TEDxManhattanBeach - Jackie Merrill - Not a Talk, But a Spellbinding Story

Описание: Talk title: Not a talk, but a spellbinding story

"In the far-off land of long ago, Truth walked naked upon the earth, and all the people averted their eyes...." When a storyteller invites children to turn on their imagination-stations, they listen, enraptured. Storybinders is a nonprofit organization dedicated to telling (not reading) stories to children in schools. Storytellers are often elders sharing stories of heros - adult heros, children who are heros, and even animals. In sharing this knowledge with children, elders recapture their proper honored place in society. The Wall Street Journal noted in March 2009 that in our difficult economic times, support for storytelling should not be slashed because children desperately need the stories of survival. They need to learn from our elders the difference between a hero and a celebrity, and to know to absorb our civilization's tales.

"Being a Spellbinder is not just a nice addition to my life -- it has, in fact transformed it, shifted and redefined my priorities," says Jackie Merrill. She is chairman of the board of Spellbinders, a volunteer organization founded as an intergenerational program. The Spellbinder organization brings elders into the public schools as storytellers, and in so doing restores elders to their traditional role, where they stand with grace and authority, honored as guardians of wisdom and keepers of the stories. Jackie tells stories on the theme of heroes and heroines, sharing her wisdom with children.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxManhattanBeach, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxManhattanBeach event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.