TEDxAtlanta has announced the speaker lineup for its inaugural TEDxAtlanta Youth conference, scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 3 at Atlanta International School in Sandy Springs. The event follows the main TEDxAtlanta conference and is part of the 2026 season themed Bold. Brave. Unbreakable. The youth conference will feature speakers aged 16 to 23, with a program divided into two parts: Seen and Unleashed.
According to Jacqui Chew, TEDxAtlanta licensee and organizer, the goal is to highlight what young people have to say about the present, not just the future. “Young people hear constantly that they are the future. We were much more interested in what they have to say about the present,” Chew said. “These speakers are asking questions that affect all of us: Whose ideas get taken seriously? What gets lost when technology doesn't understand culture? And what becomes possible when young people have the opportunity to build rather than wait?”
The first part, Seen, explores what changes when young people's experiences and perspectives are taken seriously. Temple Lester, a STEM advocate who learned to speak up after being sidelined at science camp for being the only girl, will ask what ideas are missed when young people are told to wait their turn. Nidhi Madam, a language and culture explorer, will discuss how her K-drama binge led her to learn Korean and reconnect with Telugu, and how AI can translate words without understanding cultural nuances. An On the Spot conversation between entrepreneur Zoe Oli and her mother, Evana Oli, will examine the dynamics when a child's idea becomes a real enterprise and a parent must decide when to step in, step aside, or step forward together.
The second part, Unleashed, shifts from voice to action, featuring young innovators who are questioning existing systems and building alternatives. Kanushi Dua, a circular systems designer, will discuss how a forgotten bin of children's clothes led her to question garment disposability and the role AI can play in sustainability. Ian Sun, a community-centered technologist, will ask who gets a say in how AI is built and what communities stand to gain or lose. Akos Vida, an accessibility innovator, will share his experience building an accessible gaming controller and the importance of designing with, not for, people with disabilities. Ethan Benater, a possibility engineer, will talk about his vaping-cessation solution and the broader question of what young people can create when they refuse to accept entrenched problems.
The conference aims to move from recognition to agency, positioning young people as participants in creating the present, not just inheritors of the future. Back-to-school ticket prices for TEDxAtlanta, TEDxAtlanta Youth, and Complete Passes that include both conferences are available now. TEDxAtlanta, Georgia's largest TED affiliate, is a year-round platform for ideas and community, organized by volunteers led by Jacqui Chew. Since its first conference in 2009, more than two dozen speakers have been featured on TED. For more information, visit TEDxAtlanta.com.
