TEDx Talks

In Tom's TED talk, he shares his experience as a stammerer and points out that speech impediments- nor anything else- do not deny us the gift of stories and their telling. Tom Wells is a BA History student at the University of Oxford. He is a lifelong stammerer and has gone on a long journey to embrace and accept the speech impediment as a central pillar of his identity. To share his story, he published multiple articles with the British Stammering Association (STAMMA) and has discussed it as a student helper during the Oxford admission process. As a speaker, he joined the Oxford Speakers Club and has won club awards for his work. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Traditional African culture was based around respect and service to the community but is now more individual-centered. In what ways can we integrate those community values into our daily lives? Eric is an award-winning debate coach, educator, and youth empowerment advocate.

With over a decade of experience, Eric has been driving change in Africa by developing critical thinking and expressive skills through Speech Forces. ? Founded to fill the critical thinking gap in Africa's education space, Speech Forces has impacted over 30,000 students from diverse backgrounds through programs, debates, and public speaking events.

As the host of major debate and public speaking events like the Accra Open Debate Championship, Orator's Inter-School Public Speaking Challenge, and Mangana Schools Debate Championship, Eric has been recognized for his impactful work. In 2022, he was awarded the Commonwealth 221st Point of Light by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and selected as one of the 10 Education Change Leaders in Ghana for the Jacobs Foundation's Scaling Readiness Program by Reach for Change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx