This is TedxGVAGrad's second year, an event entirely organised and managed by students from the Institute. The event explores "the diversity of the Geneva Graduate Institute and Geneva as an international hub". How does TedxGVAGrad achieve this?

This year’s edition of TEDxGVAGrad truly takes full advantage of the diversity offered by both the Institute and Geneva by tapping into the wide range of expertise, interests and thematics that these communities offer and foster. Diversity is apparent in the vast range of fields our external speakers operate in, as well as the different programmes being pursued by the Institute’s student speakers. Our selection of performances this year have ventured further into Geneva’s different artistic and cultural ecosystems, with performances from all different corners of the world. We’re really excited to be able to offer this prestigious platform of expression and storytelling to such a distinct group of people, and even more enthusiastic that our community has the opportunity to take part in it both as organisers and audience members.


This year's theme is "Rethink Realities". What perspectives did this theme encourage?

We had a lot of different ideas when brainstorming this year’s theme. Last year’s theme came on the coattails of the COVID-19 pandemic and the multiple different calls for “A Dawn of a New Era”. Talks were focused on innovation and steps forward. Our aim this year was to build on this theme not necessarily through innovation, but by challenging the status quo. Many of us at the Institute strive to deconstruct and dismantle hierarchies, knowledge structures and histories through our research and studies. As such, we are often faced with the realisation that it is not enough to innovate to address long-standing issues. Often, the very foundations upon which issues and solutions are based need to be dissected and rethought first. Thus, we need to “Rethink Realities”. This year’s topics challenged preconceived notions across different sectors and fields of study to re-envision possibilities for the future.

Could you explain a bit about the Student Corner?

The purpose of the Student Corner is to offer Geneva Graduate Institute students the opportunity to present their own stories, experiences and studies on TEDx’s global platforms. It is a very competitive and demanding process, however, it is also an invaluable learning opportunity. In preparation for the big day, different workshops on distilling messages, script writing and public speaking were provided by Dr Susan Laverick (Laverick Consulting Genève). These workshops allowed students to acquire skills that helped them far beyond their participation in TEDxGVAGrad. Finally, the students will be delivering their speeches alongside guest speakers to allow them to play an equally significant role in the event. 

If there was one outcome you would like to see from this event, what would it be?

For continued interest from both the students and administration in this initiative. This event wouldn’t be possible without both of these groups. The administration allows us to tap into the Institute's resources, facilities and personnel to create an event that is truly one-of-a-kind. But, this event wouldn’t be what it is without the students behind the scenes.

The TEDx initiative is one of the biggest on campus, with over 20 students in five different teams working together. From sponsorships, to communications, to logistics, to the acquisition of speakers and performers, students are responsible for every aspect of the event and have been working since October to make it a reality. Our hope is that all those involved found it to be an enriching experience that they would like to continue, and that the students who attended on 25 March were inspired to take part in its organisation next year. And, of course, we hope the audience feels inspired to rethink their realities and that our message reaches a global audience through the TEDx platform.