We received over 250 applicants this year, all of whom presented their ideas with energy and passion. Narrowing them down to 12 was really tough but after much deliberation and debate we managed and soon those twelve will be standing on our stage. We hope that you join us on April 23 at the York Theatre on Commercial Drive as our speakers share their Ideas Worth Spreading with friends and family, their community, and the world.
Here are the final 6 speakers for TEDxEastVan 2016 - ready to share their big ideas on the theme, “MOVE.”
Devon Boorman
Swordmaster. Dancer. Teacher.
Favourite TED Talk: Apollo Robbins’ “The Art of Misdirection.”.
Devon Boorman worked in a variety of jobs before finding his calling as the Master Instructor and Director of Academie Duello, the world’s largest centre for the practice of European swordplay and martial arts. For the past 12 years, he and his instructors have been working to revive the lost arts of the knight and nobles, including mastery of both hand to hand and mounted combat, as well as archery and wrestling. He’s currently exploring the nexus between physical and spiritual empowerment. He believes that through the exploration and mastery of movement, we can find mastery in the broader internal and external aspects of our lives.
Alexandra T. Greenhill
Physician. Change Agent. Futurist.
Favourite TED talk: Ken Robinson’s “Bring on the Revolution.”
Dr. Alexandra T. Greenhill is a an award-winning physician leader and startup CEO of mybesthelper.com. She completed her medical training in Montreal and spent two decades working on health care reform across Canada, her efforts recognised with the Queen Elizabeth II Medal of Service and Top 40 under 40. Intent on making the biggest impact possible, she came up with tech tools that would help people connect and support each other in real life. The innovative thinking behind this led to her company becoming the first to win the Cartier World Entrepreneur Award and spending time at the Blackbox / Google for Entrepreneurs accelerator.
Geoff Dembicki
Journalist. Author. Earth-Dweller.
Favourite TED Talk: Jonathan Haidt’s “How common threats can make common (political) ground.”
Originally from the suburbs of Edmonton, Alberta, Geoff Dembicki arrived in Vancouver by way of Carleton University’s Journalism program. He’s written for a variety of media outlets, such as Foreign Policy, Vice, Salon, Walrus and the Toronto Star and has been a staff writer for The Tyee for the last six years. He’s travelled to locales across the globe and experienced transformative change and movement from people wanting to make a difference in places such as Beijing, Hawaii, San Francisco, New York, and Paris.
Tima Kurdi
Syrian. Advocate. Aunt.
Favourite TED Talk:
A kurdish woman from Syria, Tima immigrated to Canada in 1992. A hairstylist by trade, she has supported her family back home in Syria. In September 2015, a personal tragedy struck Tima’s family - her brother, Abdullah, lost his wife, Rehanna, and two boys, Alan and Ghalib, while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. The picture of Alan Kurdi lying on the beach woke up the world to the plight of the Syrian refugees escaping their country and brought international attention to the Syrian refugee crisis. Since then, Tima’s been speaking out to bring awareness to the reality of Syrian refugees in the hopes that this tragedy can be resolved.
Dr Sam Wadsworth
Inventor. Optimist. Partner.
Favourite TED Talk: Jill Bolte Taylor’s “My Stroke of Insight.”
Sam is a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur. He completed his Ph.D. in respiratory cell biology in the UK before relocating to Vancouver in 2007 to work as an academic researcher at St. Paul’s Hospital. In 2013, Sam co-founded a biotechnology company that uses a unique bioprinting technology that has the potential to revolutionise how we treat disease and the ageing process. He sees a future where human tissues can be provided on demand, where donor organs are built, not harvested, and where drugs are tested on bioprinted artificial tissues, not animals.
Chief Dr. Robert Joseph
Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, O.B.C. is a true peace-builder whose life and work are examples of his personal commitment. A Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Chief Joseph has dedicated his life to bridging the differences brought about by intolerance, lack of understanding and racism at home and abroad. His insights into the destructive impacts these forces can have on peoples lives, families, and cultures were shaped by his experience with the Canadian Indian Residential School system. Chief Joseph is currently the Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada and a member of the National Assembly of First Nations Elders Council. As one of the last few speakers of the Kwakwaka’wakw language, Chief Joseph is an eloquent and inspiring Ceremonial House Speaker. He shares his knowledge and wisdom in the Big House and as a Language Speaker with the University of British Columbia, an internationally recognized art curator and as co-author of “Down from the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast”.
If you missed them, head over to check out the First Round of Speakers blog post HERE and if you don’t already have them, grab your tickets on our EventBrite site. Be sure to follow the fun on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Not to be forgotten - there will also be performances, workshops and activities for audience members to get involved in, as well as food and drink to keep your mind and body in tip top shape throughout the day.
