20 Most inspiring YOUNG TED speakers

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.
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In the Masai community where 13-year-old Richard Turere lives, cattle are all-important. But lion attacks were growing more frequent. In this short, inspiring talk, the young inventor shares the solar-powered solution he designed to safely scare the lions away....

15-year-old Tavi Gevinson was struggling to find strong female role models, and noticed that many of the women represented in the media were lacking depth. But Gevinson wasn’t disheartened, she says at TEDxTeen. Instead, she created a space where girls like her could find each other and redefine modern feminism.

Most 12-year-olds love playing videogames -- Thomas Suarez taught himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like "Bustin Jeiber," a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to help other kids become developers.

At he tender age of 9 years old, Brandon has found his passion. He loves to play, inspire and unite people with his joy of playing the piano. Brandon challenges you to find your instrument and see where it takes you....

http://www.ted.com In 2011 three young women swept the top prizes of the first Google Science Fair. At TEDxWomen Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose and Naomi Shah described their extraordinary projects-- and their route to a passion for science....

Gabrielle Jordan Williams is an author, entrepreneur, jewelry designer, inspirational speaker and philanthropist. She began her business, Jewelz of Jordan, at the age of 9. At 11, Gabrielle discovered her inspirational talents and received national recognition for her #1 Amazon Bestselling book, The Making of a Young Entrepreneur: The Kids Guide to Developing The Mind-Set for Success. With a portion of the profits, Gabrielle gives to organization in her community such as her local food pantry and charities that care for youth such as Smile Train and the Children's National Medical Center.

Gabrielle's "Dream Big" message has inspired countless youth and adults and reminds the entire population that you are never too young to live your dreams. Gabrielle's favorite activities include spending quality time with her family and supporting her friends with their business ideas.

Over 85 percent of all pancreatic cancers are diagnosed late, when someone has less than two percent chance of survival. How could this be? Jack Andraka talks about how he developed a promising early detection test for pancreatic cancer that's super cheap, effective and non-invasive -- all before his 16th birthday. Down the road, Andraka’s test could save many lives. In the meantime, it has netted him a win in the world’s largest high school science competition.

In her talk, Ishita Katyal talks about following your passion and you need not wait till you grow up. Only 10 years old, Ishita Katyal is the youngest organizer of a TEDxYouth event in the Asia-Pacific region. She believes success comes from wanting happiness in the present moment, and shares that message during weekly workshops she leads with children at a local Balewadi school. She loves to read and write in her spare time. When she was only 8 years old, Ishita wrote a book called Simran's Diary

Sparsh Shah wants to show people how they can transcend every difficulty that comes their way in life and how they can start a chain reaction to be a guide for other people who want to turn their life around as well.

Sparsh is a 13-year old child prodigy, singer/song writer/rapper born with brittle bones (130+fractures), but an unbreakable spirit. He became a worldwide internet sensation with his Purhythm versions of Eminem covers. He aspires to inspire and sing in front of a billion people one day.

Sparsh has been learning Hindustani classical music for the last seven-and-a-half years and American vocal music for the last three years. Sparsh is multi-talented. He performs at community events and has appeared on local radio stations and television shows, besides hosting shows as an MC....

Asian Americans are often stereotyped as the 'model minority' and are seen as perfect students that are good at math, piano, and violin, for example. Although these are positive stereotypes, Olivia Lai explores the negative consequences of these expectations and what we can do to alleviate pressures on Asian-American students.

Olivia Lai is a freshman at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA....

For as long as she can remember, Tara Adiseshan has been committed to making a positive difference in the world. This commitment has taken Tara Adiseshan, who became a Stanford undergraduate student at the age of 14, on an incredible journey as a researcher, designer and explorer. She is currently working at the intersection of design and education to create environmental change in developing countries. With appreciation for a network of friends, family and mentors that has supported her in her efforts, Adiseshan will graduate this summer, at age 18, with a BS in Science, Technology and Society and an MA in Learning, Design and Technology.

How should a student mold their lives to have the best possible chance of getting accepted to an Ivy League school? The answer might surprise you... Shyam Handa is a senior at Cherry Hill High School East. When entering high school, many people told Shyam to be as well-rounded as possible. He listened. During Shyam's high school career, he conducted impressive research on myocardial ischemia reperfusion, he raised over $28,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey, he participated in tennis, he played piano, and he was the co-captain of the Cherry Hill East Ethics Team. When it came time for college acceptances, though, he noticed an interesting trend. He began to think that maybe being well rounded is a detriment when applying to Ivy League schools. He did some research, and this is what he found...

In this thought-provoking talk, Ahalya Rajagopalan explores the implications of the culture of achievement in high schools. What really drives our students towards success? Is it genuine?

Ahalya Rajagopalan is an 11th grader at Oakridge International School, studying Math, Chemistry and Biology at a higher level. Among various other things, she is a national swimmer, competitive basketball player, and part of her school's Model United Nations Secretariat.
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Vik Nithy is the founder of 3 companies at the age of 20 including how own marketing consulting firm. His left after school Vik has been extremely successful despite being diagnosed with ADHD after finishing his school exams. Developing his passion for cognitive neuroscience, educational reform and the potential of young people....

Do you ever wish you could be a superhero, but are always let down by the thought that you don't possess the power to be one? Well, Eshaan Menon is here to is here to tell you otherwise. Equipped with the handy sustainable development goals, significant global issues, and a whole lot of charisma, he's going to show how youths can redefine their roles as global citizens and become modern-day superheroes. “Youth is a dream, a form of chemical madness.”
Passion, zeal and determination are only some of the words one can use to describe this accomplished youth. His avid participation in numerous Model United Nation Conferences outline his vehemence for debate and discussion on issues from a globalized scale. Other than his association with the United Nations Association of Malaysia (UNAM) Youth Chapter, he is also the founder and current student advisor of APU’s (Asia Pacific University) MUN Club and has won several awards for ‘Best/ Most Outstanding Delegate’ by demonstrating exemplary argumentative and communication skills.

http://www.ted.com Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something.about both of those: When he was 14, he built a working fusion reactor in his parents' garage. Now 17, he takes the TED stage to tell (the short version of) his story.

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Once it's created, plastic (almost) never dies. While in 12th grade Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao went in search of a new bacteria to biodegrade plastic -- specifically by breaking down phthalates, a harmful plasticizer. They found an answer surprisingly close to home.

All under the age of 16, brothers Jonny, Robbie and Tommy Mizzone are from New Jersey, a US state that's better known for the rock of Bruce Springsteen than the bluegrass of Earl Scruggs. Nonetheless, the siblings began performing bluegrass covers, as well as their own compositions, at a young age. Here, they play three dazzling songs in three different keys, passing the lead back and forth from fiddle to banjo to guitar....

Memory Banda’s life took a divergent path from her sister’s. When her sister reached puberty, she was sent to a traditional “initiation camp” that teaches girls “how to sexually please a man.” She got pregnant there — at age 11. Banda, however, refused to go. Instead, she organized others and asked her community’s leader to issue a bylaw that no girl should be forced to marry before turning 18. She pushed on to the national level … with incredible results for girls across Malawi.
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This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Kate Simonds, senior at Timberline High School, is 17. Take a deep breath and a quick inventory of what feelings come to mind when you consider a 17 year old. Now watch this talk and prepare to have your thoughts flipped inside out....

Why not surround yourself with books, sit down quietly and enjoy the words, the pictures, and how they fit together so beautifully? Learn from a 11 year old about reading.

Born in Beijing and growing up in Su Zhou, Shang Qu is an avid reader who has read hundreds of books about science, history, literature...... She is a creative thinker who always gets excited when facing challenging problems; she is a lover of classical music who can play the piano and has just started studying the violin; She is also a sports amateur who loves tennis the best and is now working to improve her tennis skills. In general, she is a dreamer who has the passion to explore and discover the world around her....

Tanishq Abraham is a nine-year-old college student at American River College in Sacramento. He was a Mensa member at just four years old, a Davidson Young Scholar at age six and a college student at age seven! He has published astronomy articles on the NASA website and is the founding vice president of the Astronomy and Physics Club at American River College. Tanishq has been giving college and public talks since he was seven, including the Earth Day talks at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. He was the youngest poster presenter and speaker at a NASA conference at NASA Ames in 2012. This year, he was a guest panelist for SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas and the inaugural video speaker at the 10th Skoll World Forum at the University of Oxford. When he's not attending college, being home-schooled by his parents, writing papers or giving presentations, Tanishq's passions include chess, swimming, dancing, and soccer. Musically inclined, he has received formal training in piano since he was three and is a chorister with the San Francisco Boys Chorus.

In a fascinating talk, applauded with a standing ovation, Gitanjali dazzles the audience with her ideas on innovation, STEM education for girls and what it means to be a child today.
She talks about how her device could solve the crisis of clean water in Michigan, India and many other parts of the world. The video also includes a demo to her awarded device. Gitanjali is just 12 years and she was just recently named America’s Top Young Scientist of 2017 by the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge with a device to detect lead in water faster than any other current techniques. She is a Davidson Young Scholar since 2012, and has received several scholarships and awards for achievements in science, arts and community service.

When 13 year-old Logan LaPlante grows up, he wants to be happy and healthy. He discusses how hacking his education is helping him achieve this goal. ...