Back To In-Person For “New Normal” TEDxLuxembourgCity

Some of the inspiring ways in which individuals and organisations have responded to the “new normal” were shared in front of some 230 peope at the TEDxLuxembourgCity event (Photo © nostroboy)

Embracing new ways of working, approaches to tackling trauma and a more grounded outlook on the climate crisis were among the take-aways at the last TEDxLuxembourgCity event on 4 December.

Since the global pandemic began in March 2020, the world has become a different and more resilient place. Some of the inspiring ways in which individuals and organisations have responded to the “new normal” were shared in front of some 230 peope at the TEDxLuxembourgCity event hosted in Kinepolis Kirchberg’s biggest screening room.

“For us it’s really important that not everyone is talking about the same thing, so we took the concept and kind of reinterpreted it,” says Dirk Daenen, social entrepreneur and part of the core TEDxLuxembourgCity team.

Lars Sudmann, an advisor and expert in exploring how leaders succeed in challenging environments, addressed how people in business challenge themselves in this new environment. “That went down really well, and people are laughing quite a lot with him. He’s a very entertaining guy,” said Dirk.

A deeply moving talk came from Dr Mary Faltz, a clinical research scientist, single mum and child sexual abuse survivor, who wrote her book “Cruelly Betrayed” while undergoing cancer treatment “She tied it all together and said that when this happens to you as a child, it can be expected that the person you choose doesn’t end up being the most faithful or reliable person,” said Dirk. Her empowering message was not that life was about good or bad luck, but more that we should consider the impact of cause and effect. What is more, she pointed out that the new normal is making people understand that they can talk about taboo subjects. She is hoping to change the narrative in the new normal on how taboo issues are tackled.

“In my opinion TED is the single best thing educational platform out there. So, I think it’s really rewarding to be involved.”

Dirk Daenen

A balm to those who feel helpless when it comes to the climate crisis came from the talk of Christian Scharff, the founder of IMS Luxembourg, a not for profit encouraging sustainable practices in businesses.

“Where typically TED Talks on sustainability are doom and gloom [ … ] he was basically talking about all the success stories of big businesses [taking concrete actions on sustainability]. It might be slow, but there’s a lot happening right now,” said Dirk.

Other speakers included accomplished dancer Jill Crovisier, Patrick Peters, an orthopaedic surgeon and the first Luxembourger to trek to the North Pole, social entrepreneur and founder of Food4All Ilana Devillers, African investment guru and EY associate partner Aissata Coulibaly and Ukrainian scientist Viktoriya Sokolova.

The event was the second to be held in 2021 after TEDxEducation, a hybrid showcase for teachers, students and thought leaders in the country. Daenen said that he was especially pleased that it had been possible to make December’s event and in-person gathering, after several weeks uncertainty given the rise of new covid variants.

Before the dust had settled on the December event, the team, which is comprised of a core of five volunteers, is already in talks for the next event, TEDxEducation, to be hosted around May 2022.

“In my opinion TED is the single best thing educational platform out there. So, I think it’s really rewarding to be involved,” said Dirk.

More details to follow in 2022 by visiting tedxluxembourgcity.org

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