Joost de Bruin

Activist, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Educator/Teacher, Idea generator, Performer, Project manager, Social entrepreneur, Writer/Editor

Following

Youth, education, social change, sports, (live) music, Utrecht, New York, healthy urban living, movies & media.

Engage young people and students (and even grown ups) through sharing responsibilities with them within institutions for educations, but also in their community environment. This works also with civilians in their neighbourhoods, elderlies in their nursing home etc.

Having watched Ken Robinson's TED Talk about education on repeat, I was thrilled a colleague of mine at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (Arjan Haring) organised a local TEDx-event in 2010. So as program curator at the University, we got in contact and before we knew the first city-wide TEDxUtrecht 2012 (named Full Creative Potential) was on the way. After an incredible first event at the Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, with talks from Massoud Hassani, Andrei Hersimchuck and Reint Jan Renes amongst others, we worked again on the follow up TEDxUtrecht 2014 (Behave) with Arine van Heeswijk and many brilliant co-workers for a packed day of speakers. After Arjan's retreat as curator of TEDxUtrecht, my first event as license-holder was TEDxUtrecht 2016 (themed LET('s) GO) for which we occupied not one, but two halls of TivoliVredenburg and put over 20 speakers on stage in one day. Inviting the amazing talents of Ronald van Schaik of Kaliber and Tirso Frances of Dietwee to join me as Founding Fathers, the foundation of TEDxUtrecht's future was also cemented in this timeframe. In the same year, I had the opportunity to visit the TED Summit in Banff, Canada - an amazing experience with TEDx-organizers from around the globe. It was a mindblowing experience, brainstorming and exchanging ideas with the TEDx-community, combined with a 4 day speakers program by the incredible TED-team. With a TEDxYouth@Utrecht event in 2017 and TEDxNSPOH (as adviser) event in 2018 I was lucky enough to visit TEDFest in New York City in 2018. After this event, at TEDxUtrecht we decided that we wanted to do more than just organise events with the prospect of Ideas Worth Sharing. We wanted to engage in Ideas Worth Embracing, and look how we could not only give speakers a spot at our podium, but support their cause or endeavours along the way. The same goes for our audience. You can visit a TED-event an afterwards go back to your normal routines - or you can take action in your own place of work, living, neighbourhood, city and area of influence. With a second TEDxYouth-event in June 2020, organised by a talented group of local young citizens and TED's launch of the global climate campaign Countdown, it seemed our focus was set. TEDxUtrecht needs a little more activist's approach. In 2020 we supported the Global Launch of Countdown with a livestream event from the Muntgebouw Utrecht. In 2022 we reached our goal of inducing action from our audience with our postponed live on stage speakers event around climate change. Over 150 young participants in TEDxUtrecht 2022 also joined the Max Zero Impact-program where they focused on using their talents to influence climate change in a positive direction. With a new TEDxUtrecht Countdown-initiative on the way, we aim to engage even more local talent around climate initiatives and solutions.

Filling up dancefloors & get people moving.