Ted X Talks

Positive education for the 21st century: helping young people to thrive in a world of busy.John Doran has been a teacher and guidance counsellor for over 24 years. A founding Chairman of the Network of School Planners from its foundation, he is author of the acclaimed Ways to Wellbeing .It is currently taught in over 140 schools both here and in mainland Europe. He is passionate about the transformative power of education to disrupt poverty, and help young people do all that they can, with all that they have, in the time that they have got, in the space that they are in. 

Physical education has a ​transcendent value that is often undervalued, including social, intellectual and academic spaces. Why is it so often the first area to be cut when looking at courses to prepare students for thriving futures? William E. Simon, Jr. is the co-founder of UCLA Health Sound Body Sound Mind, a program he began with his wife Cindy Simon in 1998, dedicated to fighting childhood obesity by providing state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a comprehensive curriculum, and professional development for PE programs

With more than 40 years in the field of education, Zientarski has created a highly successful program called the Learning Readiness Physical Education (LRPE) program at Naperville Central High School. His program has been highlighted on major TV networks and featured in documentary films. Zientarski shares his educational philosophy and programs with audiences nationwide, including the President’s Council on Health, Fitness and Nutrition in Washington, D.C.

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Physical Fitness does not have to be complicated. There are psychological aspects to staying motivated for fitness and then a few rules to adopt for success. The speaker presents his ideas on motivation, measuring your fitness level, and exercises to become fit. 

O'Sullivan remembers when youth sports was about children competing with other children instead of adults competing with each other through their kids. Following nearly three decades as a soccer player and coach, O'Sullivan began working to reshape youth sports and inspire a major shift in culture. After serving as a youth coach for the Portland Timbers in Bend, he founded the Changing the Game Project and is now an international speaker and national best-selling author of Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports back to Our Kids.

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. We all think we know what youth sports can do for kids: fitness, teamwork, coordination. But given the time and connection coaches have with their teams, we can do a lot more to help kids from every circumstance with nutrition, anger management, socialization, leadership, and much more. Anna-Lesa Calvert reports from the front lines of a new style of youth sports coaching.

Jim Thompson is founder of Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to using sports to develop Better Athletes, Better People. Youth sports is dominated by a win-at-all-cost mentality that leads to undesired and sometimes tragic results. Jim Thompson articulates a powerful competing vision powered by a growing movement to make youth sports a "Development Zone" to develop Better Athletes, Better People, which, with 40 million youth playing sports, will have far-reaching positive impacts on our country.