Two local students are bringing Ted Talks to Greater Cleveland for the first time in more than a decade – and this time high schoolers will be giving the talks.
Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson, juniors at University School, are spearheading the project as part of TEDx, which licenses volunteer-run TED Talks in local communities. They are currently accepting applications from high school students across Greater Cleveland who would like to speak. Current 8th grade students are also welcome to apply.
Applications are open until Monday, May 11, with the event taking place on Saturday, Aug. 22. Five students will be selected.
Signal Cleveland sat down with Charlie and Jack to learn more.
Can you explain how you became the hosts of this TEDx?
Charlie: Jack and I have worked on a lot of different projects together. We watch TED Talks in our classes all the time, so we did some research and realized that Cleveland had not hosted a TEDx event since 2015.
We hosted a TEDx youth event last year which was really awesome, but we really wanted to do a TEDX event this time around. In order for the event to not be classified as a youth event, we had to recruit an adult to join us on the application since neither of us are 18 yet. Thankfully, Tyler Yoder, our history teacher, agreed to be a co-organizer with us. We got the license to host the event in March, and now we are in the process of accepting and reviewing applications.
Can you take us through the speaker application process? How will the students ultimately be selected?
Jack: It’s a two-part application. Written applications are first [and are going to be] reviewed by University School faculty. [They will] narrow it down to a dozen or so finalists. Charlie and I are then involved in the final selection from there. There will be a 20-minute in-person interview where we will question the finalists on their idea, evidence and ability to deliver it in 12 minutes or less.
What we are looking for is pretty simple: the strongest ideas and the most compelling topics. It is not about who has the highest GPA or who is already the best speaker. If a student has something real to say and a genuine way of saying it, that is what matters.
How can a student apply?
Jack: To apply, you can access the application on our website or on our Instagram page. Before applying, we encourage everyone to watch two TED Talk videos. We also want to note that 8th graders who will be freshmen in high school next year are welcome to apply.
Will the selected speakers be paid?
Jack: Unfortunately because of TEDx rules, we are not allowed to pay the speakers. However, the event will be livestreamed and afterwards posted on the TEDx website and YouTube channel, which currently has 44 million subscribers.
What happens after the final student speakers are selected?
Charlie: The five student speakers will be chosen in early June. They will work with Jack, Dr. Yoder, me, as well as a team of committed University School faculty members through June and July to develop their talk from the initial idea into something stage-ready. We will go through structure, delivery and content together, so by the time they take the stage on Aug. 22, they have had months of actual preparation behind them.
What’s also great about this is that the selected student speakers will be sharing the stage with adults and they are going to be on the same level. Their talks will be treated with the same level of importance and professionalism.
What has been the community response to the event?
Charlie: We actually reached out to one high school English teacher at every high school in a 100-mile radius of University School, which ended up being 298 schools in total. The enthusiasm has been really high. We’ve had students from all across Ohio reaching out about wanting to apply or they want to help organize future events in their areas. It’s been very exciting.
Where can potential applicants reach out for questions or more information?
Jack: They can email us at TEDxhuntingvalley@gmail.com.
