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When UTSA student Tejas Narayanan attended a TEDx event in Washington, D.C. in April 2022, he was inspired by the deep conversations about important topics he experienced there.
When he returned to San Antonio for his sophomore year, he was determined to mount a TEDx event of his own, focused on the climate crisis.
“The climate crisis is the single most important issue my generation faces, and we must solve it. There is simply no choice,” Narayanan said. Beginning his sophomore year at UTSA, his mentor Lani May put Narayanan in touch with the leaders of TEDxSanAntonio. He tapped several of his fellow Top Scholars at UTSA to help, and “Earth2Hot2Handle: A Climate Action” was born.
From the first planning meeting, Narayanan and his team focused on curating an accessible community conversation with youth at the center to explore:
- What is being done about the climate crisis? Is it enough?
- Are energy companies responding? Government officials?
- What can we do to help individually and collectively?
- What career paths are open to youth who want to have a direct impact?
Six speakers — four adults and two youth — will deliver talks at the live April 15 event, which will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Buena Vista Theatre on UTSA’s downtown campus. The event will also be streamed online. An interactive Idea Lab will allow participants to meet and discuss ideas with speakers and community partners. The talks will later be posted on TED’s TEDxtalks channel.
The event is free for all to attend; Students middle school age and up will have priority seating in the auditorium. Lunch, snacks and soft drinks will be provided. Virtual attendees will receive a Zoom link when they register. Organizers are also seeking youth volunteers to work as event crew.
Event sponsors include 80|20 Foundation, KLRN, Firstmark Credit Union, San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio Youth Council, Geekdom, Big Sun Solar and OCI Solar.
Narayanan and his team invite youth, parents, educators and the community to come together at the event.
“Join us to learn, explore, and take action on the climate crisis. Together, we will make the difference.”
For more information or to register, visit TEDxSA.org/Youth.
