Behind the Scenes: The Students Who Shaped TEDx TASIS England Youth 2026

From day one, students led every aspect of the event, from securing the TEDx license and forming the committees to coaching speakers and coordinating the event's details, supported by Dr. Barker, Head of Lower and Middle School, and Ms. Clench, Upper School Science Teacher.

Owned and shaped by students who believe in “ideas worth spreading,” the event emphasised TASIS England’s mission of building connections, community engagement, and service leadership. Year two didn't just repeat last year’s success; it built on it and refined it.

Every TEDx event has a moment. The charged silence just before a speaker steps onto the stage, where months of invisible work suddenly become real. This year, that moment belonged not just to the speakers on stage, but to the student committees who made it all possible.

We sat down with three of the Project Leaders behind 2026’s TEDx event - Amina (Grade 11) in the Speakers Committee, Conor (Grade 11) in the Logistics Committee, and Maelle (Grade 11) in the Marketing Committee - to talk about leadership, lessons learned, and why they would do it all over again.

It's about having trust in who you're working with 

Leadership Lessons from the Project Leaders

As Project Leaders, Amina, Conor, and Maelle oversaw a full committee structure spanning logistics and operations, marketing and branding, and guest and speaker support. Their job wasn't to do everything; it was to make sure everyone in their team could.

"Leadership is mainly about delegating," reflected Maelle, Project Leader for Marketing. "It's about making sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to do and observing. As a leader in an event like this, if you’re the person doing it all, taking speakers from the stage back to their seats, making sure the students in the audience are quiet, then you haven't done the best job."

Conor, Project Leader for Logistics, added to that with a key ingredient: trust. "It's about having trust in who you're working with, being clear on what needs to get done, and then trusting that they're going to do their best to do it to the level it needs to be completed."

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Building on the TEDx Youth Experience

For Amina and Conor, returning for a second year made all the difference, bringing familiarity to the process, from choosing a theme and determining the number of speakers to coordinating branding and liaising with staff.

"Last year, there was a lot of figuring out who to get in touch with," said Amina, Project Leader for Speakers. "But this year, we knew who in the Fleming Theatre to talk to, who to go to for posters, and it was a little smoother."

The audio improvements were a particular point of pride. After some last-minute microphone challenges the previous year, the team came prepared, and it showed. From the audience, the event was, as one observer put it, "absolutely impeccable."

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You can see the difference when you mean it

Getting Speakers to the TASIS England Stage 

For Maelle, stepping into the guest and speaker support role for the first time meant learning something fundamental about what makes a TEDx talk work: it has to be personal.

The Speakers Committee worked hard not just to recruit speakers, but to guide them through the process while preserving their creative voice. The result was a lineup that truly reflected the full breadth of the School’s community, with students from Lower, Middle, and Upper School, alongside faculty, staff, and parents, all taking the stage. 

Standout moments included an Upper School student who shared his business ventures, the lessons he’d learned, and why young people shouldn't fear failure. Another was Mr. Afonso, Catering General Manager and staff speaker, visibly moving the audience with a message about how food trends change but how your roots shape your connections to food, which  “came from the heart."

"You can see the difference when you mean it," said Amina. "Even in the hand gestures, the eye contact, the movements, you can see when someone actually cares about the message they're conveying."

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The Challenges Behind the Curtain 

No large-scale event comes without challenges. This year's student committees navigated the challenges of team communication, last-minute speaker changes, and the logistical complexity of coordinating audio, lighting, backdrops, and IT, all while managing their own academic workloads.

"Making sure the other members of the team knew what to do at all times, knew their role, and also just making sure to communicate, that was always a challenge," said Maelle. The solution? Consistent group chats, regular emails, and clear role definitions.

On the speaker side, the team acknowledged a truth of event management: "We can always help them and give them guidance, but we can't force them to practice in their free time."

The Most Rewarding Moment of TEDx TASIS England Youth

When asked about what they will remember most, all three agreed: it was the “barn” – the backstage holding area where nervous speakers transformed into confident presenters.

Between the barn and the stage, they could see speakers in both directions, before and after their talks. "You see, the speakers are so nervous," said Maelle, "and then they come back, and you see the shift in their emotions. You feel the relief yourself, for them."

Standing on stage together at the end with the full team was another highlight. Months of work, friendships built along the way, and a shared sense of achievement were visible for everyone to see.

What’s Next for our Student Leaders

Amina, Conor, and Maelle plan to return next year. And they already know what they want to do differently. Contact the speakers earlier.

"We didn't actually get in contact with the speakers until mid-November," explained Amina. "So, next year, we're going to work on getting them to develop their speeches from September."

The infrastructure is in place. The processes are refined. Now, after reflections, it's about the small, deliberate improvements that add up over time.

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Want to Speak at TEDx TASIS England Youth Event?

The team has a message for anyone considering taking the stage: you don't need to be a polished speaker. You just need a message or a story you believe in.

"If you have something you're passionate about and you want to talk about, this is your chance," said Amina.

"Have a story, have a message you want to share, be passionate about it," added Conor. "The steps to getting there and actually sharing it are part of the journey."

Reasons You Should Get Involved

• The speeches that landed hardest weren't the most polished. They were the most personal.
• You don't need to be an expert. You just need a perspective on something you genuinely care about.
• The student committees support you through the whole process, from shaping your idea to helping prepare your delivery.
• Public speaking is a skill that matters in every career. This is rare, real practice, and a great way of sharing your passion.

Watch this space. Next year's event is already in the works. 

 

Find more information on the TEDx TASIS England Youth page and view images of 2026’s event in our Flickr album.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.

TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.