Abbey Park HS hosted its sixth annual
TEDx conference on May 2, addressing the theme, ‘A World in Transition: The Dimension of Infinite Possibilities’.
The officially-licensed TEDx Talk conference featured presentations by 11 students in Grade 7 through 12. TEDx events are similar to TED talks but designed for smaller, local audiences.
With approximately 100 people in attendance, including Trustees and local community leaders, students spoke passionately about topics such as social justice, the realities of future education and artificial intelligence. As part of the TEDx conference, $1,000 in total scholarships were awarded to the top three speakers determined by the event’s judges.
Sultan Alimzhanov, a Grade 12 student at Abbey Park HS and HDSB Student Trustee, was a co-organizer of the conference.
“Our TEDx event is special in a sense that it is organized by youth for youth,” he says. “By attending our event, we hope that students will be inspired and motivated by the examples of their peers to foster meaningful conversations and create change within our community.”
Grade 12 student Wesley Meynen was inspired to help plan this year’s conference after speaking at the event in 2022.
“TEDx@AbbeyParkHS gave me an experience I’ll never forget, and I hope I have helped others experience the same things that I have at this event,” Meynen says.
Jack Guillemette, Abbey Park HS Grade 12 student and president of the TEDx@AbbeyParkHS organization team, says the event involved extensive planning.
“After each conference a new executive is announced and from there, that team hits the ground running, brainstorming ideas for the conference theme and how it can improve upon itself from years prior. In September, the President and Vice-President must apply for a license through TED. This is no small feat and an essential part of starting the conference. Once our license has been approved we must select our distinguished speakers.”
Among the speakers was Aryan, a Grade 7 student at Dr. David R. Williams PS, who spoke about generative AI. Aryan says he was “over the moon” when he was accepted to be a speaker at TEDx@AbbeyParkHS.
“Coming off that stage with a big round of applause felt so fulfilling,” Aryan says of his experience. “I knew that no matter what, I had left a significant impact on my audience. Looking back at the whole experience I truly hope that the audience and everyone listening had a thorough understanding of how generative AI can revolutionize education in so many ways and I am so glad for the opportunity I was given.”
Kaitlyn Hou, a Grade 10 student at Abbey Park HS and incoming Student Trustee for the 2024-2025 school year, also presented at this year’s event.
“TedxYouth@AbbeyPark was an opportunity for me to show the youth in Halton what they are capable of,” Hou says. “An environment that was both challenging and extremely welcoming, I truly felt like I was able to push myself to excel both as a public speaker and a storyteller. The platform to meet other talented young speakers, connect with the community and inspire future young speakers and entrepreneurs made participating in such a well-organized, inspiring event a great pleasure.”
