On any given Friday afternoon crowds of eager kids are counting the seconds to being released into a wide stretch of weekend, but in downtown Denver there is a frantic enthusiasm reserved for a tween concert. TedxYouth Mile High has opened its doors and the flood of pristine uniforms or delegates from the ghettos are buzzing about on this play day. So what does Tedx Youth offer up to thirsty minds, that often default to boredom? Questions. The lobby was a patchwork of booths asking what they would wish for, what type of business they would start, what would the settle for. A very bright eyed 18 year old had a table with her duct tape craft wallets, she had been working with Young American's Bank and YouthBiz to start her own crafttacular in her spare time. ReWork, a regular partner of TedxMileHigh was engaging kids about liking your job,and will be hosting The Schoolyard Scrimmage on May 4! Taking place at Galvanize, the Scrimmage is an innovative day-long event that will harness the talents and power of the community to help accelerate local schools, companies, and nonprofits working in the education space. Not bad for the 1st floor, in the learning labs upstairs kids interacted by writing poetry, building 3D collages, learning how to compose a dub step beat, dance a haiku, and get a glimpse of explorer gear from the north pole. All very fun and perfect for younger students, the juniors and seniors were very polite but seemed a bit glazed as they had limited ground to tread, and for that I hope that TED develops more uncomfortable or dynamic engagement for these well developed youthquakes.The Stage: An environmental activist teenager that spent 7 dollars on a letter writing campaign to ban single use bags in Boulder, and start a top notch recycling program in school, her method was research and persistence. A 12 year old that is designing a neurological stimulator thingy, I was hoping I could just send her some money on indiegogo and get in on the guinea pig round. A 17 year old who is designing prosthetics from a 3d printer., whose mission was to keep the costs down. DJ CaveM, a hip hop performer that raps about being an organic vegan farmer as a revolution. A guy that walked across the country, who I dare say had one of the most interesting messages which was simply to trust in yourself and that we are going at "speeds that defy our own design" so make a mile radius around your home, school and pledge to walk it before just driving. (a revelation in these times). Eric Larson was the explorer and had a lot of gear to show in the labs, but his meaning was more about engaging kids in environmental awareness and personal preparation which seemed warmly welcomed. The flashy parkour tricks amused and amazed showing viral videos of how to use just wall and grass as your guides which was all very wowing but also he showed the bloopers reel of how many times a kid had to fall and not get it right before something took shape. The highlight was a humble moment when 25 year old Ryan Ford from Apex Movement told the story of a mom and her two kids coming together to learn to play in order to overcome their disabilities. "There are no obstacles only opportunities" he said triumphantly as a tiny girl in pink leggings bound over a bolder and into her mother's arms. Amelia Earhart the host for the event is a pilot and news broadcaster and starting a non-profit to teach kids to fly, she kept pace asking everyone to tweet their experiences to become a top trending hash tag, it happened oh the power of social media and teenagers. Most of the tags were "inspired, cool," but I was haunted by one that said "bored", was this the perspective of a cynical senior with rolled eyes and a to cool attitude or was this the molasses of a young kid unable to access the inspirations flickering about? As I talked to various teachers and groups like the math and science school, the mountain arts prep school, everyone seemed excited, but is excitement asking a question enough to get a real answer?
The themes for the presentation were values, and I venture to say more motivations, because you don't need to teach a kid to be interested, that is the unlearning of adulthood, where there has to be results and reasons for the work, but kids are simply more effectively curious; so how can we engage them not just as an audience but as constant participators with out it turning into a circus or by turning it into a circus! (the tightest run ship ever is a circus.) The startling coherent kids that presented solutions to real world problems were jaw dropping, but the true message of the day was held by the explorers who told of building a team, developing trust, living in your body, taking a walk, climbing a mountain and being persistent. Those are the qualities that kids need and from their they can design anything. As usual TED is about ideas but kids are about play, this year the Mile High continues to develop a rich tapestry to grow the minds that will design a complete overhaul of society from it's industrial dust. "Maybe we are just mirrors for miracles"
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