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The TEDx Experience At KTJ

Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar is known for its incredible support and exposure offered to shape its students' overall development. An unusual measure was the official TEDxYouth, led by Ms Jane Adams, which took place on the 21st of October 2018. Themed 'MY Culture, MY Future, MY Identity', the event was an opportunity to voice out the matters concerning today's youths, on an international platform.
Over two months prior to the event, meetings ran by teachers were made compulsory for the speakers, aiming to aid them with idea development and practices for their delivery. It did not take me long to notice the diversity of the topics chosen by our students. We welcomed a range of subjects, from evaluating Malaysia's current and future healthcare standards to understanding and accepting youths' freedom in pursuing their own identities. This was an indication of the school's capacity in initiating dialogues on issues related to youths and the surrounding communities. I witnessed a very effective chain effect from this later on, when my audiences messaged me about how much they could resonate with my perspectives and how my points made them reconsider their use of social media, which was the objective of my talk.

As the big day approached, interview videos were shot in promotion of the event. We were scheduled rehearsals both in classrooms and the auditorium. Watching the speakers evolve from merely having a basic idea to being able to engage with their audiences on stage using a combination of speech and body languages, had wondrously amazed me as so much improvement could be achieved in such a short time despite needing to strive an academic and curricular balance. Not all of the speakers were born public speakers, but there were passion in their voices and determination in their eyes that embodied their strong sense of belief in the views they were sharing on stage. 


More often than not, we do not see ourselves delivering a talk in front of a large audience. This lack of self-confidence becomes the biggest barrier for us to push ourselves out of our comfort zones to complete a challenge like TEDx. But if we can look passed the hindrance of our fear of attention, and pair ourselves with practices, anyone with or without experience can certainly do it. I am beyond proud to have volunteered to be a part of TEDxYouth@KTJ 2018, and have successfully pulled off my presentation despite having been a shy person for years. That nail-biting experience contributed to my growth in KTJ, to transform into a more holistic individual. Will I recommend anyone younger to participate in TEDx? Undoubtedly.

If you would like to experience the speakers and talks for yourself, it is not too late. You can see them on the TED youtube page under TEDxYouth@KTJ, or search up our Facebook page TEDxYouth@KTJ and you can see and hear the variety of confident speakers and interesting topics linked around the theme for the event ‘My culture MY identity MY future’.

Written by,
Euan Thum.
Edited by,
Ms Jane Adams.

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