TEDxOulu is coming back!
On April 10th, 2022, TEDxOulu will be organised for the second time! The “Call for Speakers” is already open and will continue until the end of August. The topic is “Spotlight on health”.
We talked to Aaltje Bos, Lead Organizer of TEDxOulu, to find out how she got inspired to organize a TEDx event and why she decided on “Spotlight on Health”.
“The TEDx concept was not entirely new to me,” Aaltje says in a calm tone. “Like many others, I often listened to TED talks. Simo Sinek, Brené Brown and Sir Ken Robinson especially made an impression and not only for their inspirational speeches but also their down to earth attitude and pleasant tone of voice”.
“Years ago, a friend told me that he tried to organize a TEDxOulu event, but the idea never came off the ground due to a lack of funding and support. “TEDx is a non-profit event, and creating and managing a budget, finding and coaching speakers is a challenge and requires many people with commitment,” he explained to me. I understood that starting a TEDxOulu event would be a time-consuming big project with many responsibilities, and at that stage, I was not ready to commit. So I put the idea on the back-burner”.
It was years later, back in 2017, when Aaltje’s colleague mentioned TEDx during a team meeting, and Aaltje got triggered again.
“At that time, I was ready for a new challenge and had a great deal of experience with community projects,” she clarifies.
“Back in the office, I googled “how to organize a TEDx event” and noticed that cities like Tampere, Trondheim and even a small town like Luleå had initiated their own TEDx events years ago. Reading the names of those cities boosted my confidence. If they can do it, we can do it!- were my immediate thoughts. From that moment onward, I decided to go for it”.
Aaltje visited TEDxTrondheim to feel the spirit and interviewed the organizers to learn about the organizational aspects of TEDx. “I was advised to start small and keep the finances in check,” Aaltje nods approvingly.
We asked Aaltje where the idea for the theme “Spotlight on Health” came from.
“The idea for the theme was twofold. Firstly, we were in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic when I wrote the application. I like to think in solutions and am convinced that we need to rethink the way we live and use our planet and at the same time accept that we are vulnerable. The world does not revolve around us. We need to learn to expand our viewpoint, break with old thinking patterns and accept new ideas and perspectives. I hope TEDxOulu will help us to gain fresh perspectives, for instance, on digital health and the importance of community or self-care.
Secondly, my professional background is in health, and I see public health education as an avenue to bring change. Spotlight on Health just seemed an actual and logical choice,” concludes Aaltje.
If you are an impactful speaker and a passionate changemaker, hurry up and apply now at https://tedxoulu.com/speakers-info .
Full information about the upcoming event and TEDxOulu2020 can be found at https://www.tedxoulu.com/home.
Interviewer: Arina Lykova.
Interviewee: Aaltje Bos.
