TEDxAtlanta has unveiled the speaker lineup for its first-ever TEDxAtlanta Youth conference, set to take place on 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. The program is structured in two parts: Seen and Unleashed, aiming to highlight the role of young people in shaping the world today.
“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 segment, Seen, explores what changes when young people's experiences and perspectives are taken seriously. Temple Lester, a STEM advocate, shares how being sidelined at science camp because she was the only girl taught her to speak up, questioning what ideas are missed when young people are told to wait their turn. Nidhi Madam, a language and culture explorer, discusses her journey from a K-drama binge to learning Korean and rediscovering Telugu, her family's language, and how artificial intelligence can translate words without understanding the culture they carry. The On the Spot conversation features entrepreneur Zoe Oli and her mother, Evana Oli, discussing the dynamics 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 segment, Unleashed, turns from voice to action, with young innovators questioning existing systems and building alternatives. Kanushi Dua, a circular systems designer, was inspired by a forgotten bin of nearly new children's clothes to question why garments are treated as disposable, pointing to an unexpected role for artificial intelligence. Ian Sun, a community-centered technologist, asks who gets a say in how AI is built as it becomes embedded in everyday life. Akos Vida, an accessibility innovator, learned that designing for someone isn't the same as designing with them, challenging assumptions about who belongs in the design process. Ethan Benater, a possibility engineer, discusses his experience building a vaping-cessation solution, raising questions about what young people can create when they refuse to accept entrenched problems as inevitable.
Together, Seen and Unleashed move from recognition to agency, asking audiences to consider young people not merely 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, organized by a team of volunteers led by Jacqui Chew. For more information, visit www.TEDxAtlanta.com.
