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Don't miss these influential speakers!
"TEDxWasedaU"

Secretary General Rieko Lee, 3rd year School of Social Sciences

TED is a non-profit organization that holds and distributes various speeches (lectures) by famous people from all over the world. TEDx is a program that is officially licensed by TED and is independently run around the world while following the operating rules. Based on the TED spirit of "Ideas Worth Spreading," it allows people all over the world to enjoy a common experience.

Our TEDxWasedaU aims to provide a platform for students from different backgrounds, nationalities, and faculties to come together and share innovative and valuable ideas. We are divided into four teams: finance team, speaker team, design team, and marketing team, and each team works together to create the event. The main events are the "Student Speaker Competition (SSC)" and the "Main Event."

The purpose of the SSC is for students to share their life stories and learning experiences, inspiring others in the process. Standing on stage also serves as a way to prepare and practice speeches for the main event, where the winners will qualify to compete.

The SSC will judge the presentations by anonymous voting by the entire TEDxWasedaU team and detailed scoring by the speaker teams. Scoring will be based on six categories: completeness of the idea, credibility of the topic, appropriateness of the talk, eloquence of the talk, potential for growth as a speaker, and length of the speech. In addition, the finalists will be selected with the consensus of the entire speaker team, taking into consideration the relevance of the speech to the theme of the main event.

The SSC final round was held on January 14, 2024. A group photo of TEDxWasedaU members and six student speakers.

The 2023 SSC will begin accepting applications from university students across Japan in October. After a thorough screening process, six outstanding speakers will be selected, and the "SSC Final Round" will be held on January 14, 2024, with two winners selected. These two speakers will compete in the main event this summer.

The main event aims to broaden the audience's perspective on various social issues, and in the past has featured guest speakers from the working world on topics such as solutions to reduce CO2 emissions, the Japanese art of kintsugi（金継ぎ）, and the importance of preserving dilapidated towns.

2023 SSC awardees Cedric Purwanto (4th year, School of Advanced Science and Engineering, left) and Azinath Ahmed (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, right). Cedric explored the difference between AI-generated music and real musical expression, while Azinath spoke about the stages of life in different cultural backgrounds.

At the main event in 2022. Members translated speeches from Japanese to English, built good relationships with guest speakers, and sent letters and gifts.

We also organize retreats and team-building opportunities to deepen the bonds between members. We welcome students who want to explore different perspectives and contribute to our common goal of inspiring others. In addition, all students with a basic level of English are welcome to participate. Whether you are confident in public speaking, interested in becoming a speaker, creative, or interested in TED events, TEDxWasedaU welcomes your application!

Left photo: In 2023, we held a training camp in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. We had fun with the members having a barbecue and playing baseball on the beach.
Right photo: We hold a general meeting with all members once every three months. A photo of the gift exchange for Christmas 2023.

[Official student club information]
◆ student club name: TEDxWasedaU
◆ Group classification: Media & Publishing
◆ student club Founded: 2011
◆ Genre: plan
◆ Activity date and time:
Leader team: Every Tuesday at 7pm, Building No. 3
Finance Team: Every Friday at 5pm, Building No. 3
Marketing Team: Every Monday at 7:30pm, Building No. 3
Speaker team: Every Thursday at 7pm, Building No. 11
Design Team: Every Thursday at 7:30pm, Building No. 11
◆ Number of participants: 49 people
◆ Location: Building No. 3 and Building No. 11
◆ Website:https://www.tedxwasedau.com/
◆Instagram:@tedxwasedau
◆ X:@tedxwasedau
◆Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tedxwasedau
◆YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TEDxWaseda