WATCH: 2024 TEDxRRU speakers
How do you find courage to have the tough conversations? And it is possible to find common ground in even the most deep-rooted conflicts? Changemaking Royal Roads Alumni present thought-provoking talks at TEDXRRU 2024.
Ready to showcase an idea worth spreading? Apply to speak at TEDxRRU 2025 or nominate a speaker. Applications close Nov. 5.
Get inspired by watching the talks from 2024 below or find them on our YouTube playlist.
Dapo Bankole: The Hidden Struggles and Triumphs of Immigrant Professionals in Canada
Dapo Bankole had a dream – to make a new life in Canada.
But when the IT professional arrived in Canada from Nigeria with his family, his belongings and 12 years of professional experience, his dreams were quickly dashed.
“Recruiters and hiring managers ignored me,” says the Royal Roads Master of Arts in Leadership alum. “I lacked Canadian experience.”
He found himself working long hours for low pay despite his extensive experience
“When we as a nation attract economic immigrants but do not help them to quickly get back into their professional careers after they arrive, we miss out on an abundant prosperity.”
In his TedxRRU talk, Bankole shares the importance of not only inviting immigrants to Canada, but also supporting them after they arrive.
Marcia Turner: Indigenous Wisdom for Meaningful Change
There is no change without trust, says Marcia Turner.
“We have a history of broken trust in this country,” says the Gitxsan leader and Royal Roads Master of Arts in Leadership alum.
In order for decolonization to happen, trust must also be accompanied by healing, self-determination and courage she says.
“Change requires courage – the courage to dismantle white supremacy. Courage is doing the hard work of decolonization.”
Drawing on Indigenous teachings and her experience as an award-winning consultant, her TedxRRU talk focuses on the framework she developed outlining four critical conditions for creating real change.
April Kuramoto: Why your stories matter
Stories are something we all share and the ones we tell matter just as the ones we don’t, says April Kuramoto.
“We are all storytellers – living and revising and living and revising,” says the Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication alum. “When we tell our stories, there’s a connection that’s created.”
In her TedxRRU talk, Kuramoto, a storylistener, speaker and activist, shares the story of her grandparents, who were interned alongside almost 22,000 Japanese Canadians forced from their homes to labour camps in the 1940s.
Dr. Sarah Lea: Connection and burnout in healthcare
The most potent prescription Dr. Sarah Lea can provide doesn’t come from a pharmacy.
In her TedxRRU talk, the family physician, who specializes in maternity and addictions, says relationships are key to healthcare – whether between practitioners and patients or between providers.
Not only does she argue this human-first approach is better for patient outcomes, but it can also positively impact the more-than 50 percent of doctors who risk leaving their professions due to burnout.
“I believe connection is fundamental to health and well-being,” says the Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching alum. “When we see each other as humans first, our experience in the healthcare system can be transformed.”
Zab Vilayil: The powerful first step of conflict resolution
Zab Vilayil is committed to the good in conflict.
“Conflicts do not need to be resolved; they can be transformed into new ways of being,” says the Master of Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding alum in his TedxRRU talk.
As a child, who experienced violent conflict in his early years in Kuwait, the experienced educator and conflict early warning specialist shares a tactic that provides the possibility to “dissolve our us’s and thems” in conflict – no matter how big or small.
Taking a step back and going to ‘the balcony’ “helps me find the rightness in your wrongness and it also helps me find the wrongness in my rightness,” he says.
Sarah Crawford-Bohl: Lean In, Speak Up: Igniting Change Through Courageous Conversations
In challenging situations, we’re often advised to speak up, advocate, and stand up for what’s right.
But those things are easier said than done, says Master of Arts in Leadership – Health alum Sarah Crawford-Bohl.
In her TEDxRRU talk, the experienced healthcare executive presents a roadmap for navigating difficult conversations using the idea of a compass.
“When I focus on the principles of the compass, I'm able to move from reactive to proactive, getting into a mindset where I can be true to my values and share my voice,” she says. “All leaders – we play a pivotal role in leaning into courageous conversations and creating the safe place for others to do the same.”
Carla Cuglietta: Why we're so anxious about the future of work
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Chances are, whatever it was excited you.
But somehow, that excitement about the future of work has shifted to anxiety says Master of Arts in Global Leadership alum Carla Cuglietta. And not just for young people – for everyone.
“Thirty years ago, jobs and skills were stable. But not anymore,” she says. “New technology is driving the need to learn new skills… The problem is, it’s tough to know when or how that change is coming.”
That realization led Cuglietta on an 18-month journey to 15 countries to find out what was causing career anxiety and what we can do about it.
In her TedxRRU talk, she shares what she learned about the three things you can do to prepare for your career future.
Dr. Graeme Mitchell: How to save our children from cynicism
It wasn’t just how much time his students spent on social media that concerned Graeme Mitchell, it was also the kind of content they were consuming.
“Amid the cute puppies and the viral dances, what really stood out was this tsunami of stress-inducing content washing over them day after day,” says Mitchell, who holds both a Doctor of Social Sciences and Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication from Royal Roads University.
That kind of content was causing a gap, not in their knowledge about the world, but in their hope its future.
In order for young people to deal with big challenges, they need to first study past victories, Mitchell says.
“Without knowing about these past wins, they can’t grasp how far we’ve come. All they see is this daunting mountain ahead.”
In his TedXRRU talk, he shares a powerful lesson on leading with facts, not fear.