TEDYouth 2013 Moves to New Orleans, Spurs Simultaneous TEDxYouthDay Events Worldwide

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TED, the nonprofit known for "Ideas Worth Spreading," announces that it will host its third-annual TEDYouth event in New Orleans on November 16. The day-long event, themed "The Spark," will feature speakers, activities and demonstrations curated for its global youth audience: 400 local New Orleans middle and high school students who are attending for free on an application basis, plus thousands more tuning in live from more than 100 self-organized TEDxYouthDay events globally over a 24-hour period.

New Orleans students can apply to attend TEDYouth here: ted.com/tedyouth

Held in New Orleans' Civic Theatre, the TEDYouth event will be free of charge for area middle and high school students selected to participate through an application process. Its program will consist of three speaker sessions, featuring scientists, designers, technologists, explorers, writers, artists, and performers who will share short TED Talk lessons on their area of expertise.

"New Orleans holds the kind of story so many communities around the world can relate to – one of hardship and triumph, community and reinvention," said Kelly Stoetzel, TED Content Director and TEDYouth Curator. "As we searched for a global hub for this year's TEDYouth, that grit – combined with the city's commitment to education reform and rebuilding – helped make it a natural choice. We hope the international audience will be in inspired by its story."

In addition to the local audience, TED invites youth leaders worldwide to host their own independently organized TEDxYouthDay events, held in the lead up to Universal Children's Day on November 20. Local organizers have already produced hundreds of TEDxYouthDay events over the years, from Mexico to Sweden and Pakistan to Indonesia. Each combines a simulcast of the TEDYouth event as well as regional speakers and activities. All are designed to inspire and engage youth. To host a TEDxYouthDay event, click here.

"TEDxYouthDay creates a global experience out of a single local event," says Lara Stein, who oversees the TEDx program at TED. "Thanks to organizers around the world, youth audiences across continents will be dazzled by mind-shifting stories, inspired with creativity and have a chance to deeply explore an exciting range of topics and questions that make them think locally as well as globally."

TEDYouth will also be available via live webcast to the public. Youth reporters across the globe will be selected to live report news, reflections, quotes and impressions of TEDYouth and TEDxYouthDay via Twitter, Facebook, and other online media platforms. That webcast will air live on November 16, 2013, from 11am to 6pm CT (noon to 7pm ET).

For more information about TEDYouth, please visit www.ted.com/tedyouth. To sign up to host a TEDxYouthDay livestream event, visit http://www.ted.com/pages/tedxyouthday. To watch TEDxYouthDay events around the world visit tedxyouthday.ted.com.

TEDYouth will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2013, from 11am-6pm CT, at New Orleans' Civic Theatre.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California 29 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives.

At a TED conference, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Three major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Vancouver, Canada, simultaneous with TEDActive, in Whistler, BC; and the TEDGlobal 2014 Conference will take place in fall 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide into more than 90 languages. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.

The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. More than 5,000 TEDx events have been held, and selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.

The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.

CONTACT: Courtney Hamilton, [email protected], 646.448.9925

SOURCE TED Conferences