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TEDxSkoll

Friday, April 7, 2017

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Session Description

Post-truth. Fake news. Alternative facts. The very definition of truth seems to be up for grabs, and our relationship with truth is in a state of flux. New technologies have radically decentralised the means of producing and distributing information. Data, facts and figures filter through narratives that tap into our emotions and personal beliefs. Given this dynamic, how can we promote critical thinking whilst also cultivating empathy?

The power of a story well-told has never been greater, and reality is subject to interpretation and manipulation. Truth, though, isn’t completely mutable. The quest to uncover truth is a bedrock of human history, and some truths are enduring and undeniable.

On Friday 7th April, let’s meet at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford for TEDxSkoll. Under a 17th century ceiling, we’ll take stock of the concept of truth and its evolving role in social, economic and political progress. We will hear from those who have harnessed truth as a central driving force in their life and work, and those who have dedicated their life’s work to producing fiction. Together, we’ll explore truth as a concept that is not always easy to find, define or grasp, and we’ll embrace that challenge as a unifying—and uniquely human—element.

Tickets are available at tedxskoll.com. TEDxSkoll is an independent event. Skoll World Forum delegates must register for TEDxSkoll tickets separately; a Forum badge will not provide entry to TEDxSkoll. We recommend you purchase your ticket soon, as it may sell out.

Schedule:
1:30pm Registration – Divinity Schools
2:30pm First Session – Sheldonian Theatre
4:15 pm Break
5:00pm Second Session – Sheldonian Theatre
6:30pm – 8pm Reception – Blackwell Hall

Speaker(s):
  • Founder & Executive Director, Educate Girls Foundation
    Safeena is the Founder and Executive Director of Educate Girls (EG), an NGO focused on mobilising communities for girls’ education. Under Safeena’s leadership, since EG’s inception in 2007, the NGO has enrolled 750,000+ girls in school and improved learning outcomes for 1.3 million+ children in India. Safeena’s guidance and leadership has been instrumental in EG achieving a major global milestone – the world’s first Development Impact Bond in education. On its completion, the bond surpassed both its target outcomes by achieving 160% of its learning target and 116% of its enrolment target. These results are testimony to the commitment of EG to deliver quality at scale (the organisation currently has 1,760 full time employees and 13,000+ community volunteers) and value to every single child in the program. She has also been instrumental in EG becoming the first Audacious project in Asia, a first-of-its-kind coalition that surfaces and funds critical projects with the potential to create global change.    Previously, Safeena has worked extensively with rural and urban underserved communities in South America, Africa and Asia. She has been conferred with the 2017 NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India Award, the 2016 NDTV-L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Award, and has in the past received the British Asian Trust’s Special Recognition Award from HRH Prince Charles for outstanding contribution in education. Moreover, Educate Girls has received the prestigious 2015 Skoll Award, 2014 WISE Award, the 2014 USAID Millennium Alliance Award, the 2014 Stars Impact Award and the India Development Marketplace Award in 2011 from the World Bank. ABOUT EDUCATE GIRLS: Educate Girls is a non-profit organisation that focuses on mobilising communities for girls’ education in India’s rural and educationally backward areas. Working in partnership with the Government, Educate Girls currently operates successfully in over 18,000 villages

Time & Location

Time:
1:30 PM - 8:00 PM, Friday, April 7, 2017
Location:
Sheldonian Theatre