Dates for the 2014 TEDxWyandotte announced

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- TEDxWyandotte is returning to Kansas City, Kan., in February.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, February 20 at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Performing Arts Center. It will feature approximately six presenters speaking on the theme “Idea Generation(s): Exploring what spurs innovative ideas.”  Breakfast and refreshments will be served.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event.

Presenters include Beth Nybeck, visionary, artist and sculptor.  Nybeck’s metal masterpieces have been created for places like Concourse Park in Kansas City, Mo.; John Wayne International Airport in Orange County, Calif.; the National Special Olympic Torch and Lincoln, Neb., just to name a few. She lives and works in the Crossroads Arts District located in the heart of Kansas City. It is her belief that artwork has the ability to influence people, communities and the world at large. Nybeck uses her passion in sculpting metal to connect her ideas to those around her. For more information, visit her website at www.bethnybeck.com/site/Site.html) .

Tyrone Flowers is scheduled to be another presenter. It was just two weeks before his high school graduation when he was shot three times by a basketball teammate. The shooting left him in a wheelchair, and faced with decisions about his future with limited use of his body, he chose to use his mind. Flowers uses his law degree and his personal experience triumphing over adversity to help high-risk urban youth. His personal experiences and his careful study of the juvenile justice system and various youth organizations inspired him to create Higher M-Pact, a community-based organization dedicated to transforming today’s high-risk urban youth into tomorrow’s leaders. More information is available at www.highermpact.org/our-story/our-founder.

Laura Isaac has chosen to explore the research of Dr. Anders Ericsson and the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of directed practice to become an expert at something. She had absolutely no experience with knitting prior to beginning this project in February 2011. With “10,000 Hours,” Laura shares the entire process of her knitting journey. She is opening up every aspect of the project, from thoughts and emotions to straight-forward documentation of her mistakes and accomplishments. Offering herself and her time in the spirit of exploration and discovery, she hopes she can learn about how people pursue goals, acquire skills, and even how people identify themselves. Read more about Isaac at www.lauraisaac.com/LauraIsaac/Home.html.

Additional presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. To register, visit KCKCC’s website at www.kckcc.edu. Select “Workforce Development” on the Quicklinks and then TEDx Registration. The cost of the event is $15. Schools are more than welcome to attend as well as companies who have an interest in bringing employees.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/TEDxWyandotte. Information is also available by contacting Shari L. Wilson, TEDxWyandotte Organizer and Project Central at sharilea51@gmail.com or 913-269-3022 or Marisa Gray, TEDxWyandotte Organizing Committee and KCKCC staff member at mcgray@kckcc.edu or 913-288-7284.

First TEDxWyandotte attracts 150 for star-studded speakers

With an all-star lineup of presenters, a crowd of 150 persons turned out for the first TEDx-Wyandotte at Kansas City Kansas Community College April 2.

“A great first TEDx with inspiring take-aways,” said Jay Matlack, Coordinator of Workforce Development at KCKCC. “As one of ours speakers, Mary B. Lucas, said, ‘Its all about the comeback sauce.’ – we look forward to growing TEDxWyandotte so that there may be a second one some day.”

Founded originally as Technology, Engineering and Design 25 years ago, TEDx today is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like-experience.

Eight presenters speaking on the “Core Impact: Exploring Ideas that Enrich a Community” were on hand for KCKCC’s first TEDx.

The presenters included Mike Brown, founder of The Brainzooming Group and thought leader focusing on what makes a diverse, enriched community; Adam Arredondo, co-founder and CEO of the arts and culture website, “Local Ruckus;” Sheri Hall, the fonder of Spoken Purpose; and Brett Ramey, who reconnects young people to the land through on-the-ground food sovereignty and public art projects.