STATEMENT 30/07/2021
Albany Town Hall | 29 January 2022
Theme – Evolve
If the world can’t come to Albany, why not take Albany to the world?
This is the thinking behind TEDxKinjarling, an independently organised event based on the tradition of TED Talks. A TEDx licence was secured earlier this year by Albany resident Kristen Pyrz-Brown, who was keen to recognise the city’s indigenous heritage by naming the conference in the Noongar tradition.
Mrs Pyrz-Brown said she was inspired to form a committee of passionate locals to volunteer their time to plan TEDxKinjarling for January 2022 because she had seen the potential of those she had met in her new home town.
“TEDx events are about sparking deep discussions and connections. When I settled in Albany after living in very different towns and cities around the world and began meeting some truly inspiring people, it became evident there were more than a few ideas worth spreading in this community,” she said.
“I approached the City of Albany, who reached out to members of the local indigenous community, receiving their support in naming the event after Kinjarling, the Noongar name for Albany. I’m so pleased that so many people have been supportive of this idea and that local Noongar people are keen to share elements of their culture for such a high calibre, collaboratively planned speaking event.”
TEDx Kinjarling will be held at the Albany Town Hall on 29 January, 2022 including live webcast contributions and inclusion in the TEDx global online network. Expressions of interest from speakers are sought immediately on the topic: Evolve.
“The process for planning a TEDx requires potential speakers to undergo an audition process. While this may sound daunting, it allows us to assist potential speakers with coaching and will enable us to curate the highest quality, most comprehensive offering possible. We know there are many ideas in the community that are worth sharing with a wider audience – even on the world stage,” Mrs Pyrz-Brown said. “With coaching assistance available to help people master public speaking, there’s no reason why some of those really inspiring ideas from our region should not make an impact in a global sense.”
The TEDxKinjarling event now has the backing of a diverse and experienced voluntary committee, all of them keen to present world-class thought leadership from the Great Southern of Western Australia to the world. Interest has already been expressed in presenting at the event but a strict criteria must be met to ensure the event remains non-commercial in nature.
“It’s not just blind luck that Albany is where my family and I have chosen to settle,” Mrs Pyrz-Brown said. “This is a fortunate community in that it’s home to many people who have traveled the world and found their place here. We live in a city built on Noongar country with a rich indiginous heritage, a place where Australian troops gathered in preparation for overseas deployment and a region which has been extremely fortunate to avoid the worst of a worldwide pandemic. All of this has local and global implications.
“The committee agrees that there is a lot we can learn from one another and, equally, a lot we can share with the world at large.
“We encourage and welcome you to help us make this an event which marks Albany’s place on the world map and shows the breadth of ideas and knowledge gathered here, in the Great Southern of Western Australia.”
For more information on how to become a TEDxKinjarling speaker, visit tedxkinjarling.com or email tedxkinjarling@gmail.com.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today’s leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED’s annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
TED’s open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the TED Translators Program, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a “wish,” or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
Follow TED on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
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. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
Behind TEDxKinjarling
TEDxKinjarling is run by a committee of local volunteers and speaking coaches. Committee members include Kristen Pyrz-Brown, Karen Timmins, Tim Maisey, Kriss Logan, Anne Sparrow, Stuart Roberts and Matt Beamish.