Two South African learners are headed to New York to present talks at the upcoming TED-Ed Weekend from November 17 to 18.

Education solutions company Think Ahead’s TED-Ed Club ran a thirteen-week public speaking curriculum prepared by TED to help Gauteng learners discover and develop their ideas to deliver their own TED-style talk.

Boipelo Moagi and Ayanda Bokaba were selected from hundreds of entries and will deliver their talks on “How can we stop racism in private schools” and “How criticism affects people’s confidence”.

The TED-ED weekend is a yearly gathering of students from around the world, who participate in TED-Ed Clubs, designed to amplify the voices of the next generation of TED.

Think Ahead MD Michelle Lissoos said her organisation believes strongly in giving young South Africans a voice.

“We ensure all our programmes instil key 21st century skills in the students that participate. That is why we were so excited to offer our partner schools the TED-Ed programme. We are so proud of Boipelo and Ayanda – and can’t wait to hear their voices from the New York TED stage,” said Lissoos.

During the event at TED’s New York headquarters, participants will share inspiring performances, participate in hands-on workshops and attend sessions of TED Talks. They will also deliver their talks in a newly created theatre housed at TED’s New York headquarters.