Twelve years ago, Ilona Szabó de Carvalho gave up her career as an investment banker to become a civil society diplomat. She wanted to create change in her native Brazil by focusing on two very pressing public concerns: drug policy and homicidal violence. Unfortunately, she says, “Latin America is ground zero for both.” Though many people questioned whether she […]Read more
So you want to make a difference in the world — well, first you need a plan. In Session 7 of TEDGlobal we turn from technology to social good, with four speakers armed with roadmaps to solving some of society’s thorniest problems.
In this session, six very different speakers share how they see technology empowering people and communities worldwide. Below, recaps of these fascinating talks. At the age of twenty-three, Rodrigo Baggio was already a successful entrepreneur when he decided: He needed a change that would make him more fulfilled, not just richer. Even then, in 1995, Baggio saw […]
This summer, the country that perfected soccer proved it’s just as formidable a foe off the pitch as it is on. On the first day of the 2014 World Cup, 29-year-old Juliano Pinto, paralyzed from his chest to his toes, did the seemingly impossible: He gave the opening kick just by thinking. Eighteen months earlier, Brazilian […]
Andrew Bastawrous dreams of a bakery in Nakuru, Kenya, that will not only make delicious treats but raise money for subsidized vision care. Robert Simpson envisions First Responders, a program to make satellite data available to citizen scientists in crisis situations, to guide aid efforts from afar. Cesar Harada wants to create larger prototypes of […]
Technology isn’t just a nice-to-have. Across the world, it’s helping to extend rights, open up lines of communication and create new opportunities. In this session, we explore how technology can transform a variety of lives. The speakers who’ll appear in this session: The founder of the Center for Digital Inclusion, Rodrigo Baggio helps marginalized communities get […]
This session was all about cities. From speakers parsing the cycles of violence in them, to those thinking far outside the box on what they could look like, read up on these ideas for cities. Robert Muggah is troubled by our cities. Not urban success stories like Shanghai and Seoul, but those that he calls “fragile cities,” quickly urbanizing […]
Cities. While 54% of the world’s population lives in them, the urban experience is incredibly varied. From city planning in China to creating art out of Rio’s favelas, this session looks at urban environments and the possibilities found within them. The speakers who’ll appear in this session: Robert Muggah creates tools to collect data that aim […]
The theme of Session 4 is Field Work — and we’re hearing from people who get outside, who work in the field and hear what’s really going on. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is a professor at the University of Mauritius, and she’s here this morning to show us five plants unique to where she works and lives: the Mascarene Islands. […]
In March, anti-corruption activist Charmian Gooch stood on the TED stage in Vancouver to make a bold TED Prize wish: to shed light on anonymous shell companies that shield corrupt activities. “My years as a field investigator and campaigner at Global Witness have shown me how the corrupt deals that destroy the environment and rip off […]
Human-rights activist Oren Yakobovich encourages the recording of human rights abuses to expose them to worldwide scrutiny. He founded the organization Videre, which is short for the Latin phrase “videre est credere”—to see is to believe.
The speakers in this session can’t be contained in a cubicle or desk chair. These bold thinkers — from an activist surfacing human rights on video to a scientist uncovering the biodiversity of her island nation — do their work out in the world, surfacing fresh insights as they go. The speakers who’ll appear in this session: […]
Today was the first day of TEDGlobal 2014. If you weren’t able to clear your schedule to watch TED Live today and experience the magic in real-time, we’re here to help. Here are some highlights from the day: What maps can tell you about hip-hop fans At TED University, a session of talks by conference attendees, Dave Troy […]