On this special night we’ll hear from two Sydney Academy International Baccalaureate students, Alex Sheppard and Ashna Asim. Sheppard will be tackling the hot topic of youth “retention”, with his talk, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: How Cape Breton attitudes shape the decisions of our youth”. Asim will encourage people to slow their hectic life ways with her presentation, “Slowing down: How community and our environment can inspire deep presence”. Passion runs wild in all of us and as such the topics in this IDEAS YOUTH event boast variety, depth, and intensity. We’ll hear about Plant Biologist Maggie English’s passion for fun with food while Bonnie MacLeod will lead us to a reflection and discussion on mental health and art with her talk, “Reclaiming negative narratives of mental illness through artistic expression”. During this finale event, we will also hear from 14-year old singer and multi-instrumentalist, Cyrus Orkish, who will share his passion for various musical genres.
The series, which has been dubbed the “Cape Breton TED”, seeks to encourage new approaches, directions and thinking through speech and music. It aims to uncover the passions of our people through the sharing of their stories. Previous speakers, including Joella Foulds, Dr. Teresa MacNeil, Sister Margie Gillis, Dr. Ron MacCormick, and Jim Mustard, have inspired many IDEAS guests to action and have in turn helped them to realize their own passions in the process. (Watch video from past IDEAS discussions here.)
The final of this season’s five presentations takes place on Wednesday, June 13 at 7pm at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design (3rd floor). Admission is free for all talks in the series. Attendees are encouraged to bring a friend, a smile, and their favourite mug to fill with complimentary organic, fair trade coffee or tea.
