Locally organized TEDx Bradenton to focus on “Access”
TEDx is coming to Bradenton. The conference will take place on September 9th, 2022 at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. The independently organized event, licensed by TED and organized by Evelyn Almodóvar, will invite local voices to give their own TEDx Talk around the theme of “Access.”
“We envision the TEDx Bradenton experience as an experience that weaves guests and participants together through the rich tapestry of diversity, talent, possibilities.” Almodóvar explains. “From the connections and inspiration of this first TEDx, we hope to set in motion ideas that accelerate collaborative solutions to local issues.”
TEDx Bradenton is meant to highlight people from the Bradenton area who have ideas worth sharing. The day-long event will have 15 speakers, each with 15 minutes to share their big idea as well as breaks for arts-immersive experiences like music and dance.
With more than 300 people already indicating an interest for the 100 seats available to attend, the organizing team’s most pressing need at this time is financial support in order to pay for high quality video and streaming services.
Almodóvar shared that “TEDx Bradenton has already drawn a huge crowd of engaged, highly educated community minded leaders on the Suncoast. If our mission and goals align with your organization, we want to hear from you!” She said their focus is to select companies and donors who are inspired by the power of ideas to move solutions forward on challenging issues. “Often, we think issues are too big to be addressed at the local level, but TEDx Talks are the perfect forum for seeing solutions with new eyes.”
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature was chosen for hosting TEDx Bradenton because The Bishop is committed to the principles of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEIA), perfectly in line with the theme of this conference.
CEO Hillary Spencer believes TEDx is a great fit for their space as well as their mission because both the event and The Bishop Museum are about “the joy of discovery and wonder, where people are inspired to learn. This joy should belong to everyone, open to all without constraint or limitation. The Bishop is collaborating with TEDx Bradenton to model the very collaboration and community engagement that are at the core of the principle of access. When we consider the history of scientific progress, we can see that it is only by ensuring access that great achievements are possible. We simply cannot imagine a modern world without the contributions of people like Marie Curie and her achievements in treating cancer, Alan Turing’s breaking of the Enigma code and groundwork for the invention of modern computers, or Katherine Johnson, without whom the modern space program would have been impossible.”
As The Bishop celebrates its 75th year, hosting the launch of Bradenton’s first-ever TEDx conference not only adds to their already engaging lineup of new exhibitions and experiences but also points the way into the next 75 years, ensuring that the Museum remains an integral part of the Bradenton community.
ABOUT EVELYN ALMODOVAR: Evelyn is a human services professional who has lived and worked in Bradenton for over seven years, most recently with the Healthy Teens Coalition and Friendly City Forward. She is passionate about helping organizations increase their reach by embracing innovation and efficiency. The TEDx Bradenton experience was inspired in part by her Doctoral research work on local systems and community collaborative efforts with Northcentral University.
ABOUT TEDx BRADENTON: In the spirit of Ideas worth sharing TEDx Bradenton seeks to highlight local ideas. Bradenton is rapidly growing and becoming contemporary, we want to highlight our rich and diverse talent to create those connections that will convert these ideas into community initiatives. For more information and to follow along, stay tuned at TEDx Bradenton and on Instagram and LinkedIn @TEDxBradenton.
ABOUT THE BISHOP MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND NATURE: The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is the largest natural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Since 1947, The Bishop has interpreted the Suncoast Region’s natural and cultural wonders from the Pleistocene to the present era. Highlights include fossil evidence of Florida’s earliest animal inhabitants, the Montague Tallant collection of prehistoric and early post-contact archeological artifacts, and the Environmental Hall focusing on Florida’s ecology and biodiversity in the Pine Uplands and Riverine Galleries. More information can be found at Bishop Science.
Photo from TEDx Bradenton