TEDxAtlanta has unveiled the speaker lineup for its inaugural TEDxAtlanta Youth conference, scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 3 at Atlanta International School in Sandy Springs. The event, part of the TEDxAtlanta 2026 season themed 'Bold. Brave. Unbreakable.', will feature speakers aged 16 to 23 and an intergenerational On the Spot conversation, with the program divided into two parts: Seen and Unleashed.
'Young people hear constantly that they are the future. We were much more interested in what they have to say about the present,' said Jacqui Chew, TEDxAtlanta licensee and organizer. 'These speakers are asking questions that affect all of us: Whose ideas get taken seriously? What gets lost when technology doesn't understand culture? And what becomes possible when young people have the opportunity to build rather than wait?'
The first part, Seen, explores what changes when young people's experiences, ideas, and perspectives are taken seriously. Temple Lester, a STEM advocate, will discuss how being sidelined at science camp as the only girl taught her about speaking up and what ideas we miss when young people are told to wait their turn. Nidhi Madam, a language and culture explorer, will share how a K-drama binge led her to Korean and back to Telugu, her family's language, and how artificial intelligence can translate words without understanding the cultural nuances. The On the Spot conversation between entrepreneur Zoe Oli and her mother, Evana Oli, will examine what happens when a child's idea becomes a real enterprise and a parent must decide when to step in, step aside, or step forward together.
The second part, Unleashed, turns from voice to action, with young innovators questioning existing systems and building alternatives. Kanushi Dua, a circular systems designer, will discuss how a forgotten bin of nearly new children's clothes led her to question garment disposability and the unexpected role of AI in addressing it. Ian Sun, a community-centered technologist, will ask who gets a say in how AI is built and what communities stand to gain or lose. Akos Vida, an accessibility innovator, will challenge assumptions about designing for versus designing with people, based on his experience building an accessible gaming controller. Ethan Benater, a possibility engineer, will talk about his vaping-cessation solution and what young people can create when they stop treating entrenched problems as inevitable.
Together, Seen and Unleashed move from recognition to agency, asking audiences to consider young people not simply as inheritors of the future, but as participants in creating it now. Back-to-school ticket prices for TEDxAtlanta, TEDxAtlanta Youth, and Complete Passes that include both conferences are available now. TEDxAtlanta is Georgia's largest TED affiliate and a year-round platform for ideas, conversation, and community. For more information, visit www.TEDxAtlanta.com.
