9 Ted Talks about young people you have to watch

Here we’ve compiled for your viewing pleasure 9 Ted Talks about young people, including some great ones from last year’s Tedx Glasgow event and others from around the world. We hope you enjoy them, and as always with Ted Talks, be sure to share the ones that inspire you.

Suzet Nelson: Gardening with Teenagers

Suzet’s interest in sustainability began early while growing up on a farm in Nebraska. This experience nurtured her desire for preparing and eating fresh, local, and simple food. The landscape that informed her childhood continues to do so as a resident of the Des Moines metro area. While teaching at Scavo High School, Suzet teamed up with Urban Ambassadors to establish an urban garden as a tool to educate and inspire others to live simply and generously. 

Texting Saves Lives – Nancy Lublin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiUClSItcy0

When Nancy Lublin started texting teenagers to help with her social advocacy organization, what she found was shocking — they started texting back about their own problems, from bullying to depression to abuse. So she’s setting up a text-only crisis line, and the results might be even more important than she expected.

City of Dreams – Laura Montgomery

Laura highlights the lack of positive role models in the media for young women and makes a call for greater equality in sport coverage. What does it take to build one of Europe’s most successful women’s football clubs, and how can we build on these achievements to help impact positively on the life of every young girl and change attitudes towards gender in our culture?

What Causes Wellness? – Sir Harry Burns

220,000 Scottish children currently live in poverty. Sir Harry Burns explores the concept of ‘salutogenesis’ and the impact it has on the most disadvantaged members of our community; How can meaning and purpose contribute to one’s wellbeing?

The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain – Sarah-Jane Blakemore

Why do teenagers seem so much more impulsive, so much less self-aware than grown-ups? Cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to that of adults, to show us how typically “teenage” behavior is caused by the growing and developing brain.

Geoff Mulgan: A short intro to the Studio School

Underlying it was some very simple ideas that large numbers of teenagers learn best by doing things, they learn best in teams and they learn best by doing things for real — all the opposite of what mainstream schooling actually does.

Norman Spack: How I help transgender teens become who they want to be

Puberty is an awkward time for just about everybody, but for transgender teens it can be a nightmare, as they grow overnight into bodies they aren’t comfortable with. In a heartfelt talk, endocrinologist Norman Spack tells a personal story of how he became one of the few doctors in the US to treat minors with hormone replacement therapy. By staving off the effects of puberty, Spack gives trans teens the time they need.

Forest Alton – Changing Lives of Teenagers

Forrest Alton has spent his entire career focused on issues impacting adolescents and young adults, and currently serves as the chief executive officer of the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.