Xixi Wang

For over a decade, TED-Ed Student Talks has helped millions of students around the world find their voices, passion, and confidence.

Now, in partnership with the renowned organization Immerse Education, TED is taking that mission further with TED Summer School — a transformative two-week program for motivated students aged 15 to 18. Through core theory and practical sessions, guest speakers, and personal coaching from expert tutors, participants develop public speaking skills, storytelling mastery, and leadership abilities.

TED-Ed Program Manager Shraya Sharma spoke with student Samya Gupta, who participated in TED-Ed Student Talks in India, helped organize local TEDx events, and will be attending TED Summer School in Singapore. Here, they discuss Samya’s public speaking journey, how she earned a scholarship to TED Summer School, and what she hopes to gain from her next adventure.

Shraya Sharma (SS): How would you describe yourself as a student?

Samya Gupta (SG): I’m a bit more curious — I’m more on the social impact side rather than just the traditional schooling system. I like to focus on extracurricular activities, and my interests lie in finance, economics, and social issues. I’m definitely on the outspoken side. I like to interact fully with everybody in class. Just getting taught and learning the concepts is not what school life should be about. It should be about interacting in class, talking to your peers, and engaging in meaningful conversations.

SS: Can you share your experiences with TED-Ed Student Talks and TEDx at your school?

SG: Our school has hosted two TEDx events and one Student Talks program. The first TEDx in 2024 was a very new experience. We had people from all over India — people in politics, influencing, journalism. It was such an awakening event. That first TEDx taught me how to actually organize things, take up leadership, focus on deadlines, and make the event work.

Then, we had TED-Ed Student Talks. About 30 to 40 students were shortlisted to develop a talk, and then the teachers judged everyone and narrowed it down to eight or ten. I chose mental health struggles for teenagers in India as my topic. I wanted to get to my target audience, which were the parents. The talk really helped me share my thoughts because the audience in front of me were mostly parents, and I wanted them to understand what people of our age are dealing with.

For the most recent TEDx in September, I had more responsibility — I was appointed as the student coordinator. I managed logistics, speaker schedules, and presentations. It gave me valuable experience interacting with such intellectual and successful people.

Samya and her fellow students participating in the TED-Ed Student Talks showcase

SS: How have these experiences changed you as a speaker and as a person?

SG: It has definitely increased my speaking skills because it helped me share such a broad and vast idea in a short time. That taught me how important time is when you have to convey a powerful message. For the TEDx events we organized, it helped me become a lot more responsible. Even now when I look back, I think it prepares me for any kind of project I take up in the future.

SS: What drew you to TED Summer School, and how do you see it as the next step in your journey?

SG: TED Summer School for me is about seeking more mentorship. [It] is going to help me get more exposure and learn a lot…and think more deeply about situations. I’m going to implement what I learned, learn new things, and then deliver that actual talk.

SS: You participated in the “Learning to be Heard” challenge that invited students to record a one-minute video sharing a message with the world. Out of 2,000+ entries, you were one of the top 11 students, and won a scholarship to TED Summer School. How did you approach this competition, and what message did you share?

SG: The question was: “If the whole world is listening to you for a minute, what would you say?” I knew that whatever message I shared should be very personal and something I deeply care about. Issues like poverty, child labor, and climate change are things every other person is advocating for. But what really affects me as a person? What have I experienced?

I come from a small town in India. When I go to places like Delhi or Mumbai, I feel like we are lagging behind — there are things I didn’t know about, terms I hadn’t even heard. I was made fun of for being from a small town, and it affected me deeply. I didn’t want anybody else to feel that way. So I wanted my video to convey that your town is not your destiny. If a person like me, who didn’t even know what a summer school was a year ago, can make it to a global platform with a scholarship, anybody can.

SS: What did winning the scholarship mean to you?

SG: It was the first time I got a scholarship, so I was extremely happy. Being involved with TED is already a backbone to this whole experience. I chose Singapore as my destination because it’s a potential university country for me.

It meant a lot for my family too. My father shared this opportunity with me — he’s very involved in my extracurriculars and is actually the curator for our school’s TEDx events. TED is something he deeply cares about as well, so it was very exciting for him. For me, the scholarship was a kind of confirmation that despite where I come from, I can do what I set my heart to.

If it weren’t for the scholarship, I wouldn’t have thought about the summer program. Getting that scholarship gave me the [motivation] to go there, experience things, and tell other people about it — that if I can do it, you can too. It was definitely a lot more accessible thanks to the scholarship.

Samya Gupta giving her talk

SS: Looking ahead, what do you hope this summer changes for you — academically, personally, and career-wise?

SG: Personally, it’s about getting out of my comfort zone and becoming more confident speaking with people. I’m sure there will be people from all over the world, and that global exposure will help me communicate more efficiently and develop stronger ideas. The end goal is not just to be heard, but to actually say things that matter.

Academically, interacting with so many people who are also preparing talks will help me understand how others think. And career-wise, during the TED Summer School orientation, they mentioned we’ll interact with students from leading universities who will be our mentors. If my mentor happens to be from a university I’m considering, I can ask about the environment and what it’s like, so it’s going to help me narrow down my choices and learn from people who are actually in my shoes.

Join Our Global Community of Young Changemakers

You can join Samya and other ambitious students at the TED Summer School in Singapore, New York, London, or via our interactive virtual cohorts.

This transformative two-week program brings your ideas to life through a syllabus built for storytelling mastery and personal coaching from expert tutors. Whether you choose to learn on-site in an inspiring global environment or develop your public speaking skills from home, you will design, refine, and record your own TED-style talk on a topic that matters.

Explore TED Summer School and enroll now

We’ll check-in with Samya after her TED Summer School experience, and share what she learned, how she grew, and what she had to say in her TED-style talk! Stay tuned!

Xixi Wang

In a world increasingly shaped by AI, the skills it can’t replicate — like communicating, collaborating, and connecting — are more valuable than ever.

The Future of Jobs Report (2025), published by the World Economic Forum, ranks skills like empathy, communication, and leadership among the most critical for the future workforce. Yet these skills are also some of the hardest to teach in a traditional classroom setting.

That’s where TED-Ed Student Talks comes in. The program gives students ages 6 to 18 a structured, supportive space to start building these essential skills now. Through guided activities, students discover ideas that matter to them, develop those ideas through shared conversation and feedback, and learn how to effectively share them with each other and the world.

Recently, we asked some of our student speakers to reflect on the skills they built through the program — ones that go far beyond a single moment on stage.

Fostering Empathy

Empathy isn’t a fixed trait — it’s a skill that can be developed and built. When people practice sharing their own stories and listening to others’, they develop stronger empathy and a deeper understanding of perspectives different from their own. Through Student Talks, students have the opportunity to share something deeply personal and to listen to others, which fosters empathy and connection with their classmates, educators, and audience members.

For Shrutarjo Ray, the experience revealed what happens when you share an idea out loud. “Student Talks showed me that ideas get life when they are shared,” he says. “I’ve realized that even a simple, meaningful story can spark connection, build courage, and change the perspective of the audience.”

Wong Kean Jee discovered something similar from the listener’s side. “When we share, we realize we’re not alone, and other people may also relate to what we’re going through,” he reflects. “Everyone has different experiences worth listening to. Every person you talk to can teach you something new or give you a different perspective.”

Lia Costa presented about her cousin’s experience with Autism Spectrum Disorder, weaving his story and his drawings into her talk. “When I present my cousin’s story, I hope that people will open their eyes to see stories and lives that they wouldn’t notice on a daily basis,” she says. “Most of my audience does not have this disability, but most know someone who does. They will be able to rethink the way they treat these individuals and hopefully act more compassionately toward them.”

Lia Costa

Communicating Complex Ideas

Communication is more than speaking clearly. It’s the ability to translate complex thoughts, emotions, and insights into something an audience can understand and connect with. Communication skills are consistently ranked by employers as one of the most important qualities they look for in candidates. Whether it’s scientific research or a solution to a problem, Student Talks helps students learn to communicate complex ideas thoughtfully and confidently, a skill that is essential for their personal, academic, and professional success.

Owen Hawthorne came into the program with a topic many adults would find intimidating: CRISPR and genetic editing as an alternative to chemotherapy. And his goal was just as ambitious. To inspire hope. He wanted to help people see “a really cool and interesting approach to cancer treatment” and walk away more hopeful than before, or even be moved to contribute to the research.

Lareen Abdelwahed faced a different kind of challenge: turning private, tangled emotions into something an audience could understand and feel. “My favorite part of Student Talks was the process of putting my thoughts together and turning something I’ve always felt but never really said into a talk,” she says. “It was honestly hard at first because I had to really sit with my experiences instead of just brushing them off like I usually do, [...] it felt good to take something personal and shape it into something I could share in a clear way, instead of just leaving it stuck in my head.”

Kira Aryslanova saw her communication skills shift in a concrete way too. “Before this, I might have focused too much on facts,” she says. “Through this process, I learned how to combine storytelling, data, and questions to make people think. This skill will help me not only in public speaking, but in any situation where I need to influence or inspire others.”

Lareen Abdelwahed

Advocating for Change

Young people are often told their voices matter, but are rarely given a real platform to use them. Studies on youth civic engagement show that when students are given meaningful opportunities to speak on issues they care about (and are taken seriously when they do), they develop a stronger sense of agency and a lasting commitment to making a difference. Student Talks gives students the structure and confidence to shape their passions into powerful talks with the potential to change how others think, feel, and act.

Kira Aryslanova’s talk on language monopoly was a call to action. “I wanted to give my audience a new way of seeing language, as something much deeper,” she mentions. “I hoped people would start questioning the idea that English is ‘enough’ and realize that every language carries its own worldview, culture, and identity.” She wanted her audience to leave with curiosity, “maybe even a little discomfort,” and ask themselves what they might be missing by limiting themselves to just one language.

For Arush P, Student Talks transformed his relationship to a cause he has cared about since the fifth grade. “I feel most proud of discovering the resonance of my own voice as I became an advocate for the ‘unheard,’ the environment itself. I think I am no longer just a student but a speaker for our planet’s survival,” he says. “It taught me that an idea, when shared, ceases to be a private concern and becomes a catalyst for collective resilience.”

Malak Youssef spoke about inner self-talk, and gave her audience permission to stop labeling themselves negatively for traits that might actually be strengths. Her reflection captures something at the heart of Student Talks: “Your voice doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. It just has to be honest. When you speak about something you genuinely care about, people feel it. And sometimes, that’s enough to make them think differently.”

Malak Youssef

Looking Ahead

Students come into the program with different backgrounds, skill sets, and goals. They leave with the conviction that their unique perspective matters, and importantly, the skills to share it effectively. Whether they’re opening up about a personal struggle, translating complex science for an entire audience, or speaking up for a cause they believe in, these are the skills that will nurture their personal, academic, and professional growth now and in the future.

TED-Ed Student Talks offers free, customizable activities for educators who work with students ages 6-18 in classrooms, schools, extracurricular settings and youth organizations. Submit an application to join today!

Xixi Wang

What if students and educators could share their best ideas with each other, their communities, and the world?

We’re thrilled to introduce InnovaTED — a new initiative from TED-Ed and TEDx designed to amplify the voices of students and educators around the world! Combining TED-Ed’s public speaking expertise with TEDx’s ability to activate local communities, InnovaTED is a global platform that elevates the voices and ideas of students and educators.

Ongoing support for Student Talks

For over a decade, TED-Ed Student Talks has provided free, customizable activities for educators to support their students in identifying, developing, and sharing their ideas with each other and the world. We will continue and expand our Student Talks efforts as part of this InnovaTED partnership.

A brand new Educator Talks program

As part of InnovaTED, we’re also launching a refreshed Educator Talks program: a free professional development experience that equips educators with the skills, platform, and support to identify, develop, and share their ideas. Educator Talks provides:

— Professional Growth: Educators learn essential presentation and storytelling skills directly from TED’s proven methods, boosting confidence and communication skills.

— Recognition and Impact: By creating pathways for educators to host and speak at TEDx events, educators can establish themselves as thought leaders and inspire others by sharing unique ideas on one of the world’s most recognized platforms.

— Connection and Community: Educators join a global network of peers who are passionate about creating change and sharing knowledge.

It starts with the Idea Workshop

Educators register for a virtual, interactive Idea Workshop to get started. Led by TED-Ed’s founder and executive director Logan Smalley, this one-hour professional learning session has been rated a 5-star experience by hundreds of thousands of educator participants. The workshop offers educators a dynamic opportunity to harness the power of storytelling and effective public speaking and apply it to their most powerful ideas. It guides educators through the initial stages of crafting a TED-style talk, and also provides meaningful professional development that supports enhanced communication and presentation skills to be applied in classrooms, school board and PTO meetings, and more.

Once the workshop is completed, educators are presented with exclusive benefits to continue developing their talk and sharing their ideas. These include free access to TED’s Official Public Speaking Course, a global community of practice, and unique opportunities to create or speak at TEDx events.

Register for the Idea Workshop!

How to get involved

Educator Talks is open to anyone serving K-12 students around the world. If you’re an educator, sign up for the Idea Workshop to access our newest transformative learning journey. And if you know an educator who might be interested, help spread the word by sharing this blog post and website.

Every educator has an idea worth sharing. The Idea Workshop is designed to help uncover it — and to spark a journey, supported by TED-Ed and TEDx, that not only amplifies the best ideas in education, but connects passionate educators to a global network of vital voices, defining the future of education. Make sure your voice is heard.

Winston Thomas

Ideas change everything —  and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think.

To help young people develop these skills and practice their public speaking, TED-Ed has created an exciting new video series! Public Speaking 101 is an 11-episode course that will teach you how to identify, develop, and share your best ideas, while mastering essential communication skills along the way. This course is great to use in classroom settings, for parents looking to guide their children on presentation and public speaking skills, or for independent learners who work best at their own pace.

How Public Speaking 101 works

The course guides you in developing your own TED-style talk through a progression of videos. Each episode focuses on an integral part of giving an engaging, memorable, and transformative talk. This ranges from strategies to uncover your best ideas, to choosing your presentation style, connecting with an audience, developing body language, and more.

The course uses excerpts from past TED speakers to highlight key ideas and prompts, and to offer a deeper understanding of what makes a talk meaningful to an audience. Each episode also comes with supporting resources and materials for further learning. This includes multiple choice questions that review the content of the episode, writing and brainstorming exercises, and a vocabulary list.

Here are the first 6 episodes of the course, with more to come by the end of 2025:

Episode 1: What happens when you share an idea?

Learn how to identify the qualities that make an idea worth sharing with an audience.

Episode 2: How to uncover your best ideas

Uncover your best ideas by exploring your unique experiences, interests, and perspective.

Episode 3: How to communicate clearly

Discover how to put together the throughline, or main idea that acts as a connective thread or roadmap for your presentation.

Episode 4: What’s the best way to give a presentation?

Decide on a presentation plan that makes you feel prepared to communicate an idea to an audience confidently and passionately.

Episode 5: How to speak with meaning

Learn to develop your voice and body language so that you are conveying meaning authentically, confidently, and comfortably.

Episode 6: 5 ways to connect with people

Find a way to build trust, interest, and a connection with your audience so that they will be open to what you have to say.

For educators looking to support students in building public speaking and communication skills in the classroom, check out TED-Ed Student Talks. This program provides free, customizable activities for educators to guide their students in identifying, developing, and sharing their ideas with each other and the world. You can find a sample of the Student Talks curriculum and more information here.

Watch the episodes and check out the course materials here, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the latest installments!

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Trinidad Algorta, an ESL teacher at a cultural institution in Uruguay.

Here, she speaks with TED-Ed’s Programs Manager, Sasha Rudenko, about incorporating the Student Talks program into an ESL curriculum, the impact it has had on her students, and what advice she has for other ESL educators.

Sasha Rudenko (SR): Tell us about the organization you work for, your role, and the students you work with.

Trinidad Algorta (TA): I am an English as a Foreign Language teacher at the cultural institution Alianza. It’s a bi-national center between the United States and Uruguay where we teach English, along with other subjects. I discovered TED-Ed the same year I had a group of teens from a program supported by the US Embassy and Department of State — they were students from public schools and different NGOs all coming for two years to learn English.

Students working through the activities

SR: How did you implement the Student Talks program? How did it fit into what you were already doing at Alianza?

TA: We were looking for something different to do with our students, and I looked at TED-Ed to create some activities for our courses and came across Student Talks. We incorporated it into our English classes. We had classes twice a week for two and a half hours, which gave us enough time to continue with our usual syllabus and still have time, about an hour once a week, to devote to the program.

“It can be hard because some students don’t feel like they are able to do it. But if they persevere, they’ll find they absolutely can do it.”

SR: If you were to think back and pick a standout moment from your time leading TED-Ed Student Talks, what would you highlight?

TA: The best moment was the event. It was awesome. I really didn’t expect as much as they did, and they surprised me. A challenging part that I remember— that was great at the same time— was when they had to choose their idea. They came up with a lot of ideas, but when they were trying to translate those ideas into a talk, it became more difficult. Some students were connected with their feelings, their interior, and their experiences. But it was hard for them to translate those feelings into a story that they were going to share with everyone. But they learned how to connect those parts and worked together as a group very well. And I was also able to connect with them, so it was a special group.

SR: So, it was challenging to translate their experiences and emotions into talks. What helped them? Was it the collaboration they had within the group?

TA: Yes, collaboration among them. Also, I relied on the Facilitator’s Guide [in the Student Talks materials] for questions to ask students when they got stuck or needed help moving forward, and that helped a lot. There were many ideas the students would say but not give them any importance, and I would tell them “but that’s your story.” And that surprised them, and they began coming up with great stories from those “not important” ideas. Half of the group were immigrants, and so many of them talked about something that happened when they came to Uruguay as it was a very important part of their lives.

Student Kiara Garrido participating in the 2024 event

SR: What skills have you observed improving the most as your students go through the Student Talks activities and events?

TA: First is speaking— English speaking. Second, their body language from standing in front of an audience and performing their speech. Third, they improved their ability to write. It’s a skill they can use in their other courses, as writing a script for a talk is similar to writing an essay. For example, how to structure writing, creating a good hook to capture a reader’s attention. All those things. And I don’t think they realized how much they were learning until they reached more advanced courses and are profiting there from this experience.

“They improved their ability to write. It’s a skill they can use in their other courses, as writing a script for a talk is similar to writing an essay.”

SR: What advice would you share with someone considering being a Student Talks facilitator?

TA: I think the most important thing is to connect with the students. Connect with them and also connect them with their partners, because there’s a lot of group work and they support each other even though the talks are individual. Another thing is don’t give up. Sometimes it can be hard because the students don’t feel like they are able to do it. But if they persevere, they’ll find they absolutely can do it and feel proud of themselves. Last year, I had a student who told me, “Okay, I can give a TED Talk in front of an audience if I don’t know anybody there. So I won’t tell my parents.” And I told him, “No, come on. Your parents must be here.” And now he’s asking me if we are going to have TED Talks this year — he wants to do it again.

The Student Talks group at the 2024 event

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here.

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Reetika Madaan, an independent educator and Student Talks facilitator for nearly a decade.

Here, she speaks with TED-Ed’s Programs Manager, Sasha Rudenko, about the challenges of building a program from the ground up outside of a school, gaining the trust of parents and the community, and how to support and believe in student voices:

Sasha Rudenko (SR): Tell us a bit about your role and what students you serve.

Reetika Madaan (RM): I’m an independent educator, communication coach, and community builder. I don’t represent any school in Ludhiana. I represent a city which was full of students ready to be heard. In 2016, I started TED-Ed Club Ludhiana — not because I was asked to, but because I saw the gap. Students had ideas, but there was no space for them to express them beyond academics and their annual functions. And when I saw this coming up across the board, I decided to build that space from scratch. There was no school backing, no grants, just a vision to start something with the students. And today, the club is a thriving city-wide platform. We’ve had multiple annual showcases, we’ve trained over 50 speakers from 15 schools across the city, and they’ve even been TEDx speakers.

Students take part in the group’s activities

SR: How did you implement the Student Talks program? How did it fit into what you were already doing in the community?

RM: I do many things alongside the TED-Ed Student Talks group. I’ve represented student youth projects at World Economic Forum, as I’m part of their Global Shapers Community. I have collaborated with state governments for skills and entrepreneurship training. When we started with TED-Ed, parents loved the personalized approach — that it wasn’t just a curriculum, which was not happening in schools. And that’s why I think its reach, credibility, and goodwill has increased every year. Ludhiana is a growing city, with lots of young people. With the popularity of social media, they all want to do things aside from academics day and night. They want playful learning activities. So I feel that I’ve brought a lot of that to Ludhiana through these programs and my passion to start new things.

“I made sure every student left with more than a talk. They left with belief. That’s how you build something lasting.”

SR: There are probably many moments since you began in 2016, but could you share any standout moments from your time leading this program?

RM: It has to be curating TEDxSarabhaNagar. Two of my TED-Ed Club students — Rayaansh Pahwa and Amaya Sahni — took the stage on the big red dot. I didn’t just train them. I stood beside them as they practiced, doubted, rewrote, and, ultimately, soared. Rayaansh challenged the rigidity of education with his talk on travel. Amaya moved the room with lessons she had learned at just age 11. That night, I wasn’t just a facilitator. I was a witness to transformation. Which was the very reason I started all this.

SR: As a facilitator since 2016, you’ve seen a couple iterations of our curriculum over the years. What skills would you say that students improve the most going through the Student Talks activities?

RM: Yes, the curriculum has changed over the years. I remember when I started, the curriculum was just a few pages. Then, slowly and steadily it became a playbook with questions and answers, all beautifully visually described and with lots of ideas on how to engage [with the students]. With every curriculum and with every personalized touch that we gave to our students, they not only became more confident, but became stronger. It was not just on the stage, but in life too. They were given the freedom to talk, and so their thinking has become much more layered, more research-oriented. There was a lot of risk-taking, but the outcomes were beautiful.

Madaan’s Student Talks group

SR: What would you say was the most challenging part of implementing the program, and how did you overcome it?

RM: The hardest part? Being an outsider. Starting with no institutional power. No school bell to ring. Just intent. When I started, it began with sessions of just three children. I documented impact, got parents involved, and eventually had schools reaching out to me. So that starting 3 students built to 25, then to 30, and then to 40. We made sure to get parents involved because one of the challenges was dropping students off at a place outside of school. But when their parents saw them doing the exercises and improving every week, that’s where we got our credibility. Then the parents began speaking about us, how much work we were doing each week, and then the schools started reaching out. I made sure every student left with more than a talk. They left with belief. That’s how you build something lasting.

 ”When they see that you care more about their story than their stage time, that’s when the real growth begins.”

SR: From your vast wealth of experience, what advice would you share with someone who is considering bring Student Talks to their students?

RM: To facilitators, I’d say encourage students to tell us what others don’t know about you. Have tough conversations with your students that allow them to talk about what they love and what they want to explore aside from academics. Help them get over pretending like they don’t need to care about something. Then the framework is there for the students to have those tough conservations with their friends or family. Be patient. Be personal. Be persistent. Your students are watching how you listen. When they see that you care more about their story than their stage time, that’s when the real growth begins. To parents, I’d say give your kids independence, or else they will not be able to have their own thoughts or speak about them. And to not expect kids to be miraculously great public speakers overnight. There is a lot of pressure on these kids already, and building skills takes time.

Participants in the Student Talks program

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here.

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Priyanka Behl, an educator at the Empower Kids Personality School.

Here, she speaks with TED-Ed’s Programs Manager, Sasha Rudenko, about integrating Student Talks into their after-school programs, the impact the program has had on their community, and how they used TEDx to host their speaker events to reach wider online audiences:

Sasha Rudenko (SR): Tell us about your school, your role, and your students.    

Priyanka Behl (PB): Empower Kids Personality School is a community school that brings together children from across 36 schools to work together in after-school programs. We also support NGO schools with the Each One Teach One program, where our students spend one weekend educating those who don’t have formal school education and are studying as part of an NGO. The whole idea is to bring resourcefulness to the resourceless, and that’s how Empower Kids has been working — more like a community initiative. TED-Ed has helped us bring this community even closer.

SR: How did you implement the Student Talks program into your school? How did it fit into what you were already doing there?

PB: We use TED-Ed as part of our skill-building after-school program. We have volunteers who help the underprivileged children who don’t have access to formal education and therefore will lack opportunities later in life, such as getting better jobs. We try to help them hone their communication skills, and I try to help them bridge the education gap so they are more employable and can potentially be pulled above the poverty line. While working with the Student Talks program, we realized that beyond communication skills, there were other gaps and things missing in their education. Gender inclusivity was missing; we realized how the younger children were vulnerable and unsure of who to talk to. We saw there were also gaps in knowledge about caste issues, socialism, racism and bias, which we had never talked about. We started with just a small group, and it was a great forum to listen, share their voices, and create an impact in the community by talking about these issues.

“It’s about you finding the voice that can change the narrative. It’s finding ideas that can create impact in your local community.”

SR: If you were to pick one standout moment from your time leading Student Talks, what would you highlight?

PB: We had birthday parties which had a lot of balloons, party poppers,  plastic plates, and all those kinds of things being used. Then, one of the students shared a talk about how unsustainable this is and the impact it has. So, we started using wheat cutlery instead of plastic. And this was largely implemented in all of the students’ 36 schools. Imagine the impact of that! They stopped using plastic cutlery and plates, and replaced it with wheat cutlery. At our events, as well, we use wheat cutlery every time. Outside of school, a big impact of this was in the landfills. Cows in India were dying because they would eat all the plastic out of the landfill that had leftover food on it. But with it being made from wheat, it was harmless for them to eat. And in our community, the cow is a holy animal, and we were able to impact the health of cows through one talk shared. I felt this was truly remarkable.

A student speaks at the TEDx event

SR: What skills have you observed improving the most as your students go through the Student Talks activities?

PB: The number one skill that they learned was leadership. Not only were they willing to be adaptable themselves, but they stepped up and helped others in the group and in the community. The number two skill would be research. When they started researching their topics, we started to see the understanding of how important it was across the board. It gave them a lot of experience finding studies, documents, and research papers, and really helped broaden their horizons for finding information. And the number three skill would have to be communication. They learned great oratory, presentation, and self-expression skills. And the workbook journal helped teach how to give better feedback and constructive feedback that really helped them improve their communication.

SR: As a facilitator, what has been the most challenging part about implementing Student Talks? And how did you overcome it?

PB: Our first challenge was to plan the first event. When you have an event, you have to think of everything from the technical list like cameras and soundproofing, and then logistically how do we get the funds to host the [TEDxYouth] event. I found it challenging for the first event to deal with the cost, and not knowing how to sell tickets or who to reach out to for a guest list. We didn’t know how to bring the right resources to the right place. But then we got a lot of great support from the TED team, and after that our second event ran much more smoothly. And we continue to learn with each event; everyone involved can teach you so much and help you evolve as a person. I’ve seen a transition in myself through building these events, and it’s related to accountability. It feels like you have been given something with a lot of trust, and you are accountable to bring forth these young voices who don’t usually have a platform to share. So I’ve evolved as a person as well.

[Editor’s note: Priyanka holds a TEDx license to host her school events. TED-Ed Student Showcases do not require tickets or funding].

A student speaks at the TEDx event

SR: So, hosting an event was your goal and something you wanted to do for your community, and you even applied for a TEDx license to host it. How did you find that it helped your mission to focus on hosting a culminating speaker event?

PB: Given that our event would be just for young people— the students— we were thinking of the potential audience for them. We wanted their talks to be seen by the change-makers, the decision-makers, and these young voices would not reach those people unless their videos were put out on a bigger forum. The TED-Ed Student Talk video selection process can take a long time, and so with hosting a TEDx event, the YouTube video links come faster. So their videos would reach more people sooner. We were thinking not only of the physical audience at the event but those online who can just listen and connect with it. I felt that TEDx gave us more access to reach a larger audience, and much sooner after the event.

“[Student Talks] is for anyone who is willing to help young voices who feel they have no forum, feel small, or that they have no impact. TED-Ed can lend you that.”

SR: What words of wisdom would you share with somebody who is thinking of becoming a Student Talks facilitator?

PB: This journey can be overwhelming, [but] if you are passionate about ideas, I think this is for you. I’ve been watching TED videos for years, and they turned out to be a perspective-shifter. So I’ve had that passion for ideas from the beginning. If you have that passion, and you want to bring ideas forward and create impact, I think this is a great forum for you. It’s not about you being a hero, it’s about you finding the voice that can change the narrative. It’s finding ideas that can create impact in your local community. It’s for anyone who is willing to help young voices who feel they have no forum, feel small, or that they have no impact, TED-Ed can lend you that. It’s a whole exploration of self-realization that comes with the idea journey. The self-exploration of why their idea matters, what impact is it going to create, how can it change the narrative— it’s something that connects and bridges the gap.

SR: Are there any tips you have after working with your students through the activities about helping them find their idea, their writing, or their research?

PB: I think the best thing that I find is giving them the space to explore. The first task we give them is to create a list of the things that they love. And on the other side, a list of things that they hate. Then we start with talking about one of the things that they hate and why. From there, they usually pick a topic from their “things they hate” list, because if you don’t like something that is happening in your community or life, then you want to talk about it and how to change it. That’s how our idea exploration begins. And it starts with a small group who don’t know each other, but eventually come to be helping each other explore their ideas, and sharing their thoughts. I think it helps them build a little community where they can be more vocal about how they truly feel. As a facilitator, seeing how much they have to share makes me feel like a student again. The ideas sometimes just blow my mind. They have such new perspectives to share, and while we think we’re facilitating, we’re actually learning in that process too.

TEDxYouth event

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Laura Tudose, an ESL teacher at a bilingual high school in Romania and Student Talks facilitator for over 7 years.

Here, she speaks with TED-Ed’s Senior Community Manager, Peter Maccario, about her years as a facilitator, the lasting community the group creates, and the importance of letting students take ownership of their learning experience:

Peter Maccario (PM): Tell us about your school and your role there.

Laura Tudose (LT): Miguel de Cervantes Bilingual High School is a Spanish bilingual theoretical high school in Bucharest, Romania. Our students study Spanish as a first foreign language and then English. My role here is that of an English teacher. I teach English mainly to high school students, and coordinate the TED-Ed Student Talks group with my fellow teachers.

PM: Can you tell us about the students that attend your school and make up the Student Talks group?

LT: The TED-Ed group is a way for students to express themselves more. We have other after-school clubs in our high school but this one is more appealing to them. Every year we have students coming to our group, and more than 80 or 90% of them don’t leave the group. Even if they graduated, they are still coming to our meetings from time to time. They made friends, and they like sharing ideas, talking about a subject that they are interested in as opposed to, for example, the debate club. It’s more personalized. We always try to emphasize that we never know what the outcome will be at the end of the school year, and it’s up to them to get involved in the meetings. We encourage the students to be the leaders of the meetings and to get involved. We, the facilitators, don’t tell them, “do this” or “do that,” unless they need some help. Some come to overcome their shyness, or they are introverted people trying to find friends in a warm environment. We don’t judge them. The Romanian system can be a little bit rigid, so our club is trying to get them out of that formality of a class.

Cervantes participants getting their certificates

PM: How did you implement TED-Ed Student Talks into the school? Did it feel like it fit already within what you do, or did you have to adapt?

LT: We were familiar with TED Talks; we used them in English class. Then we learned about TED-Ed Student Talks back in 2017 and our principal was very open to new ideas. We had a group of students who knew about TED Talks, and the Student Talks was a way to take it a step further. So we started with those students, and we had no idea what to expect or how it would evolve. We are in a more rigid educational system, so it’s not easy to make students get out of that format of being told what to do, and we also had to learn how to communicate better as facilitators.

“It’s up to them to get involved in the meetings. We encourage the students to be the leaders of the meetings and to get involved.”

PM: Do you have a stand-out moment of your time leading the Student Talks program that you’d like to highlight?

LT: I always think of one TED-Ed talk in particular. It was with my first generation of students in the group, and delivered by a student who was, and is still, passionate about the environment. She spoke about an extinct species, the blue parrot. I remember this talk because I truly believe that it was something that defined the student. It’s been many years and she is still an activist. So, she’s followed this passion and it’s also become her job. Another highlight is that we have a special place in Bucharest — a cafe we go to. We extend the invitation to current students and our graduates, and they keep coming!

Program participants

PM: What skills have you seen your students improve the most going through these activities and the program?

LT: First it’s the communication skills. Specifically, the skills that they need to be open when communicating ideas and giving feedback. Not being afraid to speak up or speak their minds. I see this with every group — some are shy or they don’t know each other. But once they become comfortable with each other, feel relaxed and not judged by the others, they open up. Second, it’s the happiness that I see on their faces. At the school event, everybody is happy that they’ve reached the end, and [performing] in front of their families, friends, and teachers, they stand out. Not all of them will have that sense of achievement in high school, but with this event they have it.

“Once they became comfortable with each other, felt relaxed and not judged by the others, they opened up. [They’re] not afraid to speak up or speak their minds.”

PM: What tips or words of wisdom would you share with someone that’s considering starting a TED-Ed Student Talks group?

LT: At the high school age, it’s important to empower them to talk about everything openly, letting them take the lead, and taking a step back. Also, I think that with the Idea Journal, it was really important that they had the copies printed out, so they have it as a real journal. Whereas if we let them work with their phones or digitally, they might not have the materials organized. With the printed version, they can actually go back to what they said in the first sessions and keep track of their progress. Without it, they’re more disorganized and may forget what was discussed in our last meeting, since we meet every two weeks.

Student group art

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Archana Mohan, co-founder of Bookosmia, India’s largest free and open digital platform for children.

Here, she speaks with TED-Ed’s Senior Community Manager, Peter Maccario, about how the Student Talks program aligned with her platform’s goal to give children a space to share their voices, and how they were able to adapt the activities to the unique needs of their students and the online setting:

Peter Maccario (PM): Tell us about Bookosmia, your role, and the students you’re serving there.

Archana Mohan (AM): I co-founded Bookosmia with Nidhi Mishra. We’ve both always been interested in the intersection of children, literature, education, and young voices. As we became parents ourselves, we thought that there should be a place where our children’s thoughts could also have space. And that’s Bookosmia: a free, open website for all children to submit their stories, poems, essays, artwork, any kind of expression. It’s a digital publishing platform that gives a certificate to every child who writes to us.

PM: How did Bookosmia get involved with the Student Talks program? 

AM: We saw the wonderful work that TED-Ed was doing with the exact same motive of having young people speak out, helping give them the voice and the structure to do so. We loved the idea and applied to be facilitators. I think it’s our third year now. And the most striking fact for us has been how unifying TED-Ed has been, how universal its ideas are, and the Idea Journal remains everybody’s favorite. They’re always talking about it!

“TED-Ed is not just about public speaking — it’s where you learn new things about new people.”

PM: How did you implement Student Talks into Bookosmia, and how did it fit into what you were already doing as a digital platform?

AM: At the beginning, we had these wonderful meetings that TED-Ed set up with other facilitators who were just starting out, where we could talk to the previous educators and ask questions. I was a bit worried because for most people, the [Student Talks groups] were being done in one place, like a school or a community center. They actually meet the [students] in person and that’s how these programs run. But I knew that for us that wouldn’t work. We knew we wanted to have our young friends from tier three schools and cities also join us. Limiting it to a physical space would automatically cut out all those children, which we thought wasn’t fair because they were already interacting with us. We wanted to do this online, so the first thing we did was assess how we could integrate this best with an online structure. The best part was all of the Student Talks activities were so flexible with what you could do in a classroom, whether online or offline. Doing the group online brought in so many diverse perspectives that I think would have been lost if we had only done it in one community center where all children go to similar schools, or come from similar income groups, or have similar backgrounds. Because we were talking to children from various parts of the country from different backgrounds, the richness of the conversation was definitely improved.

Students participate in the online Student Talks activities

PM: How were you able to start getting the students invested in the program?

AM: There’s a great activity [in the Student Talks curriculum] called “What is in your water?” which asks students to think about what they’re passionate about. What I love about that activity is no one has ever asked these children what they’re passionate about. Most people don’t think to ask children that. They ask “what are your hobbies?” Or, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Those are two common things that children get asked, but they’re never asked what they’re really passionate about, or what makes them happy. That’s what we were focusing on when we started out: getting the children to understand themselves better, then helping them understand their classmates who were all from different places. We break the ice through a lot of activities, and each of our sessions starts with something fun. I think a lot of our program takes off from where TED-Ed starts, but then we use a localized approach which children are more familiar with.

PM: What other adjustments have you made to adapt the program to your students’ needs?

AM: There is a notion that TED-Ed is an exclusive club, and I loved how we broke that down. When you tell people you’re a TED speaker, there’s value in it. But it can be a bit intimidating — the students think, “am I good enough?” From the beginning we wanted to ensure that that thought doesn’t creep into their heads. The activities at the start of the program, where students talk about their strengths, draw themselves, and write about how they’re feeling before giving a talk, we loved those and we spoke about them together. So many children said to us, “I have never given a speech in public. I’m nervous to talk and I’m an introvert.” And we realized that those were just labels that these children had heard from other people that unfortunately they had now co-opted with their personalities. And to remove these barriers for them, we showed them examples of other TED-Ed speakers. One talk we always show is from a young girl, Molly Wright. She  talks about the power of connection, and shows them that anyone can be a speaker; whatever age you are, whoever you are, you’re able to do that.

Another thing that we did if people were not comfortable on video was suggest podcasting. They went through the same process, developing a throughline, listening to talks, making outlines and everything, but they did their final talk as a podcast. It was just audio, they focused on the delivery of the speech and this allowed them to be in a comfortable space without anyone watching. Once they were comfortable in that setting, they realized they knew their talk, and the video portion just became an extension of that.

Prabhgeet giving her talk about embracing grief

PM: If you were to pick one standout moment from your time leading TED-ED Student Talks with your students, what would you highlight and why?

AM: First, I love watching them let go of their inhibitions. Second, shedding the labels that have been associated with them, either by other people or by themselves. Third, watching them learn that they and their classmates have so many unrealized skills. TED-Ed is not just about public speaking — it’s where you learn new things about new people. For example, we watched the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie TED Talk about the danger of a single story. I can’t tell you how many young people come back and say that whenever they see someone who’s different from them, or they have a prejudiced thought about them, this talk immediately comes to mind. I love how they’re able to associate those talks and use it in real life. In school, they’ve had to write essays for their classes and they’ll tell us about them saying, “in my throughline, I did this.” So they’re using the process in their schoolwork, and I think that’s only possible with a program like TED-Ed that lays out the whole process clearly. By the end of the program, the students know exactly where they need humor, where they need the hook, what they want to convey, and how to conclude.

“Anyone can be a speaker; whatever age you are, whoever you are, you’re able to do that.”

PM: You’ve spoken about a sense of confidence and building new perspectives, are there other skills you’ve seen improved by the program?

AM: Confidence has been the number one change. The second is language. English is not their first language, so while they are able to communicate quite well in English, there is also the question of “what words should I use?” One great learning has been that the simpler the language, the more it reaches people. Also, authenticity and agency are things that they have gotten introduced to. They understand that they are citizens, they have rights, and can speak up and their opinion counts. When children are taught these values, they automatically feel like they are heard and they feel valued. I think it dramatically improves how they look at things. All of this is linked to the program.

PM: What has been the most challenging part of implementing Student Talks online, and how did you overcome it?

AM: Having everybody on the same page when you’re online can be difficult. We can’t all talk at the same time, it’s too noisy. So, you have to mute people and then let each person speak. Luckily, young people are very mindful of how they conduct their online lessons, and so they understand.

Mitali giving her talk about unconscious gender bias

PM: What words of wisdom would you share with someone considering Student Talks for their students or classrooms?

AM: Keep it light and have activities that speak to the children, things that they identify with. Always start with a fun activity. One of the most fun activities we do is create your own meme. We take standard meme templates, and have them write in their own memes and they love it. We also take video of people talking, mute the audio, and ask the students to come up with their own script. What this does is make the whole atmosphere unserious, which you really need to do when you’re talking to young people. Get them invested in the activity, and then make them think.

For anyone considering the program, I would say absolutely go for it. There’s a lot to learn — not just for these young people, but also for the instructors. I think everyone benefits from listening to these young people and their fresh ideas. It’s a win for everyone.

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here, here, here, here, and here.

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Cynthia Dagmara Payes, Regina Blanco, and Violeta Morales, educators from the Instituto Guatemalteco Americano (IGA) School, a bicultural institute in Guatemala.

Here, they speak with TED-Ed’s Programs Manager, Sasha Rudenko, about integrating the program into the school’s curriculum and how it helped their students develop community, motivation, and responsibility:

Sasha Rudenko (SR): Tell us about the IGA School, your role, and your students.

Cinthya Dagmara Payes (CDP): The Instituto Guatemalteco Americano (IGA) is a bicultural institute joining the best of two cultures. We have an American culture program and we also have the curriculum from Guatemala. This is a private school where students who want to grow, learn a little bit more, and go further with the English language.

SR: How did you implement TED-Ed Student Talks into IGA? How did the program fit into what you were already doing?

CDP: We had a public speaking course here at IGA because we wanted students to develop oral skills and have them share their ideas to an audience. Then [I came across] the program on the internet, I subscribed and received a newsletter every week and it said “do you want to join the TED-Ed community?” and I was very excited to do that. So, I applied and when we got confirmed, had access to the materials and were welcomed to the community, we were very, very excited. Regina was the first teacher who helped me with reading, getting engaged with the materials, the worksheets, and working with the first group of students.

Regina Blanco (RB): Our role is to be coaches to the students and [this year] we worked with seniors to prepare their talks. We divided the Student Talks manual among the four units we have at the school, and at the end of each unit they have an oral exam based on the Talks curriculum. So within their courses, they have TED-Ed — they have philosophy, they have seminar, they have math, and within those courses we use TED-Ed. We had it as an extracurricular, but now that we also have it within the curriculum, they’re excited to work on it and have new class content.

Students participate in the Student Talks activities

SR: If you were to pick one standout moment from your time leading TED-Ed Student Talks, what would you highlight?

RB: Something that I really love is when we see our students standing up in the theater and projecting and sharing their life experiences. That is rewarding for us because this is a challenge for them. When they are able to share, are secure, and don’t have problems with the English presentation. Our students have a high level of English, but the critical thinking that they develop in the English language is incredible. When they share that, their peers in the theater think, “my god I want to be like them!”

Another thing that we really admire is that they develop the responsibility to attend and participate in the extracurricular. They have to be on time, and complete the tasks [after finishing a full school day], and sometimes they are tired and might not want to attend. But they develop the responsibility because it’s worth it to them. They develop that consciousness about the importance of attending every single class, and that is something remarkable. They start on the very first day, attend the whole year, and then they present the talk— and behind all of that is responsibility.

Violeta Morales (VM): It was really nice to see them present their ideas, talk about their experiences, and see that they were very proud after their presentation. They felt very happy and I was very pleased to see middle school students participating for the first time in this event getting so excited.

CDP: I would say that something remarkable for me is to see them empowered and overcoming the fear of standing in front of a big audience. We had 300 students in the theater. It’s not easy to just stand in front of 300 students and share your life experiences. So seeing each of them sharing a special story, their own story, that they wanted to present and that they wanted to motivate others with was really special. And celebrating ideas in the theater with the whole community. We closed the year with a very sweet taste [knowing] that we did a good job with them and that they learned a lot.

“Our students realized that to overcome their fear of speaking and sharing personal experiences, they had to practice, practice, practice. And now they feel more confident and excited to present.”

SR: We’ve talked about confidence, empowerment, and that important moment of being on stage. What other skills have you seen students improve the most going through the activities?

CDP: I would say empathy. Once they hear someone else’s story, they generate that link with the person. Many of them identify with each other’s stories because they have been through similar things, and then they feel they are not alone. They feel like they’ve been there, it also happened to them, and there is a way to overcome it. And I think this is one of the things the TED-Ed program provides, not just for the students but for the community. Because when we celebrate their stories [at the end of the year event], the whole community is paying attention, is engaged, is happy to see them, and many of them identify with the ideas and the experiences.

A student performs her final talk at the end of year event

SR: For you as facilitators, what has been the most challenging part about implementing Student Talks? And how did you overcome that challenge?

RB: When we start and during the process, the students have to learn how to stop and remember their past life experiences. And sometimes it’s not easy because they don’t want to go back to certain situations, but they have to take that time to look inside of themselves. At the end, they realize it is a worthy part of the process. Because through those experiences, positive or negative, they are better people. So, we have to work with them during those activities and help them see that they don’t have to be shy or nervous.

VM: I agree. Also motivating them, because some of them come to class and they are shy. We have to motivate them to continue speaking, and to share their experiences with other students. So we try to do that during the year and do activities for them to feel comfortable and happy to be in the program.

“Be passionate about the program. If you are passionate about the program [it] motivates the students, because you are motivated.”

SR: For somebody who is thinking about bringing the Student Talks program to their students, what tips would you share about how to approach it and set it up?

RB: It is important to highlight community. We work within communities and when they develop that sense of belonging, it becomes their safe place. And it’s easier to develop and form their skills. So that is something that is very, very important to visualize: the community that they might have. Making a safe place and a friendly place where they can be relaxed, they can share, and nobody is going to question them.

CDP: As a facilitator, it’s important to read all the materials to get engaged, but also to be passionate about the program. If you are passionate about the program then you’ll take the energy to the next level. And taking it to the next level motivates the students, because you are motivated and they see you being engaged with it. Something else we did was we gave them a pin, and having this pin is very important for them. They know that not everybody has one of these, and that they are special because they took on the challenge of being in the program. If they get one of these, they are brave for taking on the challenge of sharing, of learning, of growing. We gave them a pin and some t-shirts, and that gave them an identity with the community, with the program, with the institution. They feel they are a part of a whole and it makes them feel special, which is also key for this process.

VM: Adding to what you said, giving them pins and t-shirts after their presentation made them feel very proud. I think that helped a lot for this year’s students because many have asked me when the program is going to start because they want to participate. They really got motivated by seeing the other students and they want to be part of the same club.

CDP: A pencil, a pin, a t-shirt. As little as it seems, it’s something special for them. It makes them feel special. That’s a good thing.

IGA Students who presented their talks in November 2024

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here, here, here, and here.