(Fourth to sixth left) Nadeha, Zaiwan and Tang with the committee members of TEDxYouth@Kenyalang.
KUCHING: The first TEDxYouth@Kenyalang themed ‘Today for Tomorrow’ will be held at the Pustaka Negeri here Nov 19.
The event, organised by Koperasi Belia Inovatif Sarawak (Kobis) with support from Ministry of Youth and Sports and Solidarity, will feature speakers from a diverse field of distinguished Sarawakians.
The lineup of speakers include industry leaders Salihin Abang, Charles Liew and Ariff Azahari; inspiring community champions Sarah Lasung and Dr Esther Michael and speakers from outside Malaysia, including Mark Smalley, a British technologist with Sarawakian roots.
The event is held in conjunction with the state-level Youth Day and the World TEDxYouth Weekend celebration 2016.
TEDxYouth@Kenyalang spokeperson Jessica Tang said Kuching was selected as one of the cities to organise the world famous TEDx event for the first time.
“The objective of the event is to empower and inspire Sarawak youth through the TEDx culture to become more creative, innovative and dynamic while building a clearing house of free knowledge from the most inspired thinkers within the local community of curious souls, providing a dynamic platform for young people to meet and make a positive impact and difference in our community.
“TEDx will also host strategic planning activities among local dynamic talent while engaging with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long,” she said during a press conference at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus here recently.
Minister of Youth and Sports and Solidarity Dato Sri Michael Manyin is expected to grace the event.
Tang added that event would be run concurrently with a youth leadership programme featuring MyHarapan, iM4U, iM Sarawak and Kobis. There will also be the TEDxperience Gallery, which features unique and innovative exhibitions from Swinburne University Sarawak Campus, Sarawak Skills Development Centre (PPKS), Raw Kitchen, Urban Sketchers, Sape Star, Word of Mouth KCH and many more.
Throughout the event, food trucks will also gather at the Pustaka Negeri, with each food truck to present a special menu as part of their effort to inculcate innovation.
The event is expected to draw about 600 participants.
Among those present at the press conference were Kobis chairman Zaiwin Kassin and Swinburne Sarawak assistant manager for marketing services and communications Nadeha Kamaludin.
TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to ‘ideas worth spreading’. Originally a four-day conference on technology, entertainment and design, it is now a global stage for the world’s leading thinkers and doers to curate an environment of sharing and to ignite curiosity.
As such, TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.
The content and design of each TEDx event is unique and developed independently, but all of them have features in common.