MBJH to host TEDxYouth conference March 14

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Mountain Brook Junior High School will host its sixth annual TEDxYouth conference March 14 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.

The conference, which operates independently under a license from TED, gives students in the MBJH TED-Ed Club a platform to share their ideas.

Suzan Brandt, Mountain Brook Schools director of technology, sponsors the MBJH TED-Ed Club. She said 12 students will speak at this year’s conference, which is as much about building community as it is listening to interesting talks.

“That is a day where we really invite anyone in the community and other schools to come and join us, and our students share their talks,” Brandt said. “We generally have one or two adult speakers join us as well. We have a musical act that’s a part of it, and we do a featured artist, so it’s not just about the talks. It’s also about conversation. We have breakout sessions in between.”

As of press time, Brandt said she could reveal only limited information about the conference lineup. All student speakers are ninth-graders, and they will deliver talks ranging from two to 18 minutes.

“We see every year talks that really focus on what’s going on in the lives of our youth and some of the external pressures — or some of the pressures they put on themselves — to be successful,” Brandt said.

The event will be livestreamed on tedxmbjhyouth.com and on the event’s Facebook page. It also is open to the public, with tickets that include lunch available for $25.

“It’s an amazing event,” Brandt said. “It blows me away every year to just sit back and listen to these kids, but also to listen to the discussion that happens after each talk between the participants.”

Visit tedxmbjhyouth.com for more information.