TEDxHonolulu's 4th Annual Conference at the Hawaii Theatre, centering around the theme "Cultivating Community", was fantastic!
All of the speakers were so inspiring.
Sense of Place
Au's Shaolin Arts - Share the cultural understanding and benefits of the Shaolin Temple of China
Terry L. Hunt, University of Hawaii - Use the lessons of Ancient Rapa Nui to Cultivate Community
Paul Bump, Marine Biologist - Cultivate the unseen and under-appreciated community
Sense of Identity
Henry Kapono, Musician - Music can cultivate a community
Jessica R. Munoz, Courage House Hawaii Project - Justice for child victims of sexual exploitation
Kenny Endo, Musician - Engage in activities which promote mind-body-spirit harmony
Sense of Values
Ian Kitajima, Oceanit - Building the World's Most Innovative Communities (from Hawaii)
Owen Shieh, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center - We can cultivate a more resilient community by appreciating the science of hazardous weather and paying attention to its impacts on humanity,
Matthew Nagato, Hawai'i Primary Care Association - Health is in everything we do, and the surest way to creating a thriving, healthy society is through the power of community
Sense of Responsibility
Hannah Roberts, Navy Lt. j.g. - The Runner's Low: Depression and the Badwater Ultra Marathon
Manuel Mejia, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii - Revive and revitalize the tradition of caring for the land and sea, so that our communities, in turn, can thrive in a sustainable way
Pacific Tongues, Jamaica Osorio, Ittai Wong, andYouth Poets - Provide a safe and central location in the Hawaiian Islands to facilitate a cross-cultural exchange within Pacific influenced populations through spoken arts education
Here are some of my memorable moments, throughout the day.
Before the event,
This is what it looked like outside. Various organizations set up informative exhibits.
We walked over to The Arts at Marks Garage to see what was happening there.
@fenwayfan808 at the Arts at Marks Garage #tedxhonolulu pic.twitter.com/zlCsOUGGwg
— Linda Lindsay (@mauilibrarian2) November 16, 2013
The TEDxYouth group had set up a table to celebrate TEDxYouth Day |
During the event,
Hawai'i's Slam Poet Kealoha did a fantastic job as Master of Ceremonies!
Slam poet Kealoha as emcee |
Ben Seng Au's presentation was enlightening, and the Shaolin Arts Lion Dance throughout the theatre was so entertaining.
Shaolin Arts Lion Dance |
Listening to Henry Kapono sing "Friends" in person and hearing about his life story? Priceless.
Henry Kapono singing "Friends" |
Kenny Endo's taiko presentation was so powerful.
Kenny Endo |
During lunch,
The Littlest Co-op gave away starfruit tree starters during the break. I hand-carried mine on the plane back to Maui.
During the afternoon,
I was so impressed with Ian Kitajima's innovative projects for good.
Ian Kitajima of Oceanit |
I found Hannah Roberts' story about how the Badwater Ultramarathon influenced her so compelling and inspiring.
Hannah Roberts |
At the end,
Organizer Genesis Leong thanked all of the sponsors and volunteers. I know she had worked very hard for months. TEDxHonolulu was a success!
Organizer Genesis Leong |
Yes, indeed, it was a day well-spent.
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Seated next to me was Chad Chapman, a history teacher at Maui High School, who was grading papers. I reveled with Chad as he showed me his students' work, and we discussed our hopes and dreams for the education of our students. So vitalizing!