant and sexual orientations are incredibly diverse. Yet only about 100 years ago women couldn’t vote in the USA and around 60 years ago segregation was still in effect. The inability of the white population in the US to coexist with the black population created problems throughout all of American history such as the Civil War ( 1861-1865).

Some nations did not fare as well as others because of mismanaging their pluralistic society. We can see that with the example of Austria-Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a multicultural empire that was founded in 1867 and was dissolved in 1918. It was made up of 11 different ethnic groups and had 16 spoken languages (only three of which were official). Austria-Hungary came to be because of a compromise between the Austrians and Hungarians within the old Austrian Empire. The numerous political associations were split according to ethnicity (« nations »), with a result that no government could ever rely on a stable majority, creating a great sentiment of division and an ineffective government. Different ethnicities would sometimes clash with each other such as the Hungarians and the Slavs of the Empire. This made it so that the government was incredibly slow and thus the entire nation was disorganized and crumbling. It was eventually dissolved in 1918 at Versailles.

( sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica )

There was also the concept of a certain minority detaining all the powers such as in the British East India company, a chartered company that slowly took over India from 1757 to 1858. The company was ruled exclusively by British Elites in Calcutta. The Indian people had no say in political affairs and the few princes that remained were mere British Puppets. The East India Company operated like a corporation even though it was basically a sovereign nation. The Indian people were oppressed and ignored in some cases. This caused conflicts such as the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857.

(sources: The Guardian and Wikipedia)

In order to create a stable, effective and egalitarian society all individuals should be included in the political and governmental process of Democracy.

Further Reading:

Collapse of Austria-Hungary

Pluralism in Austria-Hungary

The British East India Company

Pluralism in the United States

New York, a multicultural city

By Laird Balas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise licensed by original authors.

The theme of our next TEDxGeneva, June 2023, edition is « Demos ». In a nutshell, we want to explore, and make appear, how our everyday practices are intertwined with our democratic ecosystems. 

“Discussing”, early this year of 2023, with the (in)famous OPENAI chatbot (GPT) was an intriguing way to further define our theme :

User prompt to the chat : Define demos for me. 

Answer : The word « demo » is short for demonstration. It can refer to a variety of things, including:

• A sample of a product, such as a demo version of a computer program that allows you to try it out before you buy the full version.
• A presentation or explanation of how something works, such as a demo of a new piece of technology at a trade show.
• A performance, such as a band playing a demo of their music for a record label.
• A protest or other public display of opinion, such as a political demo.

Is there a specific kind of demo you had in mind?

Wait, dear reader, things will get more interesting. 

Second user prompt : I asked for demos not “demo”. Please define demos.

Answer : I apologize for misunderstanding your previous message. « Demos » is a Greek word that means « people. » It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as:

• In ancient Greek city-states, the demos was the common people, as opposed to the aristocracy.
• In modern political systems, the demos can refer to the general population or the citizens of a country.
• In the context of democracy, the demos is the group of people who have the power to make decisions through the electoral process.
• In academic writing, « demos » may be used to refer to a specific group of people being studied, such as the « urban demos » or the « youth demos. »

Is there a particular context in which you are using the word « demos »?

(End of GPT chat answer)

The funny thing in this discussion is that the mistake that the programme admits having done captures what the edition will be looking for :

– How democracy evolves both in terms of social and economic terms.

– Who are the obvious, and less obvious, actors of our democratic ecosystems. 

– What embodies the actions of demos today: individual activities or citizen driven initiatives changing the world around us.

– Concrete demonstrations of socio-economic arrangements, contracts: solutions, applications and ideas from business actors, entrepreneurs, educators, politicians, artists, activists, engaged citizens.

TEDxGeneva will look, once more, not only for innovative or spectacular ideas, but for meaningful and well documented initiatives contributing to a better understanding of what is important today. The humans that have the authenticity, desire and energy to push them a step further.

Have a GO !

(FR)

Le thème de notre prochaine édition de TEDxGeneva est Démos. En quelques mots, nous explorons et faisons apparaître, comment nos pratiques quotidiennes sont entrelacées à nos écosystèmes démocratiques. 

« En discutant », au début de cette année 2023, avec le célèbre chatbot OPENAI (GPT) sur Démos, une expérience intéressante s’est produite :

Première demande de l’utilisateur au CHATGPT : Définis moi démos.

Réponse : Le mot « démo » est l’abréviation de « démonstration ». Il peut faire référence à une variété de choses, notamment :

• Un échantillon d’un produit, tel que la version de démonstration d’un programme informatique qui vous permet de l’essayer avant d’acheter la version complète.
• Une présentation ou une explication du fonctionnement de quelque chose, comme la démonstration d’un nouvel appareil technologique lors d’un salon professionnel.
• Une performance, telle qu’un groupe jouant une démo de sa musique pour une maison de disques.
• Une protestation ou toute autre manifestation publique d’opinion, telle qu’une démo politique.

Y a-t-il un type spécifique de démo que vous avez en tête ?

Attends, cher lecteur, les choses vont devenir plus intéressantes.

Deuxième demande de l’utilisateur : J’ai demandé de définir démos, pas « demo ». Veuillez définir démos.

Réponse : Je m’excuse d’avoir mal compris votre message précédent. « Démos » est un mot grec qui signifie « peuple ». Il peut être utilisé dans une variété de contextes, par exemple :

• Dans les cités États de la Grèce antique, le démos était le peuple, par opposition à l’aristocratie.
• Dans les systèmes politiques modernes, le demos peut désigner la population générale ou les citoyens d’un pays.
• Dans le contexte de la démocratie, le démos est le groupe de personnes qui a le pouvoir de prendre des décisions par le biais du processus électoral.
• Dans les travaux universitaires, le terme « démos » peut être utilisé pour désigner un groupe spécifique de personnes étudiées, comme le « démos urbain » ou le « démos des jeunes ».

Y a-t-il un contexte particulier dans lequel vous utilisez le mot « démos » ?

(fin de la réponse du CHATGPT)

Ce qui est amusant dans cette discussion, c’est que l’erreur que le programme admet avoir faite correspond à ce que l’édition TEDxGeneva Demos de juin 2023 va rechercher :

– Comment la démocratie évolue tant sur le plan social qu’économique.  

– Qui sont les acteurs.trices évidents.tes, et moins évidents.tes, de nos écosystèmes démocratiques.

– Ce qui capture les actions des démos d’aujourd’hui : activités individuelles ou initiatives citoyennes changeant le monde qui nous entoure.

– Des démonstrations concrètes d’accords socio-économiques, de contrats, ainsi que leurs solutions, applications et idées d’acteurs.trices commerciaux.ciales, d’entrepreneurs.neuses, d’éducateurs.trices, de politiciens.ciennes, d’artistes, d’activistes, de citoyens.nes engagés.ées.

Comme dans les éditions précédentes, TEDxGeneva cherchera à accueillir sur scène non seulement des idées innovantes ou spectaculaires, mais surtout des initiatives significatives et bien documentées contribuant à une meilleure compréhension de ce qui est important aujourd’hui. Des humains qui ont l’authenticité, le désir et l’énergie de les pousser un peu plus loin.

C’est parti  !

“Break or brake?” is the question TEDxGeneva 2021 is inviting you to reflect upon.  Break involves a sudden and potentially violent interruption of a continuity, a separation into pieces, a snap…   In contrast, Brake involves slowing down or stopping a motion, hindering a process or changing the rhythm to control a situation. This appears a binary situation but, maybe, it is not: we can go beyond such dilemmas and find, imagine, opportunities for societal change.

Our human edge lies in the ability of asking the right questions, rethinking frameworks, connecting what is unrelated and creating new possibilities. How do we negotiate between (individual and collective) freedom and discipline? Can happiness and discipline coexist? How can we develop the innate curiosity that we are born with, and nurture our children and our child within?  What questions should we ask ourselves to broaden our minds and always grow, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually?  What becomes possible with the right mindset?  What do we need to get us there?

Individual action is urgent. But reflecting on collective paces, designed to give us time and provoke our genuine attention to new activities, are equally important. Spaces allowing us to observe and be part of the change happening around us. Observation, followed by experimentation, participation and an urgency to share things is one way to follow. 

Are there others?

Ralentir, faire une pause ou tout casser ?

L’action de “rompre” [break] implique une dimension de violence et englobe plusieurs significations : réduire quelque chose en pièces, créer un choc, désintégrer, provoquer une cassure, interrompre un phénomène continu. Le terme “freiner” [brake], quant à lui, sous-entend un ralentissement, l’arrêt d’un mouvement, la perturbation d’un processus à travers la modification de sa cadence, un changement de rythme visant à reprendre le contrôle. En apparence, deux actions bien distinctes, mais en réalité : il nous incombe de nous projeter au-delà de cette perception binaire de la situation et d’imaginer, ensemble, toutes les opportunités offertes par un bouleversement sociétal.

L’avenir de l’espèce humaine dépend de notre capacité à nous poser les bonnes questions, à repenser nos systèmes de fonctionnement, à établir des connexions entre des éléments qui semblent a priori sans lien et à créer ainsi de nouvelles possibilités. Comment trouver l’équilibre entre liberté (individuelle, collective) et discipline ? Peut-on faire cohabiter auto-discipline et bonheur ? Comment entretenir la curiosité naturelle qui nous anime depuis notre naissance tout en nourrissant spirituellement notre enfant intérieur et les générations futures ? Quelles sont les interrogations à formuler aujourd’hui pour élargir notre réflexion et grandir intellectuellement et émotionnellement ? Quels résultats peut-on espérer atteindre en adoptant le bon état d’esprit ? De quoi a-t-on besoin pour y parvenir ?

Il est urgent d’agir sur un plan individuel. Mais il est tout aussi important de réfléchir à des solutions collectives visant à nous dégager du temps pour consacrer une pleine attention à des activités d’une toute autre nature : des moments pour observer, d’autres pour prendre part aux changements qui se déroulent autour de nous. Observer, puis expérimenter, participer, enfin partager: c’est certainement l’un des cheminements à suivre. 

En existe-t-il d’autres ?

By Leonor Afonso

‘Re-thinking Power’ can be understood as the power of rethinking. For this stage concept, our personal challenge was to rethink Geneva. One of the first things people see when they arrive to Geneva is the Jet d’Eau, contrasting with the mountains that surround the city. This iconic image was the motto for our stage design. We wanted to depict the skyline of the city in an innovative and unexpected way people haven’t seen before

In the spirit of our main theme this year, “Re-thinking Power”, we caught ourselves thinking “what better way to re-think power than to rethink the power of materials have when they are reused and repurposed?”. In this edition, our stage design was created using materials once considered garbage or materials created to different purposes. The mountains of our scene are a good example. The wood was mostly collected from old bed frames and the fabric used was, originally, intended to protect trees from the ice during the winter months. All mountains are different, as the material gathered had different sizes, shapes, thicknesses and colors.

Our goal is not only to raise awareness to the amount of raw, repurposable materials sent to the trash every day, but also to demonstrate the opportunities those materials can create. We are committed to the idea of reducing the negative impact we have on our planet, particularly with single-use items. At the same time, the idea of using materials for a purpose different than their original one is, by itself, a powerful way to rethink. Not only we are recycling, as we are rethinking the way materials can be used, creating a sustainable cycle. Sustainability is an idea we want to keep spreading

Gathering the materials was also something we took a moment to rethink. For this edition, we decided to invite the community to contribute in co-creation and re-creation of our main stage. We sent a call for action a few weeks ago to invite the community to help us collect the wood and be part of the TEDxGeneva movement.

This journey, and that of the materials we used, will not end here… At the end of our TEDxGeneva 2019 event, we will be donating all the wood we collected to an eco-village in the Léman region. They will re-use it in their projects and everyday activities, giving these materials a new opportunity to be reused in a third life.

Many of them are first time participants, having answered our call back in May. They come from many different backgrounds, have different areas of expertise, and they can be anyone from seasoned professionals to having just got their bachelor’s degree… This blog could be about speakers, but it’s not. We are talking about assistants’ coaches.

Many of them volunteered for the first time this year. All of them feel passionate about the TEDx format and want to volunteer their time and passion for our next edition TEDxGeneva ‘Rethinking Power’ on November 3rd, 2019. Their job is to help speakers deliver their best talk. They keep in regular contact with the speakers and help them perfect their message, curate their content and practise their talk. It is a crucial role and it comes with its own challenges: sometimes it can be difficult to match everyone’s schedules around the day-to-day and work responsibilities, and sometimes speakers might become unavailable on short notice… Nonetheless, it can be a very rewarding task.

“The thing I find most rewarding is to be part of the journey that speakers take. The person that gives the talk is not the same person who submits the proposal; there’s  an evolution – and, of course, supporting their journey is a journey for us too…” says Shankar Velupillai, assistant coach with TEDxGeneva.

Besides the sense of accomplishment of speakers and assistants’ coaches, the TEDx talk itself and the day of the event are also a source of pride for the volunteer team… will you join us? There’s only a few days left to book your ticket!

Tickets are available at: http://bit.ly/tedxgeneva-tickets 

We will look forward to welcoming you for TEDxGeneva “Rethinking Power”!