Sophie Hayssen is a student from New York City and an intern at Clover Letter. After attending TED-Ed Weekend, she wrote about the event. Read Sophie’s letter below:

After years of watching TED videos, I have accumulated many favorite talks whose lessons have stuck with me and changed the way I perceived the world. However, at TED-Ed Weekend, the experience of seeing TED Talks live and by people my own age was more visceral and inspiring than anything I had seen onscreen. In our second workshop of the day, my group was asked to describe what TED meant to them. As one of the few attendees who was not a member of a TED-Ed Club, the Saturday conference was the only experience I had with TED IRL. I thought about the answer to my workshop leader’s question, and asked myself why those morning talks had moved me so much.

I am exposed to ideas daily from interactions with teachers, parents, friends; but what makes some forms of communication more meaningful than others? The best answer I could come up with was that while many of us young people have interesting — or even world-changing — ideas, it can be challenging to express those ideas in ways that effectively reach other people. It’s hard to convey feeling through something as concrete and limited as language, but this is where most of the TED-Ed Weekend talks excelled. Because the talks were so carefully considered and geared toward the audience, I found myself getting excited about topics I had very little knowledge of, or didn’t even know existed before the conference. Even more impressive was how the topics ranged so widely from the importance of loving your natural hair to the benefits of solar energy.

In addition to TED’s power to help students articulate and organize their ideas, TED offers students a unique platform to share their stories. I’ve heard adult after adult complain, either in news articles or in person, about how the art of listening is lost on my generation, but the TED-Ed Clubs format flies in the face of that accusation. As I watched the talks, it was really refreshing to surrender my attention completely to the speaker and not have the pressure of having to respond immediately. Instead, I could just let the talk sink in and process it on my own. This relationship between the audience and the speaker defines the TED experience as both communal and personal. That is what TED means to me.

Author bio: Sophie Hayssen is a student from New York City and an intern at Clover Letter. When she’s not studying, she spends her time wandering aimlessly through bookstores and wasting away her youth watching Netflix. You can read more of her writing here.

TED-Ed Weekend is just like the official TED conference, except for one thing: it’s dedicated to student voice.

At the June 2017 TED-Ed Weekend, thousands of people tuned in via the livestream and Facebook Live to watch students take the mic at TED Headquarters in New York City. On stage, students shared ideas about everything from ADHD and the human mind, to solar energy and ocean clean-up. Off stage, students participated in hands-on workshops about creativity, VR, and animation.

Below, meet some of the TED-Ed Weekend June 2017 student speakers on their journey from TED-Ed Clubs to TED Headquarters:

Then, watch how TED-Ed Weekend June 2017 student attendees animated playful audience reactions to TED Talks — aka That Feeling When, or TFW — using a technique called pixillation:

To learn more about the impact of TED-Ed Weekend, watch how students describe the experience of coming together from TED-Ed Clubs around the world to share ideas:

If you missed this TED-Ed Weekend, don’t worry! There will be future opportunities to get involved in amplifying student voice. Each TED-Ed Weekend event features an amazing lineup of student speakers from around the globe. In addition to sharing ideas, student attendees have the opportunity to connect with experts, learn valuable new skills, explore ideas that matter, join hands-on media and animation workshops, and form lasting friendships within the global TED student community.

Questions about how to get involved with the next TED-Ed Weekend event? Email us at tededweekends@ted.com.

~The TED-Ed Team

To learn more about how TED-Ed celebrates and amplifies student voices, or to start your own TED-Ed Club, go to ed.ted.com/clubs.

It’s almost time: TED-ED WEEKEND RETURNS on JUNE 17, 2017! To watch the show and cheer on the speakers during the event, grab some friends and tune in to the livestream here.

​For those of you who haven’t heard, TED-Ed Weekend (TEW)​ is designed to bring the voices of TED-Ed Club Members to the TED stage in New York City. This event is just like the official TED conference, except for one thing: the audience, session leaders and speakers are all members of TED-Ed Clubs.

Here’s the TED-Ed Weekend June 2017 speaker lineup:

Arie Nyoman is an 11th grade student from Denpasar, Bali. Coming from a tropical island, the sun has always inspired him; that’s why he decided to talk about solar energy. Arie is a proud alum of Bali’s Model United Nations. When he’s not debating world issues, you can find him playing tennis, or laughing with his friends.

Darlene Gitta Hamida is a 10th grade student from Depok, Indonesia. She joined TED-Ed because she thought it was time to use her voice to contribute to a better future. She chose her topic simply by asking herself, “What do I like?” Gitta is proud of who she is: a connoisseur of modern day heroes, a secret fashionista, and an appreciator of her friends’ classroom antics.

Haaziq Kazi is a 5th grade student from Pune, India. A documentary he watched, about the effects of pollution and trash on marine life, made him think: “I have to do something about this.” Haaziq is passionate about crowdfunding a library for underprivileged children in his community. What makes him laugh: reading jokes and books like Tintin.

India Hawkins is a 12th grade student from Richmond, Virginia. Her hair is a small piece of her everyday truth. India created a confidence workshop at the YWCA for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Even though she wasn’t alive when it first aired on television, the 90’s sitcom Martin always makes her laugh.

Jaerin Jo is a senior from Busan, South Korea. After participating in a debate competition about AI in school, she wanted to know how to effectively integrate AI with human judgment. When she’s not imagining how robots will affect the world’s justice systems, you can find Jaerin playing piano, badminton or watching comedy shows on TV.

James Phillips is a junior from Torrance, California, but his family is originally from Clevedon, a small town in England. He chose to talk about overcoming ADHD because in many ways it was his life story, molding the relationships in his life. James spends a lot of time volunteering for the American Red Cross Club at his school, playing chess, and longboarding.

Jessica Guimarães is a senior from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jessica is fascinated by the amount of time we humans spend dreaming. This fascination led to her talk. Jessica is incredibly proud of her relationships with her friends and family. She spends as much time as she can with them — and loves to have her favorite “English songs” playing in the background.

Michael Mireles is a senior from Mission, Texas. He is constantly inspired by others to work toward positive change and bettering the community. Michael loves meeting new people, exploring new foods, and making jokes — something he plans to do a lot of at TED-Ed Weekend!

Thiago Schneider Martins is a senior from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Thiago is proud to have the opportunity to raise awareness about the harmful consequences of the excessive use of antibiotics. Most people don’t know this, but Thiago is an excellent teacher. He loves to hear stories from friends about what Brazilians do when traveling abroad — and plans to create some of his own stories at TED-Ed Weekend!

Trishna Bindu is a 12th grade Indian student studying in Bali, Indonesia. For her talk, Trishna chose to share a personal experience with a topic that has always beguiled her — the human mind. In addition to TED-Ed Clubs, she spends her time doing Model UN and tutoring at an orphanage. Trishna loves singing and has a secret talent for drawing chibi characters.

Applications for this TED-Ed Weekend are now closed, but don’t worry — there will be more event opportunities in the future! We can’t wait for more TED-Ed Club Members from around the world to join us here at TED HQ​.

~The TED-Ed Team

Email us at tededweekends@ted.com with any questions.

To learn more about the TED-Ed Clubs program or to create your own club, visit TED-Ed Clubs.

TED-Ed Weekends are designed to amplify the voices of TED’s next generation and celebrate the TED-Ed Clubs community. During a TED-Ed Weekend event, student attendees enjoy a full day of inspiring ideas, interactive workshops, and riveting TED Talks in the newly created theater at TED Headquarters in New York City. Below, check out the amazing youth speaker lineup for the first TED-Ed Weekend event, which happened on December 3, 2016:

Ashton Cofer is a 9th grader in Columbus, Ohio. Last year, his FIRST Robotics team won the Google Science Fair for developing a process to convert Styrofoam waste into activated carbon for purifying water. Ashton also has three patents under his name.

Irfhana Zakir Hussain attends high school in Fremont, California. She is a proud volunteer youth educator at the International Tamil Academy and even helped plan the opening ceremony of the Global Diaspora Tamil Education Conference. As a young Muslim woman, she has experienced discrimination concerning her religion. Irfhana decided to share her ideas via TED-Ed Clubs after realizing that, unfortunately, she was not alone.

Sean Fredella is a 10th grader in Mountain Brook, Alabama. He’s proud to say that he has met the New York Yankees and talked with the legendary Derek Jeter. In the past eight years, Sean has battled cancer four times. Today, his goal is to help find a cure for pediatric cancer by raising awareness through sports.

Gabriela Shimako recently graduated from Asociación Escuelas Lincoln International School in Argentina, where she was a proud member of TED-Ed Clubs. As a feminist, Gabriela is passionate about updating public knowledge about feminism.

Jim Patrick is a 2nd grade student in San Diego, California. He chose to talk about math for his talk because he feels it is important for kids to understand how it works and why they should learn it in school. One thing that always makes Jim laugh? The funny creations on scratch.com.

Estée Park is a first-year student at the University of Notre Dame. Previously, she attended high school in Atlanta, Georgia, where she helped her soccer team win a state championship. Estée loves kayaking and is passionate about gender equality and pro soccer — two ideas that come together beautifully in her TED-Ed Weekend talk.

Ryan Ng attends high school in Penang, Malaysia. Ryan has always been interested in public speaking and debating, but what really jumpstarted his love of TED Talks was seeing Adora Svitak on stage. Ryan also loves art, calligraphy, and urban sketching expeditions.

Jaleah Colbert is a 7th grade student in Atlanta, Georgia. As a young film director and movie maker, Jaleah encourages all kids to be creative and independent — and to go for their dreams. One thing that always makes Jaleah laugh? Unplanned funny incidents.

Enzo Cox is a 4th grade homeschool student in South Carolina. A young maker and shaker, Enzo loves creating video games, acting in the theatre, and doing improv. He is also a drummer, and has been playing the drums since he was 3.

Esha Karthi Raj is an 8th grade student in Bangalore, India. She loves art, sports and cooking. As a young chef, Esha has learned many life lessons in the kitchen. In her TED-Ed Weekend talk, she shares a few of her favorite ideas.

Jasper Coombes-Watkins is a 13-year-old student in Australia. He enjoys playing video games and proudly claims he can finish a 600-page book in less than a week. When he’s not reading or gaming, you can find Jasper studying other topics, including martial arts.

Brett Lewis attends high school in Birmingham, Alabama. As a TED-Ed Club Member, he is thrilled to speak about an idea he loves: the power of peer helpers. One thing that always puts a smile on his face? Making other people smile.

Analia Wu was first introduced to TED Talks by her high school English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina. No stranger to culture shock, Analia is now a first-year student at the University of Michigan, where she is thrilled to study entrepreneurship.

Aishwarya Chodankar is a 12th grade student in Mumbai, India. She loves learning and has a keen interest in Bharatanatyam Classical dancing. One movie that always makes her laugh? Minions.

Petrina Nomikou was born in Greece and currently attends high school in Argentina. She joined her school’s TED-Ed Club because of her passion for learning new languages, and in her TED-Ed Weekend talk, Petrina examines the ways that language can shape thought. In her spare time, you might find Petrina banging on her drum set or chuckling at sarcasm.

Olivia Chapman is an 8th grade student in Kirksville, Missouri. She joined TED-Ed Clubs as part of her school’s gifted and talented program. In her talk, Olivia examines the differences between equality and equity in education. One thing that makes her laugh? Bad voice impressions.

Anika Paulson is a first-year student at the University of Minnesota. In high school, Anika joined a TED-Ed Club because she wanted to experience the journey of creating her own TED Talk. She loves music and plays three instruments: guitar, bass and ukelele.

TED-Ed Weekend events are for students in TED-Ed Clubs. Apply to start a TED-Ed Club now so you don’t miss out on TED-Ed Weekends in 2017! To learn more about the TED-Ed Clubs program or to create your own club, visit TED-Ed Clubs.

TED-Ed Weekend events are special gatherings that bring together students from around the world for a chance to take over TED Headquarters in New York City. TED hands over the stage to the world’s youth for inspiring performances, hands-on workshops, and riveting TED Talks delivered by members of TED-Ed’s Student Talks program.

Cool, an event series celebrating students! What should we expect?

TED-Ed Weekends feature an amazing lineup of youth speakers from around the globe. In addition to experiencing great Talks delivered on stage at TED Headquarters, attendees will get a chance to connect with experts, learn valuable new skills, explore ideas that matter, join interactive workshops, and form lasting friendships within the global TED student community.

How are the youth speakers selected?

The TED-Ed Team receives many video submissions of Talks given by members of the Student Talks program. After watching all of the nominated Talks, we invite some students to speak on THE big red circle at TED Headquarters in New York City. So if you have uploaded a Talk to our YouTube Channel, then you have officially applied to be a speaker at TED-Ed Weekend! Check out our Nomination Guidelines to learn more about what we look for when selecting speakers.

When does submission for TED-Ed Weekend close?

Video submissions are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis! Once speakers for an upcoming TED-Ed Weekend are publicly announced, the selection for that TED-Ed Weekend is complete. Any recorded Talks submitted after the announcement (or right before it) will be considered for the following TED-Ed Weekend event.

Awesome! Who can attend and be an audience member?

We built a theater in our office (crazy, right?), but it still has a limited number of seats. Participants within the TED-Ed Student Talks program receive an invitation to apply to join as audience members. After reviewing applications, the TED-Ed team invites select groups to attend in NYC. But if you haven’t been selected to attend in person, fear not! We have various ways you can join remotely (through our livestream or the TED World Theater) and we’ll update you about those remote options before the event!

Who can be a chaperone? How many students can one chaperone supervise?

An adult group leader, group advisor, or parent may be the chaperone for up to 5 students. If students are accepted, parents will receive more details regarding chaperones and guidelines for attendance of the event.

How do we get to New York City? Where do we stay?

TED-Ed Weekends are all-day events and free to attend. However, we cannot provide transportation to and from TED Headquarters in NYC, or lodging for attendees.

Sounds like an amazing opportunity. Can students fundraise to cover transportation and lodging costs for TED-Ed Weekend attendees?

Definitely! Students may need to fundraise to cover travel and lodging costs for TED-Ed Weekend attendees. (The all-day event itself is free to attend, and lunch is provided.) We encourage you to reach out to your principal or school board for advice on funding student opportunities such as TED-Ed Weekends. In addition, DonorsChoose can be a good way to gather fundraising dollars for student enrichment opportunities.

Wonderful! How do I apply to attend the event?

Participants within the TED-Ed Student Talks program receive an invitation to apply for attendance. After reviewing applications, the TED-Ed team invites select groups to attend in NYC. If you would like more information, email us at tededweekends@ted.com.

TED-Ed Weekend events are for students engaging with TED-Ed’s presentation literacy curriculum. Apply now so you don’t miss out on this series of events! To learn more, visit ed.ted.com/student_talks