What do Millennials want? They’re looking for different models of success. They are crowd-resourceful. And, in the case of a group of students at UWM, they gain inspiration from watching TED talks.
So it’s no surprise that three friends would act on their passions and decide to organize a Milwaukee TEDx conference at UWM.
“This is our home. This is our school. We can see that UWM has done wonders for our own development. This is a way for us to share that talent,” says Aaron Davis, a junior in finance who joined the organizing group after his fellow Lubar School of Business student Jon Edquist was granted a license to hold an event.
TEDx conferences are locally produced gatherings of speakers designed to share ideas in a community forum. Though distinct from Internet-based TED talks, organizers must obtain a license that allows them to put on a single event. Last year, the very first TEDx conference in the city was held in the Harambee neighborhood to discuss integrating science, technology and engineering with art and music (STEAM) as an approach to social, economic and environmental challenges.
Edquist, a senior in marketing, realized after obtaining the license what a huge undertaking hosting a TEDx would be. So he turned to like-minded friends, such as Davis and Mike Sportiello, self-starters who met at the Student Leadership Retreat through the campus Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership and Research.
Sportiello, a sophomore chemistry and philosophy major, had planned to pursue a license himself when he found that Edquist had beaten him to it. So he joined the group that now includes Cody Winkler (marketing and advertising), Allen Harris (marketing), Lindsey Jo Henneberry (communications), Ian Guyette (film) and Jess Walther (non-student).
Sportiello says his generation is feeling the pressure to find answers for global problems and TEDx is a popular method of public discussion. “Many of the world’s problems are still solvable, but not for long,” he says. “We’ve been pegged as the video-game generation that is inactive. But in many ways that isn’t true. It doesn’t have to be true.”
“This is our home. This is our school. We can see that UWM has done wonders for our own development. This is a way for us to share that talent.”
Aaron Davis, junior in finance
Under the theme of “Generation Why Not?” the group honed its focus to include ideas from those who have left convention behind to pursue their passions and those that propose new models for innovation.
“We wanted to convey what this generation means to us,” says Davis, who has an interest in finding viable models for social entrepreneurship. “Our theme has deep-seeded roots. We are going for creating something that doesn’t exist yet.”
“There’s always been a cause for previous generations to rally around. But not for ours,” says Edquist. “There’s nothing that unites us except for a desire for accomplishments on our own terms. TED is a good platform for finding our voice. This event is just as much about information as inspiration.”
Once the theme was approved the group faced the daunting task of shearing 96 applications for speaking slots down to 19. Eight are UWM faculty, including:
- Ann Basting – theater
- Adream Blair – art and design
- Patrick Brady – physics
- Jean Creighton– physics
- Paul Roebber – freshwater/atmospheric science
- Alan Schwabacher – chemistry
- Nathaniel Stern – art and design
- Luc Vanier – dance
So popular is the TEDx brand, the students discovered, that officials at Northwestern Mutual contacted them with an offer of sponsorship.
“Northwestern Mutual is proud to call Milwaukee home, and we’re proud to help promote the city and region,” says Karl Gouverneur, chief technology officer. “TEDx is a wonderful event to showcase Milwaukee as a place to give voice to new perspectives and ideas.”
Edquists says that because this event sold out, he intends to renew his license in order to organize another event in 2015.
