2018 Theme: Changing the Narrative

TEDxOttawa, in the grand tradition of ‘ideas worth sharing’, seeks to share some of the stories you don’t know, but should. This isn’t Ottawa’s story, but instead a collection of amazing individuals whose ideas are helping shape the world in which we live, work, and play.

Experience what you don’t know.

In order to deal with the hard modern problems of automation, global climate change, and the inundation of questionable news sources, this event will aim to inspire deep critical thinking.

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available (free) at TED.com. A small sample of TED speakers have included:

Bill Gates
Jane Goodall
Elizabeth Gilbert
Sir Richard Branson
Nandan Nilekani
Philippe Starck
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Sal Khan
Daniel Kahneman
and many, many more!

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast event in nearby Whistler. The annual TEDGlobal conference will be held this October in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.