Blog

November 2010

• New TEDxKids@TheHill Page via TED

  Sunday, November 21, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  You can now check out our new profile page via www.ted.com. We encourage you to poke around other TEDx events as well.

• SALON savvies

  Friday, November 12, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  The TEDxKids@TheHill SALON was a hit. Further updates will unveil themselves overtime. For now, you can check out CBC’s coverage here, or you can take a peek at our SALON story in photos.

October 2010

• Upcyling “Posters”

  Sunday, October 24, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  These are empty crayon boxes we upcycled into 3D posters to promote TEDxKids @TheHill. Archibald came up with the clever bug pose.

September 2010

• Q & A with Matt Tod

  Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  Aloha! We would like to introduce you to the marvelous Matt Tod. He will be joining us on and off the TEDxKids@TheHill stage. The following interview will provide you with a tiny peek into his world. Enjoy!

  

  TEDxKids: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

  Matt: A goldfish. =(

  TEDxKids: What website(s) do you make a priority of checking?

  Matt: Not including the my email Facebook or Google and in no particular order: www.ted.com (obviously), www.newser.com, www.cbc.ca, www.psychologytoday.com, www.grooveshark.com, and www.stumbleupon.com.

  TEDxKids: What is your favourite form of procrastination?

  Matt: Stumbleupon.com – Seriously, I could spend hours at a time cruising the internet and learning about cool and unusual new things. I once stumbled for an entire day!

  TEDxKids: What is your favourite song?

  Matt: “Depends on the mood I’m in or trying to get in. Here are a few: 1. Song for a friend – Jason Mraz, 2. Hit ‘em High – The Monstars (off the Space Jam Soundtrack), 3. Youth of a Nation – P.O.D.”

  TEDxKids: Tell us about your quirkiest habit or most unusual daily ritual.

  Matt: I listen to the same playlist almost every morning when I wake up.  I call it my “Wake Up” mix.

  TEDxKids: Name one initiative you fancy and wish you had come up with yourself.

  Matt: Shared space. I think it’s a brilliant way to work. It fosters the creativity and social networking we need to find solutions to the world’s problems. It promotes collaboration as a way of doing Good work.

  You can find Mister Matt tweeting right here.

• Parliamentarian Honour Roll

  Wednesday, September 8, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  The following list goes through a handful of cutting-edge Parliamentarians and their tireless staffers who have shown some level of support for the upcoming TEDxKids @TheHill event in November. These early adopters recognize the importance of collaborating with young people and getting our country’s leaders to watch TEDTalks.

  

  • Dean Allison, MP
  • Marina Maria Mourani, MP
  • Gordon O’Connor, MP
  • Justin P.J. Trudeau, MP
  • Paul Dewar, MP
  • Lucie Pepin, Senator
  • Tony Martin, MP
  • Stephane Dion, MP
  • Frank W. Mahovlich, Senator
  • Serge Cardin, MP
  • Paul J. Massicotte, Senator
  • Raynell Andreychuk, Senator
  • Ed Holder, MP
  • James Flaherty, MP
  • Tony Clement, MP
  • Joyce Murray, MP
  • Chris Charlton, MP
  • Kirsty Duncan, MP
  • Lawrence Cannon
  • Borys Wrzesnewskyj, MP
  • Peter Van Loan, MP
  • David Christopherson, MP
  • John Weston, MP
  • Martha Hall Findlay, MP
  • Christian Paradis, MP
  • Robert Oliphant, MP
  • Marcel Proulx, MP
  • Stephen Woodworth, MP
  • Roméo Dallaire, Senator

• Q & A with Julia Dales

  Tuesday, September 7, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  Meet the delightful Julia Dales.

  TEDxKids: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

  Julia: A plastic gun off of a batman toy. (I was 5.)

  TEDxKids: If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose and why?

  Julia: Back to the rain forests of Costa Rica because they showed me how beautiful life is, and how important it is to protect. It is always good to be reminded of that.

  TEDxKids: What’s your favourite snack?

  Julia: It’s a tie between frozen peas and chocolate covered almonds.

  TEDxKids: Describe your workspace.  Where do you work best?

  Julia: Although I would never admit it to my mom, I work best in my bedroom but only when it is clean.

  TEDxKids: What’s your second favourite passion?

  Julia: Playing squash!

  If you haven’t caught any of Miss Julia’s extraordinary beatboxing, you can do so here.

August 2010

• TED2010 Postcard Upcycling

  Monday, August 30, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  A handful of TEDxKids@TheHill postcards are being scattered throughout the city this week. Let’s visit the TEDx Blog to find out more about this guerrilla marketing move.

• Q & A with Jeremy Thorp

  Wednesday, August 18, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  It’s question time kids, and with an unreleased speaker to boot!

  

  Everybody meet Jeremy Thorp. Jeremy Thorp meet everybody. Here we go:

  TEDxKids: Name one initiative you fancy and wish you had come up with yourself.

  Jeremy: David Eggers and Nínive Calegari’s 826 Valencia project, in San Francisco. This is a perfect example of how a simple idea can change a lot of peoples’ lives. Also, a reminder that we should sometimes look local before we look global.

  (NB: Despite Eggers being a TEDPrize winner, there was no TED(x) leading in this question. Scout and guide’s honour.)

  TEDxKids: What is your favourite form of procrastination?

  Jeremy: I think the things we consider as procrastination can often be as valuable as the things we consider work.

  I read a lot of fiction – and I find the more time I spend doing this, the more creative my output is. So I’m trying to work less, and read more.

  TEDxKids: What if the hokey pokey is what it is all about?

  Jeremy: I suppose I’d be fairly surprised.

  After that, I imagine, I’d put my left foot in. Then I’d take my left foot out. And shake it all about.

  TEDxKids: What is your favourite snack?

  Jeremy: The sandwich – one of humanity’s greatest inventions. The best one I’ve had recently was in a slow food café in Amsterdam called Gartine. I’d go back, just for the sandwich!

  TEDxKids: Describe your workspace.  Where do you work best?

  Jeremy: I can work anywhere. These days, I work at a tiny desk, sitting on a folding chair. It’s not really the physical space that matters to me – rather the mental space.

  I can be extremely productive when my brain is running on the right wavelengths – I’ve learned to take recognize and take advantage of this. Often I won’t get much of anything done for an entire week; then I’ll have a furious 6 hours of productivity when I’ll accomplish more than I would have in a full 40 hours.

  To get your Jeremy groupie on, we suggest following him on twitter, and checking out his mesmerizing website (careful, it’s windy on the homepage).

  
  

• Googley Eyes Street View (via The TEDx Blog)

  Friday, August 13, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  Another TEDxKids@TheHill adventure took place yesterday at noon hour. To find out more and watch a video of this experiment, visit the TEDx Blog.

July 2010

• Our GIANT Present to Ottawa (via The TEDx Blog)

  Thursday, July 29, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  This photo touches on a recent TEDxKids @TheHill venture. You can find out more on the TEDx Blog.

• Invitations with Style (via TEDx Blog)

  Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  Thanks to Team TEDx for the invitation props.

• Q & A with Christopher T. Mikkelsen

  Saturday, July 17, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  In an effort to humanize our exceptionally talenTED(x) speakers, our team put together a series of questions that touch on sometimes overlooked areas. The following question and answer (or Q & A) session is with the wonderful Christopher T. Mikkelsen from Refugees United.

  TEDxKids: What kind of animal do you identify with and why?

  Christopher: Ant! I’d like to think I can carry a bit of weight

  TEDxKids: What is your favourite snack?
  

  Christopher: Avocado

  TEDxKids: What website(s) do you make a priority of checking?

  Christopher: www.bbc.com, www.wired.com, www.cnn.com, www.27bslash6.com, www.theonion.com, www.politico.com

  TEDxKids: If you could have a million of anything, what would it be and why?

  Christopher: I’d ask for a million geetar strings, in tune with the coyote’s bark, and strum the world and have everyone sing, with the owls hooting at the dark.

  TEDxKids: Name one initiative you fancy and wish you had come up with yourself.

  Christopher: That would be…evolution

  TEDxKids: What if the hokey pokey is what it is all about?

  Christopher: Then the Jitterbug will be jealous.

  
  

  Additional Q & A will be released at TEDxKids @TheHill this fall. Stay tuned…

June 2010

• Photo Project: TEDxKids Travels the Globe

  Sunday, June 20, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  
  

  

  I received a plethora of funny looks today as I defaced my boarding pass and proceeded to capitalize on the additional waiting time (or flight delay) to snap pictures of my newly TEDxKids branded boarding pass. What was I doing? Supporting my team in our latest TEDxKids project, which is to challenge people all over the world to take photos in remarkable locations or situations with a TEDxKids.ca or TEDxKids @TheHill sign. Similar to the photos above and below.

  

  TEDxKids @TheHill is challenging people all over the world to take photos in remarkable locations with a TEDxKids.ca sign, and email them to participate[@]tedxkids.ca. In line with all of our TEDxKids projects, we are asking participants to upcycle the sign material. This means using a piece of paper, cardboard, disposable cup, egg carton, bottle, etc., which otherwise would be landfill- or recycling bin-bound.

  

  If you want to take this to the next level, you are welcome to create a TEDxKids.ca swing, yes, SWING! These fellows will show you how it’s done. Thank you Bay Area (or Silicon Valley) for your unrelenting brilliance. Sometimes Ottawa is referred to as Silicon Valley North. We are trying to delete the ’sometimes’ from that saying, and you can help.

  

  What’s the point? The impetus behind this project is to have fun, and create meaningful connections with people. It is also a reminder of the following:

  • [Community] Helping build a global community of people who believe in and execute big ideas.
  • [Change] Creating a shared global experience where people are part of something much bigger than themselves or local community.
  • [Creativity] Challenging mainstream communication tactics, and reminding people it’s possible to use existing resources to communicate with others (flashback to garbART or parliamentarians’ cardboard invitations).
  • [Connection] Perhaps most overtly, we are sharing with the world a piece of what TEDxKids represents. Challenging assumptions, thinking big, and making things happen.

  We look forward to sharing your creations with the world.

  

  Stay Shiny.

• Parliamentarians: 4 Steps to Supporting TEDxKids

  Thursday, June 10, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  All 413 Parliamentarians were sent a one-page bilingual information sheet describing the TEDxKids invitation project, TED, and TEDxKids @TheHill. Since kids poured energy into creating unique invitations, we asked Parliamentarians to consider the four following things:

  1. Proving receipt. Many kids have eagerly requested pictures of their invitations being received by their Parliamentarian ally. Please take a picture with your TEDxKids invitation and email it to participate[@]tedxkids.ca by June 15th.

  

  2. TEDxKids and our kid partners want to use all 413 Parliamentarian invitations to create our TEDxKids stage design. We ask that you return your cardboard invitation between Wednesday, June 9th and Friday, June 11th from 12pm - 1pm in front of the Centennial Flame. We will be there, collecting invitations.

  

  3. RSVP your attendance at TEDxKids@TheHill through our website, by June 17th, 2010. By doing so, you are committing to the $150 TEDxKids registration fee.

  

  4. Join the TEDxKids Fan Page and follow us on Twitter.

  

  Updates on MP and Senator support for TEDxKids @TheHill will be monitored through our blog and flickr photostream. Be sure to stay connected.

• Parliamentarian Invitation Drop

  Tuesday, June 8, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  

  We dropped off all 413 Parliamentarian invitations this morning. Paul Dewar’s office has been a strong support for pushing through with disseminating TEDxKids information to Parliamentarians. Specifically, in order to have all Parliamentarians receive TEDxKids invitations on the same day, we needed to send the invitations through Parliament’s internal mailing system. The Hill’s internal mailing system requires a Parliamentarian, in this case, Paul Dewar, to draft a letter requesting the delivery of 413 invitations.

  

  The mail personnel were perplexed with the mound of cardboard invitations we brought in. Their faces were either stamped with confusion or quiet intrigue. One supervisor tried to convince me they “were not invitations”. I casually reminded her despite our tendency to see an invitation as having a standard format, we ran workshops with kids and gave them unfettered ability to create a cardboard invitation of their liking. To some kids this meant a 3D diorama, and to others, it meant a tiny drawing with an accompanying poem about “what they think the world would look like if it was run by kids.”

  

  She protested saying, in her thirty plus years of working at Parliament Hill, they have never been asked to send out 413 cardboard invitations to each individual Senator and MP. I gently reminded her that despite our creativity hastily weaning with time, kids’ boundless creativity came up with what we have before us, and I hope we will not deprive the leaders of our country from experiencing 413 different visions of the world based on invitation semantics. In writing this comes across as firm and serious. It is worth noting, this entire dialogue took place hovering over heaps of cardboard. A situation continually reminding me of our unconventional approach in an environment renown for convention. All of which left me describing the above with intermittent giggles.

  

  After a bit of banter, the leading mail room lady seemed to warm up to the cardboard invitation idea. I received an email later that day from Team Dewar confirming the invitations were sent out. TEDxKids @TheHill Parliamentarian invitations step two complete (step one being the creation of the inviations). We’re looking forward to seeing which of our country’s leaders choose to support our ideas and actions worth spreading.

• Storytelling and Site-vetting with Eames Demetrios

  Wednesday, June 2, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  The following post was written by the lovely Miss Laurie Koensgen. Both Laurie and Emma Prost were integral parts in making the Eames storytelling and site-vetting extravaganza what it was (which was awesome). And now to Laurie:

  

  Eames Demetrios, “geographer-at-large”, is a fabulist and an inspired photographer. People around the globe encounter him in curious collisions. Eames is punctuating our planet with site-specific plaques – bronze commemorations of an elaborate global fiction.

  

  Eames came to Ottawa on May 31st to share legends from Kcymaerxthaere, his work of three-dimensional storytelling. An intimate crowd of 40 gathered in the upper lobby of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre for glimpses into Eames’ imagination. As the sun (our sun) set, Eames’ universe unfolded mythic figures in exotic lands – some in dire distress, some in wild celebrations. All of them oddly familiar, like trickster images in dreams that vanish as we wake. His stories were paired with perspective-bending,  richly textured slides.

  

  Imaginations went into hyper-weave as we entwined the threads – Eames’ exotic tales, the visuals, and the innate creative need to make connections. We connecTED! Eames will be back this fall to install a bronze plaque honouring Ottawa’s part in the Kcymaerxthaere story. He will also be a TEDxKids @TheHill speaker. More details posTED soon.

May 2010

• Colonel By Bonanza

  Wednesday, May 19, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  Tuesday and Wednesday of this week brought Emma, Nikki, and myself the pleasure of working with Joseph Skuce and Joanna Swim’s art classes. We carefully danced between gawking at their Summative assignments, introducing TED(x) and our TEDxKids @TheHill Parliamentarian invitation project.

  

  Hat tip to National Geographic for catalyzing the creative output. Joseph’s class decided to go beyond reusing cardboard as their invitation canvases, and delved into Skuce’s National Geographic treasure chest. They also used recycled 90s neon paper from a young Mister’s elaborate prom invitation. Apparently they take prom invitation seriously chez Colonel By, and a young fellow created a mammoth invitation for his lucky Lady-entirely out of 90s neon paper. Thanks to Joseph for hoarding copies of National Geographic, and to the prom king for embracing 90s neon, both of which helped broaden what it means to use recycled paper canvases.

  

  The creativity oozing from these minds was intoxicating to say the least.

  

  A huge thank you to Joseph, Joanna, and their classes for making invitation magic, whilst balancing this so-called Summative… You’re amazing.

• Jaden’s Creative Civics Class (CCC)

  Wednesday, May 12, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  TEDxKids @TheHill drawing workshop take two. We lost Jordan this morning due to van failure. Arriving in the nick of civics class time, I explained the “what the world would look like run by kids” workshop rules, while simultaneously sweating from my bike sprint.

  

  It was fascinating to see the enigmatic energy of each class, and the subsequent ideas it spawned. Today, Jaden’s class worked independently, while Julie’s class (from Woodroffe workshop day one) opted to work in groups. Both approaches led to different areas of exploration. Some of Julie’s class created collaborative invitations.

  One group opted to work as a team of five, where they would create a mammoth piece of art work and, much like a puzzle, upon completion they would cut up their creation into five separate pieces. Consequently, five Parliamentarians will receive one piece of their “what the world would look like run by kids” creation.

  

  Jaden’s students worked independently, each creating their own individual invitations. During the latter part of the workshop, Jaden surprisingly played Sir Ken Robinson’s TEDTalk in the background. It was perfectly timed, since the first part of the class was spent brainstorming ideas and instigating preliminary design desires. By the end of the workshop, the students were idly colouring their invitations, and having Sir Ken’s talk playing in the background was a beautiful fit.

  
  
  
  
  
  This is something I do myself on occasion, that is to say, create art while listening to TEDTalks. I find it rewarding and mentally stimulating to be able to fill my mind with big ideas while creating something tangible such as a piece of artwork. What Jaden created by bringing this dual mix of art and TEDTalks together in a collective group environment (versus my solo sketching with TEDTalks playing in the background) was an opportunity to build a strong TED culture in our education system.

  

  Culture is said to be built through shared experiences. Listening to a Sir Ken’s TEDTalk while drawing with a group of people is a shared TED experience. There are numerous ways TED can be integrated into our education system, and like art or the TEDx phenomena, I imagine this will vary immensely depending on the community at hand. Recent examples include Christian Long’s decision to teach his grade 10 English class exclusively using TED videos, also know as the TEDxClassroomProject or our upcoming TEDxYouthDay, happening on November 20th.

  

  TEDxYouthDay is being held on Universal Children’s Day and is a 24 hour international event whereby local communities around the world will host their own idea of a TEDxYouth event. Inevitably, at a micro-level, TEDxYouth events will morph in some capacity to represent the community’s vision of what it means to create a TEDxYouth experience. To me, at a macro-level, TEDxYouthDay represents the idea of exposing young people all over the world to TED.

  I would argue TED has the capacity to act as an educational sliver bullet, and building a strong TED culture in schools is something we should all wish upon our education system. I invite you to consider this.

  

  Thank you to Jaden and his great group for sharing their version what it means to get TEDTalks into our education system. We are fortunate to be working with you.

• Wonderful Woodroffe Workshop (WWW)

  Tuesday, May 11, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  Today, Emma Prost, Kyle Elliott, and myself had the pleasure of working with Miss Julie Ducharme’s grade 10 students at Woodroffe High School.

  

  Our mission? To create Parliamentarian invitations for TEDxKids @TheHill using recycled cardboard, sharpies, imagination, and captivating conversation.

  

  Partnering with these intriguing young minds, and exploring “What they think the world would look like run by kids” was simply put, a treat.

  

  Thanks to Julie and her magnificent class.

• Cardboard Crazies

  Monday, May 10, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  This is part of our TEDxKids workshop series, where kids are drawing “what the world would look like if it was run by kids.”

  

  Since TEDxKids @TheHill is a carbon neutral event, Jordan and I went on a tear dropping off cardboard canvases at local schools. Jordan was especially responsible for cardboard collecting and disseminating. A remarkable endeavour in and of itself, of which he has many back alleyway cardboard stories he may be willing to share with you at some point.

  Kids are drawing on the canvases and creating letters to Parliamentarians expressing the world does not represent what their drawing. They go on to explain what their drawing represents, and how they do not feel their voices are being represenTED in Parliament. For this reason, Parliamentarian x, y, and z, should attend TEDxKids @TheHill this coming September 16th to ensure young voices are heard.

  

  There were a few students in this class eagerly asking if they were allowed to use glitter. We hope Parliamentarians are ready for (and to) sparkle.

• Greg Pattillo and PROJECT Trio

  Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  I discovered Greg Pattillo a few years ago, and quickly became addicted to his sheer musical brilliance. Greg is well-known for his beat-boxing and flute playing, and recently paired up with two fantastical Misters, Peter and Eric, to form PROJECT Trio. Peter is renown for creating bass bliss, and Eric champions the cello. I initially contacted Greg to have him perform at TEDxKids @TheHill in the fall, he had heard of TED, and said it was something “they” were talking about. The “they” being PROJECT Trio, who rapidly blew my mind.

  Their extraordinary musical style alone warrants a glaring spotlight in the TED sphere, compounded by the fact PROJECT Trio focuses on sharing their art with kids who otherwise would not have access to such things is precisely what our event aims to do and why we figured out a way to make working with PROJECT Trio happen.

  

  After I unleashed a flurry of TEDxKids @TheHill details in a phone conversation with Peter Seymour, we began brainstorming the best next steps for a PROJECT Trio and TEDxKids @TheHill partnership. The problem being, PROJECT Trio is in such high demand globally (booking their performances some year in advance), September 16th was already snagged. I threw out the idea of simulcasting PROJECT Trio into our event from wherever they were. However, there were timing risks involved with this. Will they have access to reliable technology where they are? Will we/TEDxKids @TheHill have access to a reliable connection? Etc.

  

  Then I suggested we do something similar to our preemptive Noam Chomsky interview. Peter fancied the idea, and suggested we videotape one of their workshops with kids. Enthralled with the idea, we have since confirmed three workshops in the Toronto vicinity at the end of the month. A little birdie tipped me off that Milton high school, who is said to be the “MIT of high schools” would be a solid ally for this event. As it turns out, we will be running three workshops on May 31st, the first will be at Milton High School, where Milton students will videotape two workshops. Following this, the camera savvy students will join PROJECT Trio and TEDxKids @TheHill for the remainder of the day to videotape workshops at Emily Carr and Fossil Hill school, and create a post-production PROJECT Trio TEDxTalk to be shown at TEDxKids @TheHill in the fall.

  We will also be launching a PROJECT Trio competition, challenging young people to emulate PROJECT Trio’s musical style, and submit their video entries to our team for a chance to attend and perform at TEDxKids @TheHill in the fall. To find out more details, please subscribe to information[@]tedxkids.ca.

  You can follow PROJECT Trio on Twitter here and express your likeness for them through Facebook.

April 2010

• Chomsky Charm

  Friday, April 30, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  Nick Meti, Aaron Rogers, Mia Walker, and myself spent Friday afternoon in the Stata Center with Noam fever. Thankfully, none of us suffered from the vertigo affliction that has rendered certain Chomsky office vistors in a dizzy tizzy. Noam’s assistant Bev, apparently placed a number of plants in Noam’s office to help ward of the vertigo office guests were experiencing. Plus one for Bev, minus one for Team Gehry.

  

  Noam was not available to come and speak at TEDxKids @TheHill in the fall. For this reason, he agreed to do an interview with our team discussing things such as why he supports the idea of bringing young people and elected leaders together for a TED-inspired event, amongst other things.

  

  This was the first step in creating our TEDxKids @TheHill Noam Chomsky video, as well as the “Chomsky Challenge”. The latter refers to a competition where kids will have the chance to be part of a Chomsky moleskin notebook club.

  

  The above photo is an exclusive peek at one of two uniquely personalized Chomsky moleskin notebooks. Join our mailing list by emailing information[@]tedxkids.ca to be on the cutting edge of the Chomsky Challenge unveiling.

• Well hello…

  Thursday, April 15, 2010 by Lindsay Aranoff

  This is a collaborative space where we will explore happenings, highlights and mayhem related to TEDxKids @TheHill. Amongst other tantalizing TED things of course…

  

  Our event comprises many facets, one of which is our commitment to creatively use existing materials or resources for promotional purposes. Some people like to call this creating a carbon neutral event. We also like to call it refusing waste at the source (refuse, reduce, recycle). An example being our local garbage art or garbART form of marketing.

  

  This juice box was lying on the ground when we found it. After giving it a tedxkids.ca name tag, we positioned another found toy truck object (fittingly wearing TED’s red attire). After creating a diorama we let it linger for bystanders to experience, took photos, and promptly recycled the juice box. It was said the ruby red truck used the juice box as its ruby red ‘truck cave’. The batcave of garbART if you will.