BY
ALICIA SIM
Deputy Editor of HYPE Issue #52

AQILAH SALIM
Perspectives Editor of HYPE Issue #52

Published on

Nov 7, 2020

TEDxYouth@NP is back on 13 November 2020, 7 pm, on Youtube Premiere. This year’s theme is “The Butterfly Effect” and aims to inspire change among youths in its message that the littlest things can create significant impact through the experiences of six inspiring speakers.

Six guest speakers will be featured, including NP Aerospace Technology Class of 2017 Valedictorian Jasper Yap. TEDxYouth@NP is brought to you by The Sandbox and The Sandbox Advocates (TSBA). 

The organisers, Chiong Lun Chia, 18, President of TSBA, and Shermaine Tay, 20, Marketing Director and two speakers elaborate on what audiences can expect from this year’s event. 

In the previous edition, the annual event was held live in front of about 100 people. Now, in line with safe-distancing measures, it will be held virtually on YouTube Premiere which can accommodate a larger audience.

Lead organisers of TEDxYouth@NP: Chiong Lun Chia, President of TSBA; Shermaine Tay, Head of Marketing, during the early stages of brainstorming for a Covid-19 plan which is taking effect now. Photo courtesy of Shermaine Tay.

Migrating to an online platform brings with it a new challenge: What are the organisers doing to ensure audience engagement? Shermaine says: “Rather than trying to replicate a real-life event into a digital space without making any alterations, we sought to explore what we could do in digital spaces that are impossible to do in real life.”

This includes having the speakers directly interact with their audiences through the comment section on Youtube Live Chat. The chat function encourages viewers to interact with the contents of the talk by sharing their thoughts and ideas in real-time. 

The team also worked closely with the featured speakers to choose close-up angles for their pre-recorded filming so that speakers can face and address their audience directly. This was done to cultivate a more intimate setting that viewers can immerse themselves in. 

Regarding this year’s theme, Chiong Lun says: “I feel that a lot of [youths] underestimate the impact that one small action has.” Meanwhile, The Butterfly Effect “brings about the notion that no idea or action is too small to make an impact,” added Shermaine.

Following its digital launch on YouTube Premiere, the event goes beyond what a physical event can offer. Photo courtesy of Joash Lee.

From personal growth to the environment, the theme encompasses a variety of topics.

Guest speaker Cheryl Tan, 33, says, in relation to mental health, that one must be prepared to confront one’s fears though questioning “the very issues and things that generate discomfort in us”.

With “The Butterfly Effect”, the Executive Director of the Singapore Mental Health Film Festival, hopes for youths to start “cultivating a deeper, more insightful relationship with ourselves which allows us to see beyond our prejudices and biases, and to be truly kind and compassionate towards ourselves and others.”

Jasper, now a successful Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and co-founder of Eeezee, likes to think of “The Butterfly Effect” as a motto he strives for and believes youths should too. Rather than despising small beginnings, he encourages youths to embrace that instead. This includes the little actions we do because “you never know the small gesture you made; the kind act you did; that small investment you put money in, just a small action can lead to a great outcome.”

To listen to their full speeches, register for TEDxYouth@NP via @TEDxYouthNP’s Instagram link in bio.