OPINION JP HEDGE
TEDxExeter in the spotlight; Baby Hedge is raring to go
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Talking heads JP and his brood can’t wait to be inspired at this year’s TEDxExeter
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EDxExeter is the city’s greatest export. The team of volunteers are literally and metaphorically putting Exeter centre stage onto screens across the world. For those of you out of the loop, TEDxExeter is a festival of ideas. It is a grassroots initiative organised by volunteers from the community, for the community. It is supported by businesses and partners from across Exeter and the UK who see the benefit in supporting passionate individuals who want to spark conversations. The TEDxExeter team are people who believe ideas can change the world. And they would be right. A lot of the Hedge clan have been involved at some stage in the nine years the festival has risen from a concept to epic status. TEDxExeter
are a family of volunteers who do extraordinary things and I am very grateful that they do. The day itself is a unique platform in Exeter which brings together influential thinkers, policy makers and a diverse audience. It’s a chance to lift our gaze above the day to day, to step back, reflect, to be challenged and to go out inspired to make a positive difference. And there is also really good food in the breaks! The power lies in the fact that all talks are filmed and then made available via YouTube. There is then a ripple effect from the talks as they reach new audiences. And like most things in life, Exeter punches about its weight. These talks from the little red dot at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre have now been viewed a whopping 24 million times and translated into up to 35 languages. I am happy to be
“It’s a chance to lift our gaze above the day to day, to step back”
corrected but there is nothing I can think of, outside perhaps research from The University of Exeter, which can demonstrate such a positive global benefits. Curator Claire Kennedy and her volunteers have been changing lives one thought at a time. Part of the appeal and magic for me is the simplicity – these are ideas. They are thoughts. The talks are short and sharp bursts of different perspectives, game changing challenges, ways of helping and concepts around making things better. The reason why Claire and the team work so hard is because of the premise that ‘a great idea is an idea worth spreading’. And, boy, have they travelled. The most viewed talk today is one by Manwar Ali called Inside the Mind of a Former Radical Jihadist. It has been watched 2.3 million times. The ripple effects of Cormac Russell’s talk about building resilient communities still inspires colleagues at my work to reimagine how our communities can grow stronger. Asset based community development has led to a whole range of changes in both attitude and policy decisions. TEDx is a global movement. I think now, more than ever, people need both a safe space to think, and also strong thought leadership. And there is still time to get
involved this year. The event is simultaneously broadcast via a livestream at the likes of Exeter Library, RAMM and the Phoenix. People will come to gather at Devon County Council, Devon & Cornwall Police, hospitals, schools, universities, businesses, and locations around the world. A huge amount of work goes into making sure the cost of the top end tickets helps get the talks into a huge variety of lives and backgrounds. Anyone can register to watch the day live for free. Back in 2018, some 34,000 people in 35 countries did just that. Seeing it live is something that people should experience once in their life. This year TEDxExeter takes place at the Northcott on 17 April. You can snap up one of the few remaining tickets or find out more about livestreaming the event at TEDxExeter.com. If you are lucky enough to be going in person, I’ll see you there, in awe of Claire and the team’s exceptional commitment to ideas worth spreading. ■ TEDxExeter is on 17 April; turn to page 39 for more information on the event Jon-Paul Hedge is a director at Exeter City Council where he currently looks after tourism, communications and culture. He is a former newspaper editor and lives in the city with his wife and two young children. www.exeter.gov.uk
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