Our vision this time last year when we were planning TEDxCoventry: REVIVE, was for TEDxCoventry to be a recognisable brand that represents Coventry. Its diversity, its shortcomings, its heritage, its achievements and we think our performers as well as our host for the day did just that.
However what we didn’t see coming when we planned it was that the event would be one of a handful that was able to happen before a global pandemic hit and events like this just…stopped. They all moved online, or didn’t happen at all. We were very fortunate to have been able to pull off TEDxCoventry before the first lockdown happened and we are so glad that everyone that attended was able to be inspired by the speakers and performers there as well as get the opportunity to connect with them in person which is so rare now.
For those who missed our newsletter a few months ago, videos of the talks from our 8 wonderful TEDxCoventry: REVIVE speakers are now live on YouTube for you to relive. Plus you’re now also able to enjoy the performances that happened between talks by local entertainers and artists.
TEDxCoventry: REVIVE Speakers
Here’s a little reminder of what the speakers inspired us with earlier in the year:
Louise Campton – Unemployable Now What?
You are not employable” is what Louise was told when she was young. She has managed to turn that statement completely on its head. She spoke about the barriers to employment. How employers and employees alike can work towards greater vocational opportunities. How can we REVIVE the employment culture?
Lorna Collins – How Creativity Revived Me
After a severe traumatic brain injury, leading to a number of psychiatric illnesses, art revived Lorna’s life. She discussed how we can all be creative and initiate our own everyday revivals.
Matt Donald – Truly Transformative; A Wholistic Approach to Education
Matt explored the current educational system, its strengths, its challenges & its effect on the individual. He drew from his own personal reflection, experience, research & its application to discuss how we need to REVIVE the attitude towards attainment. A person’s grades are only one part of their journey, not the end result.
Dr Rosa Kwok – Dyslexic? They’re Not Broken
Rosa demystifies the dyslexic mind. She demonstrated in her talk that we can learn a thing or two from these “seemly broken brains”, and REVIVE our perception of dyslexia.
Stacey Mason – The concept of feeling safe changed my life, it will yours.
There are lots of discussions about safety being held at the moment. But what do we mean when we say we ‘feel safe?’. Stacey spoke about how, through the protective behaviors process, she came to understand what feeling safe is, and how this helped her on her journey from child sexual exploitation survivor to successful business woman.
Bob Scott – Anxiety Why Men Don’t Get It
What is it about men that often stops them from talking about their fears, worries, anxiety? Bob has been on a journey understanding what stops men from talking about anxiety. Helping men understand what anxiety is, why it is a major concern and what they can do about it. Learning how to handle it can REVIVE the human spirit that is lost when anxiety strikes.
Omar Sharif – Reignite Your Inner Passion
People in every level of society are struggling, and many are doing so in silence. Being aware, stepping up and speaking out is the first step. Many people ask themselves questions like, how can I move on from this? Why do I not seem to progress in life? Why do I feel the way I feel? People think that it is too late to change things… Omar showed in his talk it’s never too late to REVIVE and reignite your inner passion.
Brian Waterfield – Destination Digital
The digital train is accelerating towards our futures. Do we have a seat on this journey? As a city can we say we have a plan? Technology can enhance lives and inspire creativity. We need to start steering that train. We need to make the digital world fit our needs not letting it run away with our identity.
If you were keeping up with our social feeds during the event you will have seen some the action during the event including rehearsals and interviews. Now we are happy to show you the shots we captured during the event all collected on one Flickr album. You can also view previous year’s events in other albums.
 We couldn’t have put on such an amazing event without our team and wider team of volunteers. And a special thank you to the performers who all helped make the event come to life on stage with the speakers. |
Special thanks to our host for this year’s revive theme; Sebbie, a Social Media Executive at University of Warwick.
When she’s not doing all things digital, she is running YAP Collective, a platform that creates safe spaces for Gen Z connect, motivate and network with each other.
Her high energy hosting style brought our event to life and ensured that the event flows effortlessly.
The TEDxCoventry REVIVE Performers
Singer songwriter – Darcy Blu
Darcy Blu writes catchy relatable pop songs and heart melting ballads about what surrounds and inspires her. Whether that is love, heartbreak, revenge or all of the above. Her sound echoed through the Belgrade.
Percussionist – Mahendra Patel
We won’t reveal much about this performance but…it was something special.
Spoken Word Artists – Malizah and Laura Nyahuye
Both bringing some very different and powerful spoken word pieces to the stage.
Singer songwriter and musician – Stylusboy
Stylusboy, Coventry singer-songwriter Steve Jones, creates indie folk music steeped in warm-hearted melodies and heartfelt lyrics.
Close up magician – Jester Styles
What would a show be without a little magic and mystery? We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the tricks Jester had up his sleeves!
Dancer – Santos Nair
Santosh Nair has been passionately performing Bharatanatyam for over two decades so we were truly blessed to see her perform on stage.
Once again thank you to our main sponsor in CityFibre, TEDxCoventry was a fantastic event for the city and the community. We’re thankful we were one of the lucky events to happen before the lockdown.
Also thanks to our other sponsors who helped bring this event to life and showcase our speakers, performers and what the city can do.
