TEDxAWC returns to Yuma in April 2025
October 21, 2024Speakers sought to discuss “Transform & Thrive” theme
Yuma, AZ (October 21, 2024) – The much-anticipated TEDxAWC is back for another exciting event! Mark your calendars for Friday, April 25, 2025, as Arizona Western College (AWC) hosts TEDxAWC, a platform for innovative ideas and inspiring stories.
The upcoming TEDxAWC will be held at the Historic Yuma Theatre, 254 S. Main Street. After the success of the inaugural event, next year’s theme, “Transform & Thrive,” will bring together faculty, staff, students, and members of the Yuma and La Paz County communities to discuss the power of transformation in overcoming challenges and unlocking growth.
“Our first event was a great success, and I’m excited to announce that we’re building on that momentum,” said Dr. Sara Amani, AWC Professor of Multilingual Composition/Specialist and Licensee/Director for TEDxAWC. “In our second TEDxAWC, we are expanding our event thanks to the Community Plus License, allowing us to welcome over 100 attendees. Attending TED Women in Atlanta, GA in October 2023 inspired me to push for this expanded license, and I’m excited to continue amplifying the voices within our community.”
TEDxAWC was first launched as part of the 2022 AWC Innovation Fund, which awarded funding to projects that would make meaningful impacts on the community. This time, TEDxAWC is seeking sponsorships to further enhance the event and continue its mission of promoting "ideas worth spreading."
The theme "Transform & Thrive" invites speakers to share stories of transformation—whether personal, professional, or societal—that have led to growth and thriving in the face of challenges. It encourages reflection on how change can inspire resilience and innovation.
Here’s how you can get involved:
TEDxAWC is looking for 8-10 speakers who can bring forward fresh ideas that will inspire and empower the audience. Whether you're a student, faculty, staff member, or community leader, you’re invited to submit your proposal and be part of this transformative event.
Submissions will be evaluated based on the strength of the idea and its alignment with the theme. Selected speakers will have the opportunity to rehearse with the speech coach to develop their presentations.
The TEDxAWC Proposal Submission Link can be found here. A great, well-formed idea can be one of two things:
- Something that’s new and surprising; an idea or invention that your audience has never heard about.
- A great basic idea (that your audience has maybe already heard) with a compelling new argument behind it that challenges beliefs and perspectives.
In other words, an idea is not just a story or a list of facts. A good idea takes certain evidence or observations and draws a larger conclusion.
Those interested in auditioning to be a TEDxAWC speaker should review TEDx Content Guidelines and TEDx Speaker Guidelines to prepare.
Below is the timeline:
- 250-word Proposal (Thesis and Basic Outline): December 8, 2024
- Acceptance/Rejection Emails: December 15, 2024
- Audition Video: January 5, 2025
- Acceptance/Rejection Emails: January 12, 2025
- First Meeting w/ Speech Coach & TEDxAWC Executive Board: Week of January 13, 2025
- First Rehearsals w/ Speech Coach: February 3-28, 2025
- Second Rehearsals: March 3-31, 2025
- Third Rehearsals: April 1-18, 2025
- Dress Rehearsals: April 21-24, 2025
- TEDxAWC Event: April 25, 2025
TEDxAWC is poised to showcase the ingenuity, creativity, and resilience of our community. Stay tuned for more information on how to purchase tickets for the event or attend the livestream. Thanks to the expanded Community Plus License, this event will accommodate a larger in-person audience.
“We are thrilled to be expanding our second TEDxAWC and welcoming even more members of our community to participate,” said Dr. Amani. “I can’t wait to see how our speakers inspire us with their ideas for transformation.”
Add this event to your calendar and follow TEDxAWC on Facebook and Instagram to help celebrate the incredible innovations and important ideas that will be featured.
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About TEDxAWC
TEDxAWC is an independently organized TEDx event at Arizona Western College, dedicated to fostering creativity and sharing "ideas worth spreading" with the local community. TEDxAWC provides a platform for students, faculty, staff, and community members to present their unique perspectives and transformative ideas to inspire action and innovation.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.
Follow TED on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X.
Contact:
Dr. Sara Amani
Professor of Multilingual Composition/Specialist
Arizona Western College
Sara.Amani@azwestern.edu
(928) 344-7503