Thomas Stranger

Concerned citizen

Outdoor recreation has been both a professional direction and personal theme for Tom Stranger. After studying Youth Work his focus shifted towards working with young people with complex needs-drug and alcohol rehabilitation, homelessness, neurological impairment and mental health challenges. His privilege in working with young people has taught him the immense value of being present and listening with intent, and that young people thrive when they are given the chance to be truly heard. Developing further an interest in the social sciences, Tom has recently completed and thoroughly enjoyed a Master of Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney. During these studies he has been involved as a co-author in the writing of South of Forgiveness. This is a personal narrative non-fiction and details a journey from a dark place to one of healing and forgiveness. He and the book's primary author, Thordis Elva, share the hope that in speaking up they will add their voices to the ever growing public discourse around relations of gender and sexual violence.

Listening. Actively and with intent. To others, ourselves, and the non-human world.

If change is to be aspired to, then I think listening is one of the essential elements to it's success. We only understand our present if we can listen to our past, and before we can adapt to a different future there is a need for our current reality (and truth) to be heard.

I'm here through some amazing blessings and opportunities, that are actually rooted in a very dark history. TED, I hope, will be a torch to shine a light on the path that brought myself (and another I am deeply grateful for) to this incredible point.

Bodysurfing. Sometimes technology is superfluous and the best fun is to be had by choosing the simplest way to interact