24 | NOV. 2011

L eading the life of your typical West Ammani fourth grader, Dania Juma may come across as another cute bubbly

young lady with a sweettooth and penchant for cupcakes who loves to swim, write, draw, hangout with her best friend, and is also an avid fan of teen pop sensation Selena Gomez. What most of us don’t realize (and will be pleasantly surprised to know), is that Dania is anything but your average nine-year-old. Amid all the studying and after-school activities, she is also in charge of liaising with her peers in age; voicing their interests and aspirations, churning ideas in an effort to keep them inspired and engaged on one of the largest grassroot projects that has generated much hype the world over.

Joining a line of some 20 other dedicated volunteers ranging from college students to social activists, Dania is part of a team of visionaries who have taken it upon themselves to carve out a third space in society — a space which is conducive to the mutual exchange of ideas and aspirations among younger generations. Dania and friends will help deliver the Kingdom’s first youth-inspired TEDx event: TEDxYouth@Amman.

Founded by Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks in 1984 in Monterey, California, TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design), is an intellectual forum for people to share ideas and inspirational experiences through a series of conferences and motivational talks. Spearheaded by people who believe in the power of ideas to create positive change and progress, TED speakers have included a range of cross-spectrum global visionaries such as Bill Gates, Al Gore, Temple Grandin, and Bono.

TED became an annual initiative in 1990 and has since developed into a global-wide project that includes, among others, self-organized, locally-hosted events called “TEDx,” a project that was first introduced in 2009. Set to take place on 19 November, TEDxYouth@Amman is part of a series of TEDx events hosted exclusively for and organized by young people all over the world in commemmorating Universal Children’s Day, known as the

Go’s Annisa Rochadiat takes a look at the upcoming innovative TEDxYouth conference being hosted in Amman

Out

Creating

EvEnt DEtailsWhen: Saturday, 19

November, 2011Where: Cultural Palace,

Gate 1, Al Hussein Youth City, Queen Alia St.

Get Connected:www.tedxyouth

amman.com Facebook: www.facebook.

com/TEDxYouthAmman

twitter: @TEDxYouthAmman

Positive Change

All you’ll have to do is send in a three-minute video — in English or Arabic — of what “Educativity” means to you and simply email it to dina@tedxyouthamman.com. Be sure that it’s an original, never been publicized video to preserve the element of surprise until the event day.

Now, if you’re eager to tune into what the nation’s finest have to offer, but happen to be out of town during the event or weren’t able to register for attendance, not to worry. As with other TEDx events and TED conferences, TEDxYouth@Amman will be live-streamed via at www.livestream.com/tedxyouthamman.

TEDxYouthDay series. Although varying in size and theme, TEDxYouthDay events share a common vision of “inspiring curiousity, igniting new ideas, and empowering young leaders.”

Hoping to pioneer new standards for creative thinking and self-learning among the youths of Jordan, the region, and beyond, TEDxYouth@Amman seeks to open up a conversation on “Educativity.” This is a relatively novel concept that aims to explore and capitalize on the relationship between education and creativity, while reflecting on the role creativity in education holds in society. It also assesses — wherever and whenever relevant — the country’s education and learning system in the process.

Picking on the brains and life experiences of the nation’s young, the full-day event will showcase Jordan’s best and brightest as they exchange education and creativity-inspired stories, ideas, and ambitions, as well as community-building initiatives and blueprints for change. Dania and the rest of the TEDxYouth@Amman team represent a growing phenomenon of extraordinary, bright, creative, and outspoken young people — Jordan’s own born and bred — who are driven to learn and excel, to inspire and motivate people around them in bringing about positive change to society.

Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the solid line-up of speakers set to share the TEDxYouth@Amman stage. From prodigies of music and the arts to inventors and entrepreneurs, educators and writers to social activists, this event promises to be one of the city’s most intellectually stimulating and entertaining occasions not to be missed.

SCAN HErE for WEBSitE

3 Minutes of faMeWould you like to share an idea on stage for three minutes in front of some 1,500 people? Go for the TEDxYouth@Amman Youth Award competition!

The opportunity to volunteer at this year’s event may have closed, but if you or your company is interested in becoming a sponsor, go ahead and shoot an email to sponsor@tedxyouthamman.com today!