By: Youeal Abera
TEDxSFU: Uncharted comprised an eclectic group of speakers, each offering rich insights from a wide array of ideological (and even philosophical) schools of thoughts. Each speaker had 30–45 minutes to present ideas that, in theory, could help solve some of humanity’s fundamental issues.
However, within the eight-hour timespan of TEDxSFU: Uncharted, two presenters stood out. Their enlightening material, dynamic discourse, and charming charisma made them the highlights of the stimulating conference.
Jackie Kay Ellis
One of the night’s most inspiring voices, Jackie Kay Ellis stirred the audience with her moving story. As the author of The Measure Of My Powers: a memoir of food, misery and Paris, she shared her experiences with mental health, and how she discovered the strength needed to persevere in her life.
Ellis told us that, in a time where she didn’t want to live, a small incentive that motivated her to keep going would be the chocolate chip cookie she’d have each day. Soon, Ellis began baking and sharing her baked goods with friends and family. Ultimately, as evidenced by her Vancouver-based establishment, Beaucoup Bakery, Ellis started working within the culinary world so that the same treats that helped her in her darkest moments could assist others in theirs.
As a result of her bravery and congeniality, Jackie Kai Ellis was certainly a fan favourite.
Cicely-Belle Blain:
Cicely-Belle Blain, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter – Vancouver, gave an electrifying presentation which centred on the importance of intersectionality within the Black community.
In courageously sharing their experiences of racism and homophobia while in Vancouver, Cicely-Belle spoke about how essential it is for Black individuals to create and occupy spaces that celebrate and protect the intersectional demographics within their collective Afrocentric community. When creating Vancouver’s chapter of Black Lives Matter, Cicely-Belle kept this desire of intersectional inclusion in mind.
As an individual who who is part of both the LGBTQ+ and Afrocentric community, Cicely-Belle used their presentation to educate and enlighten the audience on just how much further Vancouver still needs to go to eradicate racist and homophobic ideologies.
Although Jackie Kay Ellis and Cicely-Belle Blain were two highlights at this year’s TEDxSFU event, there were a number of other great presentations given by equally greater individuals individuals. Here are some honourable mentions from the conference:
Honourable Mentions:
Greg Durrell
Greg Durrell, a partner at Hulse & Durrell (a design firm based in Vancouver), emphasized the significance of logos and how integral they can be for the marketing success of businesses and corporations. Greg also used his presentation to give a detailed history lesson on how Canada’s flag arrived at its current design.
Roshan Noronha
The scientist gave a memorable presentation on the significance of insects, and how they are the key to resolving a number of our ecological issues. For example, Roshan stated that instead of fish farmers feeding their stock with fishmeal, providing their fish with mealworms could have a positive impact on the dire issue of overfishing. The founder of the student-facilitated research group EnTomorrow even ate insects live on stage!
