WINNIPEG – Emily Doer says she’s excited and nervous about kicking off the TEDxYouth event at Manitoba Theatre for Young People Wednesday morning.
The event, which started at 9 a.m., is part of the TEDx series of talks designed to spread and inspire ideas. It features eight young Manitobans talking on the theme “Sharing space, rising to challenges.”
Speakers include Hannah Taylor, 17, the founder of the Ladybug Foundation, which raises funds for organizations that help the homeless, and Evan Wiens, also 17, who went before his school district and faced vocal opposition to advertising a gay-straight alliance at his high school in Steinbach.
Doer will be the first speaker, talking about her experiences organizing the Tea for E|D, a fundraiser she held for the Health Sciences Centre Adult Eating Disorder Program.
Doer, 23, said she’ll talk about the difference a person can make simply by starting a conversation.
“It might be the difference of inspiring a community,” she said.
Her own experience organizing the Tea for E|D, which was attended by 450 people, illustrates her point.
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“It didn’t feel like it was going to be that big a deal,” she said. “It kind of just grew itself.”
The event was her major project for her studies in creative communications at Red River College. She chose to hold the fundraiser because the HSC program helped her in her own struggle with anorexia and bulimia.
“I’m so grateful to that program,” she said. “How could I ever thank these people?”
She’s excited about the TEDx event.
“The lineup is just, it’s incredible,” she said. “It’s going to be a really inspiring day.”
Wiens will talk about the difference one person can make.
“It’s interesting to see what I’ve done as one person to make all this change at my school,” he said.
A meeting at the school attracted 1,200 people opposed to allowing him to advertise a gay-straight alliance. That spurred Wiens to further action, he said, and the empowerment he felt is the core of his message.
“Fight for what you believe in, despite all this opposition,” he said.
Taylor, who has become a nationally recognized figure since founding the Ladybug Foundation when she was eight, said the only thing that separates her from the youth listening to her talk is that she had an opportunity to do something.
“Young people have the inherent ability to see the truth with such clarity,” she said. “That’s the first step in making change.”
When she saw a homeless person, she saw someone who needed help, and when she took the problem to her Grade 1 class, they responded with enthusiasm.
“Immediately everyone was so excited,” she said.
People don’t know how to start helping or maybe believe they can’t make a difference, but they’re wrong, she said.
“Anyone has the power to do this,” she said, emphasizing how normal she is just minutes after chatting with Wiens about how hard Grade 11 can be.
Doer said she’s honoured to be in a lineup with such incredible people, and she looks forward to being inspired.
“I’m so excited there’s an event that can actually showcase these people,” Doer said. “I think we’ve got a very bright future in this province.”
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