Ideas change communities.
When ideas change people, people change the communities around them. Bold ideas create new collectives, bring together existing ones and galvanize a shared sense that things can and should be better. Here are some of the communities built, transformed and inspired by TED in 2023.
Surfacing hope around the world
In September, TEDxUCU took place in Lviv. The first TEDx event held in Ukraine since the Russian invasion, it had a powerful theme: “The Recovery Map.” As 15 speakers shared ideas on what healing means to them, it provided an extraordinary communal moment of hope for everyone in the Ukrainian Catholic University theater. It is a feeling rising in auditoriums around the globe as TEDx events reemerge from the pandemic in full-force — more and more communities experiencing the thrill of coming together to celebrate their best and brightest. In the span of 72 hours in a recent weekend, for example, 70 independent, volunteer-run events took place from Arendal, Norway, to Zarqa, Jordan.
In 2023, TEDx organizers held 3,400+ events across 142 countries, bringing together 600,000 attendees in local communities.
Honoring the communities where we convene
TED conferences have been held in Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, Arusha, Edinburgh, Monterey and many other cities. In 2023, TED doubled down on its efforts to ensure that events are meaningfully embedded, partnering with communities to co-create conferences with local, lasting impact. In Detroit, for the TED Countdown Summit, the team worked with local leaders, climate organizations and the mayor’s office to design the entire event — from the shape of the stage program to sessions out in the field, facilitating learning between regional and global leaders. In Atlanta, the TEDWomen team also collaborated with the community for a conference flush with the city’s spirit. This included a first-of-its-kind Scholars Program, welcoming students and faculty from Atlanta-area colleges and HBCUs like Spelman College and Morehouse School of Medicine.
“I’ve never felt so secure and cared for at a conference. To be seen, affirmed and praised by so many was truly a blessing. I’ve been reminded how important my voice is in a world that tries to silence those like me. I’m reminded that although I am a small piece in the world's puzzle, my piece is essential.”
Fostering belonging and deep connection
Many communities are nourished by TED. And then there are some brought together by the organization directly. Take the global community of TED Fellows — 500+ bold, unconventional thinkers innovating in medicine, protecting democracy, saving species and so much more. In 2023, a focus was on nurturing alumni connections, creating a thriving network every member can turn to for support, collaboration and a sense of belonging. Likewise, more than 2,000 educators have taken part in TED-Ed’s professional development workshops online, bonding as they learn to communicate their best ideas; more than 3,000 new Student Talks groups formed in 2023 alone, in English and Spanish, helping 75,000 students in 130 countries discuss important topics. All as our community of 52,000 volunteer TED Translators got a boost from AI, freeing up time to work more deeply together, to make every translation just right.
Our community of 525 TED Fellows
from 100+ countries directly serve an estimated 11 million people in their communities each year through their gutsy, inspired work.
Over 15,000 new TED Translators
devoted their efforts to create 20,000 translations in 91 languages in 2023, so millions of people in their communities can benefit from these ideas too.
More than 1,000 educators
have helped create TED-Ed animated lessons on topics from how airplanes fly to the properties of zero. In 2023, people around the world spent 18 million hours — more than two millennia! — learning together from their work.
