TEDxAthens 2018 | Ordinary

02nd June 2018

SNFCC


THE MORE
YOU SEE
THE LESS
YOU REALIZE.

What is the Ordinary ?

The more we look at something the less we really see it, and what was once extraordinary enters our lives and becomes ordinary. Often used to describe the common, standard or normal, ordinary bears certain associations & preconceptions. Why so?

Deriving from the Latin root for ‘rule’, ‘ordinary’ can perfectly describe a system, a method and a theory which both physical and technological worlds seem to need in order to operate. Is it not the atomic matter that the world consists of, which we call ordinary? Are they not the differential equations that build our technological world, that we call ordinary? Is there anything more exciting than discovering the beauty of the ordinary in everyday life?

How do we perceive the ordinary in an era of extraordinary accomplishments?

As we set our foot into the future, we are likely to connect to the basics, the pure values we carry as human beings, our truth and genuine state of being. The further AI takes us, the more we embrace our surroundings and seek to make mistakes, acknowledging them for what they are: an effort to remain authentic human beings.

THE
SPEAKERS

Of Embla
The music group “Of Embla” was created in London towards the end of 2013, when the producer Nikos Athanasoulas heard one of the songs by the Norwegian singer Maiken Sunby. The name of the band is inspired by the myth of Ask and Embla, the first human beings according to the Scandinavian mythology. Both were created simultaneously and equally by two pieces of wood and were given various potentials by the gods. Combining  jazz, norse-folk, ambient, cinematic and trip-hop influences, the songs and music of “Of Embla” (meaning that they come from Embla), come to remind us that we all derive and belong to the same land, are part of the same world as well as have the same worth and equal chances. In this year’s TEDxAthens, “of Embla” will present songs from their new album “Phases and Faces”, inspired by moments, faces and decisions that changed their life, as well as memories from the landscapes of Greece and Norway, all of which bring to mind the ancient myth which inspired them in the first place. Band composition / line up: Maiken Sundby: lead singer Spyros Rontogiannis: saxophone Haris Stavrakakis: keyboards, accordion Dimitris Vareltzis: drums Kostas Klagkos: double bass Karolos Berahas: electric guitar Nikos Athanasoulas:  keyboards, glockenspiel
Hyperlinks Crew & Solid Project
Hyperlinks constitute an artistic group of renowned street dancers, with a years of dancing experience and numerous distinctions. Since its formation, the collective grew steadily and embraced further dancing styles such as the contemporary, dancehall, classic ballet and martial arts (harmony movement wise) among others; by combining the above, the collective manages to create unique dance projects. All Hyperlinks’ members have a rich history of participating in competitions, projects and performances.
Benjamin Von Wong
Chief Unicorn
Benjamin Von Wong is a viral campaign creator, especially focused on supporting social & environmental causes. He creates outstanding images that people often mistake as photoshopped, with the aim to educate as well as inspire. His work has been featured numerous times on world-famous online platforms such as Buzzfeed, Gizmodo, Mashable and the Huffington Post , to name but a few. Some of his greatest projects include placing a Mermaid on 10,000 plastic bottles which has over 30 million views while his most succesfull fundraising video to date has raised over 2 million dollars. He is currently looking to work with corporations that have a Triple Bottom Line.
Sotiris Kontizas
Chef
Sotiris Kontizas is a renowned chef of Japanese and Greek origin, from his mother and father respectively. Born in Athens (Marousi), he spent his early years in Tokyo and would go on transatlantic journeys from a very young age, a fact that allowed him to familiarize with the flavours and cuisines of different countries. After receiving his BA in Finance from the Panteion University, he worked as a bank employee before deciding to quit and follow his passion for cooking. In 2005, he made his first steps into the culinary world next to Christophoros Peskias in the emblematic "48 the restaurant" only to continue on to "Nobu Matsuhisa Athens" while later on, he became member of the founding team of "ΠΒΟΧ". Next on came Copenhagen and the 3-star "Geranium" (Rasmus Kofoed) as well as the "Studio" (Torsten Vildgaard), all of which finally led him to London's 2-star "The Ledbury" (Brett Graham), featuring in the 27th place on the list of the world's best restaurants. Today, his is the heart and soul of "Nolan" restaurant, which combines the greek and japanese cuisine offering much more than just great food- that is, an outstanding gastronomic experience. At the same time, he is also one of the judges in the cooking television series "Masterchef" for the second season in a row.
Nadia Aboulhosn
Designer & Model

Nadia Aboulhosn is a Lebanese-American designer and model, as well as one of the fashion industry’s most sought after influencers. A catalyst for redefining beauty standards, she has collaborated with reputable brands and as of January 2017, she released her self-titled, size inclusive clothing line, ranging from size Small to 3X.

As a model and influencer, she initially managed herself and is now signed to world renowned modeling agency Wilhelmina. She has been featured in numerous magazines and articles such as The NY Times, Business Insider, Paper Magazine and has modelled for Stylist Magazine, Seventeen Magazine and Good American, to name but a few.

She hopes to continue to push societies’ definition of beauty in the years to come, inspiring  men and women to focus on what truly matters to them, understanding that the opinions of others don't define us.

Sma Rag Da ft. Dimitra Galani & Stathis Drakos
Performance
After launching the Broken Greek EP (2016) along with the British electronic music producer Brodsky, Sma Rag Da is back with another music project that merges the greek tradition with contemporary music elements, placing it within a frame of modern aesthetics. This time, Sma Rag Da remakes two traditional songs from Epirus, “Athamania Omorfi” (Beautiful Athamania) and “Tsopanakos Imouna” (I used to be a shepherd), to honor the singer Christos Fotiou, from whom she learned and heard these songs for the first time. By inserting these tunes within an entirely different music frame and by filtering them with her own experiences and music influences, Sma Rag Da managed to create an EP that addresses to a rather broad audience, regardless of age: from the village’s mayor to Dimitra Galani and Stathis Drakos, who will accompany her with their voices. By stripping the songs off their traditional tone, the danger of losing their essence and dynamic is rather present. This is why Sma Rag Da chose to add the element of polyphony, which is deeply rooted in the tradition, although it did not originally exist in the specific songs. In traditional music -not only the greek one- polyphony holds the magic power to touch a rather soft spot within people, since it includes something indefinitely organic and almost ritualistic. When would people gather and sing together? It would be in mourning, joy, pain, festivities, housework, field tasks and religious ceremonies. That is to say, in all those occasions that created the need to feel that they are not alone - but rather one music instrument of many hearts beating as one.
Shannon Shibata-Germanos
Neuroscientist & Cell Biologist
Shannon Shibata-Germanos is half Japanese, half American, and has over a decade of experience in political policy analysis, conflict management, and institutional development. She has worked as an international consultant for foundations and multinational companies, building private-public partnerships and sustainability strategies as well as facilitating cross border business deals in developing markets. Shannon made a big unexpected move, mid-career, to pursue her curiosity in science, changing fields completely to the study neuroscience . She finished her first degree in her thirties, going on to get a master's degree in neuroscience , then enrolled as a PhD candidate in the Rihel lab in the department of Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCL in London. She now investigates the impact of sleep on neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration. Shannon wants her life purpose to be about encouraging others to embrace life-altering change at any stage of life, and to recognize the inherent capacity each human possesses to adapt and learn new things when challenged. Innovation requires those who take a leap, but it also requires those established in the traditional structures of any society or field to recognize a unique spark in another, giving those who challenge paradigms the “bungee cord” to jump. She now lives between Geneva and London with her incredible, Swiss husband Camille, who has given her the wings to fly.
Alethea C. Avramis
Virtual Reality Producer
Alethea C. Avramis is a producer and writer/director who works at the intersection of VR/AR and traditional filmmaking, as well as the LA-based producer of French immersive content studio “Atlas V”. Recently, she has been on the producing teams of the Sundance and Tribeca 2018 VR official selections “BattleScar” and the “SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime”, narrated by Jessica Chastain and Patti Smith and co-produced with Darren Aronofsky. “SHERES” made Sundance history as the first-ever VR project to be acquired in a 7-figure deal by a private investor. She has also produced the Sundance 2016 and Tribeca 2016 official selection Perspective: Chapter 2; The Misdemeanor, widely considered one of the best examples of narrative storytelling in VR. In 2016, Alethea collaborated with Google on YoutubeRED's first series in 360, MatPat's Game Lab. Alethea’s traditional filmmaking work has screened at hundreds of film festivals globally and won an Emmy for her short film The Foreigner in 2013. She has worked extensively in Europe, Africa, central America, and Los Angeles. With a focus on human-rights and documentary storytelling, Alethea is passionate about content that connects cultures through new technology.
Dimitris Papastergiou
Mayor of Trikala

Dimitris Papastergiou is the mayor of the Municipality of Trikala, in the region of Thessaly, Greece. He holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and has worked in the field of software development, as well as been involved in over 300 Renewable energy projects.

Having always a vivid interest in sociopolitical affairs, he was elected as a member of the Municipal Council in 2002 and 2006, also holding the position of the vice president. In 2014, he was elected as the mayor of his hometown, Trikala, a position he successfully holds to this day. He is also member of the administrative council of the Central Union of Greek Municipalities as well as the president of the Committee for Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship.

Married and a father of three, he strongly believes that no change around us is possible, unless we first change ourselves.

Maria Ioannidou
Psychologist
Maria Ioannidou is a graduate of the Psychology Department of Panteion University and after receiving repeated scholarships, she graduated cum laude in 2009. In 2012, she received a BA in Health Psychology from the University of Surrey, while later she was trained in counseling and psychotherapy of the systemic and existential approach, constantly enriching her knowledge in the field. She is also a counselor of professional orientation for adolescents and adults, certified by ISON Psychometrica. She has worked as a psychologist in public as well as special education schools. She has also volunteered for various sectors such as the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention, the nursing home of Nafplion and the Therapy Center for Depended Individuals, while she offers guidance in self-knowledge groups, parent groups and parishes. In the later years, she offers counseling and psychotherapy services for individuals and groups in her offices in Nafplion and Athens.
Huw Kingston
Adventurer & Environmentalist

Huw Kingston is an Australian adventurer, environmentalist and writer, with more than 30 years of undertaking long human-powered journeys in wild places across the world. Having won numerous awards, he was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Worldwide Responsibility Pioneers for his work on reducing plastic waste and pollution.

Ten years ago, Kingston was the driving force behind making Bundanoon, his hometown, the first town in the world to go Bottled Water Free. Since then, he has worked around the world to reduce the consumption of this environmental scourge.

Huw's latest journey was a circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea by sea kayak, foot, ocean rowboat and bike. It lasted a year and traversed 13,000km through 17 countries, inspiring him to write a book about it. Enthused by Greece's hospitality in the past, he’s very excited regarding his return.

Massimo Pigliucci
Philosopher

Massimo Pigliucci has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. He currently is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His research interests include the philosophy of biology, the science philosophy relationship, pseudoscience and the philosophy of Stoicism.

Having published in national and international outlets such as the New York TimesWashington Post and Wall Street Journal, he is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Contributing Editor to Skeptical Inquirer. He owns two blogs: Plato’s Footnote on general philosophy and How to Be a Stoic on his personal exploration of Stoicism as practical philosophy.

Pigliucci has also published 153 technical papers in science and philosophy, while he is the author or editor of 13 books, most recently of the best selling How to Be A Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life. 

 
Konstantinos Karatzas
Historian - Americanist
Dr. Konstantinos D. Karatzas is a historian specializing in political and racial violence; he is an Americanist with a particular interest in African-American history. His work focuses on the interpretation of collective memory, political identities, cultural transfers and oral history: areas that he has also examined during his MA studies at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands. He has been the recipient of several research fellowships in Europe and the United States; he received the first-ever scholarship for doctoral studies in American History from the Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY). Konstantinos Karatzas has been a guest scholar at, among others, the University of Kent, the Universities of Zaragoza and Alcala de Henares, Adam Mickiewicz University in Europe, and the Universities of Ohio, Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Florida in the United States. He is a member of the editorial team of the European Journal of American Culture (EJAC), as well as of several historical and scholarly associations worldwide. He serves as a member of the board, reviewer and conference organizer of the London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (LCIR), and he is a research fellow at both the Institute of International Economic Relations and the Interdisciplinary Research Foundation in Poland. Furthermore, he is the founder of www.historyclusters.org  platform while he is to publish his latest book Violence and Memory in the United States: The Case of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot in 2018.  
Jeroen van der Schenk
Experience Engineer
Jeroen van der Schenk has a background in the hospitality industry. Being truly terrified to speak in front of groups, he decided 18 years ago to face his fear by applying for a job as trainer/facilitator. Making the impossible possible, he discovered his love for challenges. He has a deep-rooted passion for disruptive business models and bringing the online and offline world together, in order to create meaningful connections. As a keynote speaker and "experience engineer" at Performance Solutions, he helps organizations all over the world to turn their business into a memorable experience. Though his position, he is transforming companies in a fun way by engaging people, empowering them to make a difference. He strongly believes that we live in a time where success is no longer counted by dollars and likes, but by how many lives we positively impact. To him, emotions are the most powerful currency and connections and experiences make the real profit.
Evan Fotis Georgoulakis
Physiognomist - Artist
Evan Fotis Georgoulakis is a Greek-American character analyst and artist, specializing in Physiognomy. His insight has been sought by forensic departments, politicians, business people as well as corporations and organizations, amongst others Air-France, Pernod-Ricard, the National Technical University of Athens and YPO International.  His services have been solicited by BBC World Service, CNN, London’s Times, Elle, as well as most major Greek newspapers and magazines, while he has a client list with personalities such as the late Princess Diana, Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Evan appears regularly on Greek television, especially during campaign season, analyzing political candidates and personalities. He the founder of True Face which focuses on the optimization of behavioral and communication skills, offering character assessment and profiling for HR, Leadership programs as well as one on one coaching and group workshops on personal communication & public speaking. He is also the co-founder of Face your Strengths® assessment & coaching, with this unique methodology used in order to develop individualized communication strategies.
"Once" Musical
Marina Satti & Apostolis Psychramis
TEDxAthens exclusively hosts the teaser of the multi-award winning musical “Once” by Enda Walsh (scenario) and Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová (music & lyrics), almost half a year prior to its official premiere on the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera. The musical premiered in 2011 at the New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) and one year later, it was successfully presented in Broadway. The production received 11 nominations on the Tony Awards in 2012 - an institution that awards the best Broadway productions since 1949- and ended up winning 8 awards, among others the ones for Best Musical, Best Actor and Best Book. In 2012, “Once” won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical while in 2013, it won the Grammy award in the category “Best Album for Music Theatre”. A rather intriguing aspect of this musical is that the actors themselves are the musicians of the orchestra, performing the music live on stage. In the production of the Alternative Stage, which is supported by a new generation of talented actors-singers-musicians, stars the great Marina Satti, who surprised the critics with her performance as Aretousa in Dimitris Maramis’ “Erotokritos”. By her side is Apostolis Psychramis, an actor and singer with a significant career in the greek scene of music theatre. The direction is undertaken by the unconventional Akillas Karazisis, who aspires to present the play through his contemporary theatrical aesthetics.
Shedia
Our city talks. Some people are listening.
Shedia is a unique greek street paper, member of the International Network of Street Papers - which enumerates 122 papers in 41 countries, 14.000 homeless/unemployed sellers and 6.000.000 readers on a worldwide scale. It is sold exclusively in the streets of the city and only by certified sellers. Sellers come from sensitive social groups: homeless, unemployed and in general, people who are proven to leave below the poverty line. On the scene of TEDxAthens, we are going to host some of these people, who will not speak of how Shedia became the motive to rebuild their lives (this is rather evident) but instead, they are going to share with us the small, everyday stories from their posts and daily life on the streets. We are too  part of these stories, in the morning metro on our way to work or in the afternoon, when we go out to meet our friends for a quick (or not) coffee or on our Sunday stroll. In our casual everyday adventures for 5 years now, these people have become an inextricable part of our lives: their presence, voice, red vest, the hand raised, holding the latest issue in every occasion and weather condition. Stories than essentially mirror the needs, dreams, hardships, ambitions, vanity and at the end of the day, the values of the society we live in. Tip: In 2013, Christos Alefantis,  the inspirer and founder of Shedia, took over the TEDxAthens stage. Watch the full talk here: http://bit.ly/TEDxAthAlefantis13
Q&A with Sotiris Kontizas
Chef
Sotiris Kontizas needs no introduction. Today, on the Main Stage of TEDxAthens, he will do what nobody expects. He will not talk of MasterChef nor gastronomy, but instead, he will talk about his own northern star. That is, the values that influence his everyday life, his goals and define his life stance. He is here to answer your questions -and for you to discover a different aspect of him!
Giannis Vastardis
Photographer - Therapist
Giannis Vastardis graduated from the School of Physical Education and Athletics but was soon fascinated by photography and in 1994, he decided to attend the FOCUS School for Photography and video. He has cooperated with numerous magazines and advertising agencies while he has an impressive portfolio that includes portraits of personalities such as politicians, entrepreneurs and artists. He has also organized and curated photography exhibitions in Greece and at the European Parliament. Since 2010, he teaches fashion and portrait photography in FOCUS School for Photography and video. His interest in social matters led him to deal professionally and voluntarily with photography as a medium for social integration and therapy for sensitive social groups. Since 1994, he is in charge of the Photography Workshop of the Rehab Unit “18 Ano” while since 2002, he is also a Special Therapist of Art groups. As a photographer-therapist, he has cooperated with the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), co-organising special educational programs, photography projects and exhibitions for socially excluded groups.
Marina Tsekou
Education Curator at EMST
Marina Tsekou is an Education Curator at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) since 2000. Her main responsibility is the designing and realization of Educational Programs for secondary education students as well as all adult groups. She is the author of many educational print magazines while she has also published and presented the method and the goals of EMST’s educational programs in conferences all around Greece and the world. Since 2009, she is in charge of the EMST without borders program, which aims to the equal access to culture by all. Under the umbrella of EMST without borders, reports, happenings and educational programs for sensitive social groups are executed. EMST without borders was awarded in 2012 by ICOM - CECA, as one of the 10 best programs to be carried out by museums in the world. For the past year, she has been cooperating with the Athens School of Fine Arts regarding the teaching of Education in Contemporary Art Museums, as well as the British Council under the program “Transforming Future Museums”, where she teaches the subject “Audience Development”.
Christina Flambouri
Alpinist
Christina Flambouri was born in Athens and works in Papastratos company, as the IQOS Strategy Manager of Cyprus. Her love of nature brought her to the open sea sailing while in 2014, her desire to overcome her fears led her to the mountains and one of the greatest challenges she had to face:  to familiarize with heights and the sense of vast nothingness. Since 2014, she is an active member of the Greek Climbing Club of Acharnes and in 2016, she graduated from the School of Climbing and Winter Mountain. She has climbed on the majority of greek mountains and has partaken into expeditions to the Alps, Mt Κinabalu and Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m). Along with Vanessa Archontidou, she has participated in 4 major high-altitude expeditions. During these, the two became close friends and shared a common vision: to climb the 7 Summits  (aka the highest peaks of all the world’s continents). With this in mind, they co-created the action A Woman can be (www.awomancanbe.com), in order to support actions that aim to empower women and promote Greece.
Vanessa Archontidou
Alpinist
Vanessa Archontidou is a mother of two and a Marketing Director of the Folli Follie group. Climbing has been her greatest passion for the last 14 years, since she became an active member of the Athens Climbing Club, in which she participates as the leader in various climbing expeditions around Greece. In 2006, Vanessa graduated from the School of Climbing and Winter Mountain of the Athens Climbing Club and has since conquered the majority of greek mountains, reached the pick of the African continent (Mt Kilimanjaro, 5895m) and partaken into commercial expeditions in Nepal and the Swiss Alps. Along with Christina Flambouri, she has participated in 4 major high-altitude expeditions. During these journeys, a strong friendship flourished between them, as well as the vision to conquer the 7 Summit (aka the highest peaks of all the world’s continents). With this in mind, they co-created the action A Woman can be (www.awomancanbe.com), in order to support actions that aspire to empower women and promote Greece.
Aimilios Chalamandaris
Tech Entrepreneur
Aimilios Chalamandaris has received a PhD degree in synthetic speech technologies from the National Technical University of Athens, as well as an MA degree in Telecommunications and Digital Signal Processing from the Imperial College London. He is the author of more than 30 original scientific papers, as well as co-founder and CEO of Innoetics, one of the most significant Startups in Greece. He has been actively involved with the company’s development and the creation of one of the elite technologies of speech synthesis in the world. The company’s awarding for 3 years in a row as the leading one in synthetic speech in the world as well as the constant research and development, has established Innoetics as one of the most prominent synthetic speech companies worldwide and lead to its acquisition by Samsung Electronics in the summer of 2017.
Conno Christou
Tech Entrepreneur
After getting his degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London, Conno Christou and 3 of his co-students started Avocarrot in 2013 in London, later opening offices also in San Francisco. Avocarrot received many distinctions, among which is the one by Google for Entrepreneurs as one of the 8 most up-and-coming Startups in the world (outside USA) as well as the "The Next Big Thing" award at ad:tech conference (world's biggest conference on advertising technology). The company received a total financing of $3 millions by American, British and Greek investors. In March 2016, Avocarrot entered the global network of Endeavor and in September (of the same year) was acquired by Glispa Global Group for $20 millions. Conno continues to work for the company under the identity of Vice President Glispa Connect, with his new goal being to extend the team of the new company offices in Syntagma, Athens.
Konstantinos Amvrosiadis
Tai Chi: A Moving Meditation Workshop
Konstantinos Amvrosiadis was born in 1983 and studied Motion Design/Character Animation. His work in the field as well his involvement with dancing share a common ground with the martial arts he practises and are to him a chance to analyse and compound movement, as well as its flow within space and time. His diagnose with acute myelogenous leukemia in 2006 was to him an a life-changing event. On the same year, he started taking private lessons in Shaolin Kung Fu and in 2009, he travelled for the first time in China and visited the Shaolin temple, the birthplace of Zen (Chan) and the Shaolin martial arts. On his third journey in 2014, he became student of the Taoist monk Yuan Xiu Gang. In 2016, the temple’s abbot deemed him as effective Shaolin monk and included him in the official genealogical tree, under the name Shi Yan Jing (meaning: essence, seed, sharp). Upon completing the 10 year circle of apprenticeship and practice, he establishes the “4el” school, its name indicative of the four elements and corresponding to the arts of «Kung Fu», «Tai Chi», «Qi Gong» and «Meditation».
Vassilis T. Xypolias
Mindfulness: The Art of Conscious Living
Vassilis Xypolias holds a Master's degree from the University of Bridgeport, USA. Until 2013 and for twenty five years, he worked in the area of marketing communications in Greece and abroad as senior manager and entrepreneur. From 2011 and for personal interest, he began to deepen his knowledge in the potentials, methods of development and applications of mindfulness. In 2015, after intensive international professional training -including studies in Buddhist Psychology at the University of Kathmandu- he acquired authorization as teacher for the MBSR program (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) from the Center For Mindfulness (CFM) and Medical School of the University of Massachusetts, USA. In 2015, he created Mindfulness 360 with the purpose to promote, educate and provide training for the development and cultivation of mindfulness into personal and professional areas of life. Duration: 40' | Participants: 40
Reading to the Others
Reading using the 4 senses
“Reading to the Others” was founded in the January of 2015 in Athens, with its primary goal being the enrichment of the acoustic library of the blind community, through the recording of all kinds of readings by volunteering readers. Later on, there was a rising need for more readings in places such as nursing homes, hospitals, correctional institutions, hospitality houses for children as well as at home readings to people with disabilities and sight or movement difficulties. The actions of the organization aim at the entertainment as well as the psycho-social empowerment of the facilitated ones, within the frame of the therapeutic readings. The values it advocates are mainly those of the equal access to knowledge and learning, the cooperativity and the development of volunteering.
Shedia art
Restarting life
“Shedia art”, the social program of reuse by the street paper “shedia”, is a program where love, solidarity, education, participation, social (re)integration, creation, social entrepreneurship, innovation and the enhancement of environmental consciousness come together. Its main goal is the creation of opportunities for the activation, empowerment and further education as well as employment opportunities, for our fellow citizens who are homeless and/or live below the poverty line, experiencing social exclusion.
CRWI Diotima
Gender Based Violence: Don’t Skip
DIOTIMA, the Center for Research on Women’s Issues, is an Civil non-profit company since 1989, aiming at combating the gender-based violence and supporting its victims. Since 2014, it provides free legal support to the victims of gender-based violence, Greeks, immigrants and refugees, currently financed by Papastratos S.A. In the frame of extending its supporting actions towards women of the refugee population, DIOTIMA has developed a series of collaborations with both public and non-public carriers, organising educational seminars regarding the protection of gender-based violence victims, gender-based discriminations, cultural differences etc., among others.
Q&A with Benjamin Von Wong
Chief Unicorn
He perceives himself as an ordinary person, with an ordinary everyday life. However, through his projects & photographs, we come to realize that he is a rather special man, with a truthful passion about environment as well as various other topics. Benjamin will be answering our questions in a revealing Q&A.
Q&A with Nadia Aboulhosn
Designer & Model
What do we perceive as ordinary in today's fashion industry? How do we let the opinions of others influence our thoughts and decisions and, at the end of the day, do they even define us? If you want to come across a person that defies stereotypes every day of their life, join Nadia in a non-ordinary Q&A!
Q&A with Dimitris Papastergiou
Mayor of Trikala
How can we inspire an entire city? What does our society perceive as ordinary nowadays? Can a man bring the change all by himself? The mayor of Trikala, Dimitris Papastergiou, will join us in a evolution-focused Q&A Session, in which innovation is perceived as the tool to develop the smart cities of tomorrow.
Q&A with professor Massimo Pigliucci
Philosopher
One of the greatest philosophers of our era, professor Massimo Pigliucci, will be joining us in a revealing Q&A Session regarding Stoicism, the ancient philosophy which he embraces in his latest book ‘How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life’
Q&A with Huw Kingston
Adventurer & Environmentalist
It was Huw’s initiative that turned the Australian Bundanoon into the world’s first town to ban plastic water bottles! The man who managed to change the attitudes & actions of an entire community, will be answering our questions regarding environment & adventure.

EVENT
SCHEDULE

Enjoy full access to all talks, choose your preferable speakers and enjoy the experience.

09:30
Registration
Session 1: Perspectives, now & then
11:00
Opening Speech - Dimitrios Kalavros - Gousiou, Dimitrios Kokkoris
11:15
Dr. Konstantinos D. Karatzas
11:35
Alethea C. Avramis
12:00
Shannon Shibata-Germanos
12:20
Massimo Piggliucci
12:40
Hyperlinks Crew & Solid Project show
13:00
Lunch Break
Session 2: Life Unfolded
14:40
Of Embla - norwegian jazz show
15:00
Maria Ioannidou
15:20
Evan Fotis - Georgoulakis
15:40
Nadia Aboulhosn
16:00
Sotiris Kontizas
16:20
Coffee Break
Session 3: Enablers
17:55
SMA RAG DA ft. Galani & Drakos
18:10
Huw Kingston
18:30
Jeroen van der Schenk
18:50
Dimitris Papastergiou
19:10
Benjamin von Wong
19:30
Closing Speech - Dimitrios Kalavros - Gousiou, Dimitrios Kokkoris
Session 1
11:00
Simulcast
13:00
Lunch Break
Session 2
14:00
Opening Speech - Dimitrios Kalavros - Gousiou
14:10
Once, Marina Satti & Apostolis Psychramis
14:20
Face Forward...into my home, Documentary and Discussion
15:00
From the bottom of our heart to the top of the world
15:25
Simulcast
16:30
Coffee Break
Session 3
16:45
Shedia. Our city talks. Some people are listening
17:20
Q&A Session with Sotiris Kontizas
17:55
Tech Makers - The "Behind the Scene" Stories
Session 1
11:50
Q&A Session with Huw Kingston
12:30
Mindfulness: The Art of Conscious Living | Vasilis Xypolias
13:10
Lunch Break
Session 2
13:30
Q&A Session with Benjamin Von Wong
14:10
Q&A Session with Dimitris Papastergiou
14:55
Reading using the 4 senses | Reading to the Others
15:45
Tai Chi: A Moving Meditation | Konstantinos Amvrosiadis
16:15
Coffee Break
Session 3
16:40
Q&A Session with Massimo Piggliucci
17:20
Q&A Session with Nadia Aboulhosn
18:00
Restarting life | Shedia art
18:45
Gender Based Violence: Don’t Skip | DIOTIMA
20:00
Closing Party by Athens Voice Radio

THE

PARTNERS

THE

ENABLERS

THE
MEDIA PARTNERS

THE
FOOD CATALYSTS

THE
LOCATION

SNFCC

364
Leof. Andrea Siggrou
Kallithea 176 74

LEARN ABOUT
TEDxATHENS

TEDxAthens is a world-class conference about Innovation, Creativity and Ideas, the first ever in Greece and among the first ones worldwide. Since May 2009, its goal is to enhance the TED experience, bringing together inspiring individuals. It is curated & organized by a team of 58 volunteers.