Inspiring talks on personal and global change set to illuminate the stage Oct. 10

Inspiring talks on personal and global change set to illuminate the stage Oct. 10

TEDxUWLaCrosse returns to campus this fall, featuring a compelling lineup of speakers from UW-La Crosse and the surrounding community. Scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, in The Bluffs, Student Union, this event promises an evening of transformative ideas and thought-provoking discussions. Entrance is free but seats must be reserved ahead of time online. Learn more on the TEDxUW-LaCrosse website.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has developed TEDx, a program of locally organized events that bring the TED experience to communities everywhere. TEDx events blend TED Talk videos with live speakers to provide a platform for local voices to engage audiences with innovative and personal insights, igniting deep discussions and connections at the local level.

TEDxUWLaCrosse has been a staple of intellectual exchange on campus for over a decade, offering a stage for ideas that resonate beyond the confines of the university.

This year's theme, "The Story I Tell Myself," invites attendees to explore the inner narratives that shape our lives. The event will feature three powerful speakers, each sharing their personal journeys and insights on overcoming adversity, fostering global solidarity, and transforming individual and collective stories.

Exploring Self-Love by Embracing Interdependence

Andrew Ives, Ed.D., director of the UWL ACCESS Center

In a time of increasing polarization, the need for connection cannot be understated. This talk will discuss the interdependent ways love for self and community can transform our worlds. Using Disability Justice's concept of interdependence, we will begin to rewrite the stories we tell ourselves about surviving and thriving.

Rewrite Your Broken Story

Carolyn Colleen Bostrack, Ph.D., Author, Entrepreneur, Humanitarian.

Life's toughest moments can be transformed into catalysts for growth. Through personal anecdotes and strategies, Carolyn shows how to reframe adversity and uncover hidden strengths, reversing the effects of ACE scores with resounding resourcefulness. This talk inspires resilience and empowers individuals to see challenges as opportunities for profound transformation, offering hope that smashes statistical disadvantages.

Woman, Life, Freedom: Redefining Social Justice in a Globalized World

Sona Kazemi, assistant professor, Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, UWL

What does it mean to think and act globally in a rapidly globalizing world? What does it mean to build an inclusive future for all, where disability justice, and racial and gender equality are not seen as "threats" but absolute necessities for a democratic and equitable world? What does it mean to care about "Other" people and their struggles, while making connections and building solidarity movements across the world? In order to answer these questions, Sona invites us to focus on the "Woman-Life-Freedom" movement in Iran, which was sparked after the murder in custody of Mahsa Zhina Amini in the hands of the "Morality Police" in September 2022, and think about what we can learn from this unprecedented feminist uprising in the 21st century, and its implications for other social justice movements across the world.