Who can forget the unprecedented TEDx (read more about TEDx) event from last year? The 9-hour event held last spring brought together four YCYW schools, including YCIS Shanghai, YCIS Shanghai Lingang, YWIES Shanghai Gubei and YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang and attracted nearly 30,000 people on-site at the West Bund and online. The dedication and commitment from students and staff was well worth it as the production received widespread acclaim from the greater community!  

The TEDx Talks session was one of the many highlights of this production and gave families, teachers, and friends a lasting impression of the potential of our students. Students were given freedom in their topic choices and ranged from gender equality, mental health and social anxiety, how to win a debate, Generation Z, artificial intelligence, the future of electric cars, and smart helmets that could save lives. The array of topics demonstrated YCYW students' diversity, adaptability, curiosity, and creative thinking power.  

The YCYW TEDx event director Dr Chris Hurley said in an interview that he hoped "everyone was inspired by some of the ideas, and that [the students] delivered and shared their voices to stimulate discussion and reflection with the larger community." We were delighted that his intention was realised and proud of the hard work and confidence of our students. 

This May, we will welcome a new TEDx event and help our students continue to use this platform to speak out and share their stories from their personal experiences and the world around them. More than just a presentation of public speaking, participation in such a large-scale event will be a rare experience of learning to develop an idea into a clear and complete expression for the public. We encourage every YCYW student to sign up and participate in this journey of thoughts and opinions.  

On March 19, YCIS Shanghai will be hosting the YCYW Talent Show at YCIS Shanghai Puxi, Hongqiao Campus, which will be one of the screening processes for our upcoming TEDx Talk event. Three professional judges will rate all applicants based on their presentation content, format and creativity, and the highest scorers will be recommended to showcase their speech at the TEDx Talk event this spring.  

We know that excellent presentation skills and strategies are crucial to a great speech, so we have prepared a 2-day public speaking workshop with four professional speakers to help students improve their presentation skills, storytelling strategies, and body language. 

The four teachers are Ms Yangyang Guo, an award-winning actress and director; Mr Muyan Wes Jin, PhD in Law, Washington University in St Louis; Mr Brian Wang, founder of Blueprint International; and Ms Lelia Tahuburt, Master of Intercultural Communication Studies, Shanghai Theatre Academy.   

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All YCYW students are welcome to register!