X Changed Everything for Me. Let It Change Everything for You: Announcing the Biggest TEDxSacramento Conference EVER!

By Lauren Herman

Once upon a time, I was a Sacramentan who did not want to be a Sacramentan. I was lost in what Sacramento wasn’t rather than what Sacramento is. What changed this for me? X changed everything - TEDxSacramento changed everything for me.

A year ago, I became the blogger for TEDxSacramento in a reluctant effort to embrace the city where I was born and raised. I recently graduated from college and returned to Sacramento after living abroad. High off my experiences of other cities, I asked myself what I wanted out of the city I call home. Thus, I ask you, what do you want from our city, our community of Sacramento?  

I am excited to share with you the opportunity to let X change everything for you, too! Join fellow Sacramentans for the biggest TEDxSacramento conference “THIS Changes EVERYTHING” on Friday, June 12, 2015 at the Community Center Theater.

If you have not experienced TEDxSacramento for yourself, please consider the endless possibilities of what X can bring to your life. Let TEDxSacramento change something, if it has not yet, for you.

People from all walks of life have a connection to TEDxSacramento whether they have attended an event, know someone who has attended an event, participated in an event, volunteered at an event, read about the organization in local media, or followed the organization on social media. Join the movement of people embracing community gathering, dialogue and exchange in the name of ideas worth spreading in Sacramento.

During this time of transition for Sacramento, it is important to remember who and what Sacramento is. Sacramento is simply you and me. We make TEDxSacramento: the opportunity to learn and share ideas in our Capital Region. The people connected to TEDxSacramento, the volunteers, attendees, performers, and participants, and their ideas changed everything for me, and it has for thousands of people. That is why X changed everything for me.

Join your fellow Sacramentans for the big one - the biggest conference in TEDxSacramento’s history in the heart of downtown Sacramento! Let X change something for you. REGISTER NOW!

TEDxSacramento’s “Seeds of Change”: Changing Our Capital Region One Idea at a Time

By Lauren Herman

Sacramento is ready for a new season -- not just a weather change -- but a new season of TEDxSacramento events!

The first TEDxSacramento Salon event of the 2014/2015 season, entitled “This Changes Everything: Seeds of Change,” took place in the company of more than 600 attendees who spent hours together laughing, sharing and listening to the many speakers, presenters and artists at the Wells Fargo Pavilion on September 26, 2014.

TEDxSacramento speakers (from left to right: Phil America, Emily Castor, Andrew Markell, and Dr. BJ Davis) gather for a group photo before the "Seeds of Change" event on September 26, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

The performers were invited to speak based on their continual efforts to challenge and reimagine the world we live in today. In conjunction with the theme “Seeds of Change,” they offered the audience views and perspectives to spark new ways of thinking, speaking and living in our community.

Some offered life lessons from personal experiences in prison, living in slums both domestically and internationally, studying with Tibetan monks, and trying their hand at entrepreneurism while others offered inspiration through song and movement.

Attendee, Jo Dharshana Balchandra, joined her friends for the night with much enthusiasm stating, "This was the first TEDx event I've been to. It was inspiring to hear the speakers' transformational stories which impacted their lives and their community."

For those of you who did not attend, don’t worry. Good things come to those who wait! The event was filmed live and will become available online shortly for viewing. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements, and you will be able to hear and see for yourself all the great things that took place during TEDxSacramento’s “This Changes Everything: Seeds of Change.”

This salon event is only the beginning! There are two more events planned for the 2014/2015 season with the next event taking place December 2014! Take advantage of these community events – fully-planned and coordinated independently for a localized TED-like experience in the Capital Region. We can’t wait to see you there!

Thank you to the following individuals for their performances at the "Seeds of Change" event: Phil America, Be Brave Bold Robot, Emily Castor, Dr. BJ Davis, Joe Kye and the Sacramento Black Art of Dance, and Andrew Markell.

The following TEDTalks were also featured: “The Voices in My Head” by Eleanor Longden, “How Not to be Ignorant about the World” by Hans and Ola Rosling, and “Get Ready for Hybrid Thinking” by Ray Kurzweil.

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#TEDxSacChat: From Traditional to Digital Communities

TEDxSacramento is proud to announce our first Tweet Chat -- an online event that focuses on a community-based session.

What is a Tweet Chat?

A Tweet Chat is an open discussion on Twitter. Anyone with a  Twitter handle will be able to connect their ideas simply by following the hashtag, #TEDxSacChat. Include the hashtag in your tweet to be part of the conversation.

Watch First Then Chat

Join us for our first tweet chat this Tuesday, April 29 using the hashtag #TEDxSacChat.

Prepare yourself for this interactive event by viewing the following TEDxSacramento talk beforehand, Sarah Leary's "The Neighborhood -- The Original Social Network."

#TEDxSacChat Topic: From Traditional to Digital Communities

Technology is changing the way we interact with our communities every day. This #TEDxSacChat session will revolve around the change from traditional to digital neighborhoods and how that affects residents.

Participants are encouraged to share their unique experiences.

Help us ignite a conversation with our community by sharing through email, Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to use the hashtag, #TEDxSacChat! We look forward to seeing you Twitter on Tuesday, April 29 at 7pm!

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TEDxLive: Livestreaming Day 1 of TED2014

Watching TEDWomen in 2013 at The Urban Hive.

TED is celebrating its 30th anniversary and TEDxSacramento is celebrating too --  with a TEDxLive event on March 18 at the TEDxSacramento headquarters, The Urban Hive.

Together we’ll embark on a journey, described this way by TED.com:

“2014 marks TED’s 30th anniversary, and the theme for TED2014 is simply this: 'The Next Chapter.' We’ll be seeking to understand what are truly the most significant developments of the last 30 years ... and applying that knowledge to understand what’s ahead. The theme makes it easy for us to reach out to the world’s greatest minds and challenge them to help shape a program better than any in our history…”

This event kicks off the 2014 TEDxSacramento schedule and will be exclusively attended and celebrated by TEDxSacramento leadership, past speakers, past attendees, and core volunteers.

The next live TEDxSacramento event will happen in the Fall of this year. [To stay up-to-date on upcoming events, please join our mailing list.]

Although applications are closed [for TED2014], you can apply now for TED2015. In the meantime, if you're joining us for TEDxLive, be sure to check in and mention #tedxsac in your social media posts.

UPDATED 2014.03.31 - Updates in brackets.

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7 Reasons Not To Miss TEDxCity2.0

We hope that you will be joining us for an evening of urban inspiration at TEDxCity2.0 on Friday. We've put together seven reasons you don't want to miss it!

1. The People

We say it all of the time, but our community (now one of the largest TEDx communities in North America!) is one of the key ingredients that make our events special; people who take an evening out of their busy lives to engage in intellectual discourse. These people are remarkable, as are you. You will want to introduce yourself. You will want to engage. Join us.

2. The Live Speakers

Okay, so this might seem obvious, but our live speakers will often speak on both subjects that are new to you and some that you might even be an expert on. We choose speakers based upon the quality of their ideas and their drive and ability to bring those ideas to fruition.

3. Be A Part of A Global Event

Friday is TED’s “City 2.0” day, a day in which TED-enthusiasts and TEDx-ers around the world will be simultaneously celebrating the city and its future. In addition to our live talks, we will be streaming talks from TED’s anchor TEDCity2.0 event in New York. It will be an opportunity to view talks months (or years) before they hit TED.com.

4. Be A Part of the Action

There will be a series of short talks, or “action pitches,” from local speakers with specific, actionable ideas for our city. You will help us decide which idea our community will help to support in 2013-2014.

Exquisite Corps

5. The Live Performances

We don’t need to tell our previous attendees what an integral role live music plays at our events (remember, the “E” in TED is for “entertainment”). We love a good performance and hope that you do, too.

6. Because You Give A Damn

This is an opportunity for a group of our finest citizens to listen to and discuss ideas that are working in other cities and, possibly, ask “why not here?”

7. The After-Party. Enough said.

About TEDxCity2.0

Sacramento has been selected to be a part of TED's City 2.0 Day, a global event during which cities from around the world will be sharing ideas around the theme of the future of our cities. On September 20, we will be bringing in great thinkers and doers who are making great things happen in cities around the globe to share their ideas and stories. Such topics as Art, Education, Food, Housing, Play, Public Spaces, Urban Design, Health, Safety, Technology and Transportation will be discussed as well as a series of calls to action for our city by local change-makers who are trying to make a difference. 

TEDxSacramento presents TEDxCity2.0, an independently organized TED event for urban innovators, organizers, stewards and builders - with live speakers, streamed speakers from TEDCity2.0 in New York City, live performances, and the ability to coalesce around specific calls to action for our city. 

Expect to be challenged. Expect to be inspired.

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