Can We Make A Difference For Our Planet? I Giulia Detomati I TEDxMantova
-
0:12 - 0:15"How many of you wake up in the morning
thinking they're making a difference?" -
0:16 - 0:18That's the question
-
0:18 - 0:20one of our 16-year-old students, Kathryn,
-
0:20 - 0:22asked her classmates.
-
0:22 - 0:24And nobody raised their hand.
-
0:25 - 0:28And that's a question
I've been asking myself for a long time. -
0:28 - 0:32I have always been particularly fond
of environmental issues. -
0:32 - 0:35I remember as a child,
on my first National Geographic, -
0:35 - 0:38I saw photos of the burning Amazon;
-
0:39 - 0:40and then growing up I realized
-
0:40 - 0:44that environmental problems weren't only
on the other side of the world, -
0:44 - 0:45but also around us.
-
0:45 - 0:48They were global problems,
but also local problems. -
0:48 - 0:50I'm thinking about the abuse of concrete,
-
0:50 - 0:53that affects the landscape
I live in every day. -
0:53 - 0:57The problems, in other words,
of the loss of identity of our landscape -
0:57 - 0:59and also of ourselves.
-
1:00 - 1:03I also think about
the climate change problems -
1:03 - 1:05that span across the globe
-
1:05 - 1:08and empowered a single species,
-
1:08 - 1:10the human species
-
1:10 - 1:13to irreparably alter the climate,
-
1:13 - 1:16ushering us into what is called
the Anthropocene age. -
1:17 - 1:22All these problems always pushed me
to try and do something, -
1:22 - 1:24and I tried to find my way.
-
1:24 - 1:29So I graduated from university,
I did various types of experience -
1:29 - 1:31and then I landed in a research center
-
1:31 - 1:33that dealt with environmental issues
-
1:33 - 1:37like land consumption,
evaluation of plans and programs. -
1:37 - 1:39That's what I studied for.
-
1:40 - 1:42But I felt - when I came home
in the evening - -
1:42 - 1:44I didn't feel really satisfied,
-
1:44 - 1:47I felt that something was missing.
-
1:47 - 1:50And I couldn't quite understand what.
-
1:50 - 1:52And what happened then, you may say?
-
1:52 - 1:56Perhaps I left, I gave up everything,
I completely changed my life. -
1:56 - 2:01No, I was actually attached
to the kind of work I had -
2:01 - 2:06because there were my classmates
whom I had attended university with. -
2:06 - 2:10The work was pleasant -
let's say I was in my comfort zone. -
2:10 - 2:13So I didn't have the courage to change.
-
2:13 - 2:15Then an external element happened,
-
2:15 - 2:20one that led to the closure
of my contract, -
2:20 - 2:22because they ran out
of funds for that research, -
2:22 - 2:25and I found myself in trouble.
-
2:25 - 2:28I didn't really know what to do.
-
2:28 - 2:31At that time, I basically saw
two directions before me: -
2:31 - 2:35either getting hired
in a traditional business, -
2:35 - 2:38then use my degree,
what I had studied for; -
2:38 - 2:40or try to start with me and my passions
-
2:40 - 2:42and try to get involved.
-
2:42 - 2:44And I chose this second direction.
-
2:45 - 2:48So I founded an association
-
2:48 - 2:51that dealt with landscape
and environmental issues -
2:51 - 2:54and tried to involve
municipalities and institutions. -
2:54 - 2:56The more I delved into these projects,
-
2:56 - 2:58the thing I noticed
-
2:58 - 3:01was that I was drawing on talent
that I had never considered before. -
3:01 - 3:05In particular, I considered my careers
as completely separate: -
3:05 - 3:08my passions for art
and my passion for the environment. -
3:08 - 3:10And through that experience
-
3:10 - 3:14I was combining many things
I liked, many interests. -
3:15 - 3:17I also discovered some talents
that I didn't think I had, -
3:17 - 3:22like the ability to connect people,
-
3:22 - 3:23to manage projects,
-
3:23 - 3:25to use art or theater
-
3:25 - 3:28as a communication tool
for environmental projects. -
3:28 - 3:32So a lot of things
I didn't know I had came out. -
3:33 - 3:37And all this led me to the awareness
-
3:37 - 3:41of trying to share
what I learned about myself, -
3:41 - 3:47and I actually managed to do
with young people, with new generations; -
3:48 - 3:50and in particular work on them
-
3:50 - 3:54to give them the tools
to first change their lives -
3:54 - 3:57and then their world,
their territory and their context. -
3:58 - 4:02That's how I started my company,
and it deals precisely about these issues. -
4:02 - 4:07And since 2014 it involved
more than 8000 youngsters in Italy -
4:07 - 4:09on projects that might make a difference.
-
4:10 - 4:15And that was unthinkable to me,
when I took up this path. -
4:15 - 4:17Absolutely unthinkable.
-
4:17 - 4:20And I remember a colleague in the corridor
-
4:20 - 4:23just as I was ending
my previous work experience, -
4:23 - 4:25asked me: "But what's next?"
-
4:25 - 4:27I told him:
-
4:27 - 4:28"I know what I want,
-
4:28 - 4:30I want to take care
of youth and environment, -
4:30 - 4:31and somehow I'll do it".
-
4:31 - 4:36And I discovered a sense of security,
which I didn't think belong to me. -
4:37 - 4:41And offering young people tools for change
-
4:41 - 4:44was an experience
-
4:44 - 4:47that allowed them to change
things in some way, -
4:47 - 4:50starting with talents in the first place.
-
4:50 - 4:54In fact, what we want to think about,
what we want to bring into the classroom -
4:54 - 4:57is just to make young people think
about who they are, -
4:57 - 5:00make them think
about what their talents are. -
5:00 - 5:04What are their abilities and skills?
-
5:04 - 5:06Seems like an obvious thing,
-
5:06 - 5:11but often, at school,
you don't think about your actual skills. -
5:11 - 5:16So one direct question we ask them is,
-
5:16 - 5:20"What are you good at?
What do you like to do? -
5:20 - 5:23Is there something
that other people, who love you, -
5:23 - 5:27think you are actually good at?
-
5:28 - 5:32And when the kids are forced
to think about it, -
5:32 - 5:33we see that things change.
-
5:33 - 5:37Sometimes someone says,
No, I can't do anything at all. -
5:37 - 5:40Then try to think.
-
5:40 - 5:43And actually, when you find a talent,
you find a treasure. -
5:43 - 5:47And in particular, one of the stories
I wanted to share today -
5:47 - 5:51deals with how talents
and the search for our own ones, -
5:51 - 5:56can untap sources of energies
we didn't think we had. -
5:56 - 5:59I'll tell you the story
of one of our students. -
5:59 - 6:05The story of a student
who spent five hours in a closet. -
6:05 - 6:07Now I'll explain why:
-
6:07 - 6:13For me, and possibly also for you,
a pastel is simply a pastel, -
6:14 - 6:15For this kid,
-
6:15 - 6:19a pastel was a tool
to educate younger generations, -
6:19 - 6:23to teach children how to draw nature,
-
6:23 - 6:26and being able to teach
that there is no waste. -
6:26 - 6:29and that when you plant
the pastel's leftover, -
6:29 - 6:32which is in that case,
the pastel that had invented Ottavian, -
6:32 - 6:33was a pastel with a seed,
-
6:33 - 6:35when you plant its leftovers,
-
6:36 - 6:39you can generate a plant
that gives rise to a fruit, -
6:39 - 6:42a flower with the same color
of the pastel. -
6:43 - 6:46Ottavian is one of our students
who created this project, -
6:46 - 6:50a startup that creates these pastels
integrated with the seed -
6:50 - 6:51for children.
-
6:51 - 6:56He was considered,
-
6:56 - 7:01and he also considered himself
a somewhat average student. -
7:01 - 7:06He wasn't committed, in his own words.
-
7:06 - 7:10And as for this project, he became
totally passionate about it, -
7:10 - 7:13and he discovered that
what he did in his leisure time, -
7:13 - 7:15what he did outside of school,
-
7:15 - 7:18dedicating himself to videos,
dedicating himself to communication, -
7:18 - 7:21could actually be something to work on.
-
7:22 - 7:25He then got involved in this project
-
7:25 - 7:28and spent five hours in a closet
-
7:28 - 7:31trying to tape the video of his startup
-
7:31 - 7:33as perfectly as possible,
-
7:33 - 7:37because the clothes inside the closet
were absorbing the sound. -
7:38 - 7:42And this experience allowed him
to somewhat change his life, -
7:42 - 7:46because he discovered
he had this talent in communication, -
7:46 - 7:50he managed to enter a major university
specialized in communication, -
7:50 - 7:52he won scholarships.
-
7:52 - 7:58So reflecting on his own talents,
he managed to somehow find his way. -
7:59 - 8:01This is an example of how,
-
8:01 - 8:06by drawing on our own resources,
one can make a difference -
8:06 - 8:08first and foremost within ourselves.
-
8:08 - 8:10The second thing I wanted to share
-
8:10 - 8:17was precisely the importance
of connecting students and youngsters -
8:17 - 8:19with something they don't know,
-
8:19 - 8:21something that can actually inspire them.
-
8:22 - 8:23What we've noticed
-
8:23 - 8:27is that bringing them in contact
with innovative realities -
8:27 - 8:30but also with unusual places,
-
8:30 - 8:33can actually make a difference for kids.
-
8:34 - 8:37What you find on the slide
-
8:37 - 8:40is a note one of our students left us,
-
8:40 - 8:45a student from a school
in a quite difficult context, -
8:45 - 8:51a student that his professors
identified as fairly difficult. -
8:51 - 8:55And through a three-day
mountain experience -
8:55 - 8:58with a focus on environmental issues,
-
8:58 - 9:02this guy actually communicated
in a different way -
9:02 - 9:05and eventually left us with this note.
-
9:05 - 9:07He felt free, rediscovered himself
-
9:07 - 9:13and rediscovered a different way
of communicating himself to others. -
9:14 - 9:16The last thing I wanted to talk about -
-
9:16 - 9:19thus it certainly was a path
to make a difference - -
9:19 - 9:22was the discovery of one's own talents,
-
9:22 - 9:26coming into contact with something
that is outside of our daily lives, -
9:26 - 9:31so leaving our usual boundaries
-
9:31 - 9:33and getting in touch with realities
-
9:33 - 9:36that perhaps, a priori,
did not interest us. -
9:37 - 9:42The third thing we want to bring
to young people, to schools, -
9:42 - 9:46is to try help them make a difference
-
9:46 - 9:48in their own territory.
-
9:49 - 9:51So what we do
-
9:51 - 9:55is to help them think "community-wise".
-
9:55 - 9:57At first I was telling you about Kathryn;
-
9:57 - 10:02her classmates did not raise their hand
when she simply asked, -
10:02 - 10:04How do you make an impact?
-
10:04 - 10:06But then all together
Kathryn and her friends -
10:06 - 10:10got together and managed
to design a project -
10:10 - 10:15that actually transformed Como,
where their school was based. -
10:16 - 10:20They got together
and designed a simple idea: -
10:20 - 10:23an application to nudge people to walk,
-
10:24 - 10:27and then trying to solve
-
10:27 - 10:32what was a problem for the city of Como,
environmental and air pollution -
10:32 - 10:34And the fact that the old town
-
10:34 - 10:39was somehow losing its center of interest.
-
10:39 - 10:42So these kids made this application,
-
10:42 - 10:45they created a network of businesses
-
10:45 - 10:47who gave discounts
to people who walked there. -
10:47 - 10:49They mobilized the citizens
-
10:49 - 10:53and made hundreds of people
aware of these issues -
10:53 - 10:57by organizing walks after and walks
all around the city -
10:57 - 11:01with families, young children,
parents and so on. -
11:01 - 11:04And it was nice because
they all understood -
11:04 - 11:08that they could try to deepen their talent
-
11:08 - 11:10but they could also connect it with others
-
11:10 - 11:13and they could try to launch projects
-
11:13 - 11:15that brought real value to their city.
-
11:17 - 11:20So, this is the message
I want to leave you with. -
11:20 - 11:25All of us as citizens,
students, parents, trainers, -
11:25 - 11:26whatever our role,
-
11:26 - 11:29we can try to listen to our talents,
-
11:29 - 11:31put them on the line
-
11:31 - 11:34and work together to build a better world.
-
11:34 - 11:35Thank you.
-
11:35 - 11:38(Applause)
- Title:
- Can We Make A Difference For Our Planet? I Giulia Detomati I TEDxMantova
- Description:
-
Giulia Detomati is the founder and CEO of InVento Innovation Lab, the first Italian B Corporation that deals with education projects on entrepreneurship and the environment for young people, companies and institutions that want to make a difference.
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
- Video Language:
- Italian
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 11:44
Muriel de Meo approved English subtitles for Si può fare la differenza? | Giulia Detomati | TEDxMantova | ||
Michele Gianella accepted English subtitles for Si può fare la differenza? | Giulia Detomati | TEDxMantova | ||
Michele Gianella edited English subtitles for Si può fare la differenza? | Giulia Detomati | TEDxMantova | ||
Michele Gianella edited English subtitles for Si può fare la differenza? | Giulia Detomati | TEDxMantova | ||
Cecilia Bernabeni edited English subtitles for Si può fare la differenza? | Giulia Detomati | TEDxMantova | ||
Cecilia Bernabeni edited English subtitles for Si può fare la differenza? | Giulia Detomati | TEDxMantova |