TedX Manitou Springs:
TedX is an organization that puts on individually organized events to promote “ideas worth spreading”. The specific event I went to had multiple different guest speakers, a couple people elected to sing, and others brought “a spiritual experience” to the event. These TedX events happen all over the country and each one is individual and unique. The specific event I went to was focused on the female experience. The first presenter sang songs by successful female singers like Alicia Keys and Beyonce and our second speaker shared an inspiring story about starting her own business. The speakers were sharing the TedX values of community, connection, and collaboration with the group. There was an intermission break and eventually everyone returned to their seats for the last two presentations. The first presenter after the break gave (in my opinion) the most powerful and moving talk of all four presenters. She spoke about her experience as a mother of a son who died by suicide. The presentation began with a recording of a very vulnerable and upsetting phone call with her son before his death. Then continued with her explaining the experience of her son (in her words) and his struggle with mental health. The presentation was heartbreaking, but what made the discussion so powerful was how her experience impacted her impact on the world. She explained how the death of her son has pushed her to become involved in activism for the proper access to mental health care for young adults. She explained how we can all help to prevent suicide in young adults through the destigmatization of “getting help” and different organizations that are successfully preventing teen suicide every day. Her presentation forced me to think about how each of us can help one person who is struggling. Although the presentation did not empower action through uplifting the audience, it pushed for action by resonating with each individual on a personal and emotional level.
Everyone struggles with mental health and some are worse than others. The stigmatization and shame that is accompanied with a standard human experience are unfair and harmful.