TEDxZurich Volunteers

Impressions from our volunteers

Thinking about volunteering? Read more about what it means to be a volunteer at TEDxZurich and some of our volunteers’ journeys to TEDxZurich – straight from the horse’s mouth.

 

Peter Willi (Audience Experience Associate) attended his first TEDx  event as a visitor and was inspired by the team power and positivity. He quickly decided to contribute and not only consume the next event. “Opening the event you are part of made me nervous and happy at the same time! The show begins, the cameras start recording and you’re behind it all.” He applied as a volunteer to meet like-minded people, experience the team spirit and build new connections.

 

 

Xavier KohllXavier Kohll (Head of Location) always had a desire to be part of the TED organization, as so many talks inspired him and motivated him to join the movement. He joined as a volunteer first and a year later decided to take on the logistics of this 500+ participants event. The talks that gave him goosebumps will always stay with him.

 

 

Julia Sharonova (TEDxZurichSalon): “After an amazing volunteering experience, I was planning on joining the team right away. However, I had to wait another 1.5 year before another chance appeared. Looking back, I feel lucky to be rejected the first time.  A newly created TEDxZurichSalon team was dedicated to change exactly what bothered me – we make sure our local TED community can meet and discuss ideas more often. To be part of TEDxZurich is very rewarding! TEDx Zurich is a fantastic team, where experience meets creativity and the vibe is just amazing. Our last creation together (TEDxZurichSalon ‘What Moves Us’), which brought together 150 people to discuss the future of mobility and connectivity and was followed by spirited discussion. It is very fulfilling to be a part of what I care about and inspire people.

Read more about Julia’s experience

 

5 Questions for our volunteers

 

What made your TEDx volunteering experience special?

Xavier: “It was incredibly inspiring how many open-minded people I met, especially other volunteers. I had the possibility to watch some TEDx live for the first time in my life. After the event the feeling of wanting to be part of this movement to change or inspire the world for the better only became bigger.”

What did you learn? Who did you meet?

Peter: “I found myself one of a few students among lots of entrepreneurs/startup people who were volunteering. It was great fun to see how the different people thought about the same problems in the world! I think this really was an eye opener to be ok with being in completely different fields.
In the end it was a very inspiring activity as it gives you the confidence to just pursue whatever you like and try something new, like the TEDx volunteering.”

What does it mean to be a TEDx Zurich volunteer?

Xavier: “Lot’s of walking. Fun with other volunteers. The possibility to watch some talks.”

Peter: “As a volunteer you have a busy day. However, there is always a chance to watch some talks. I went there because of the people you meet and being a part of the team, doing something new I’m not used to in my everyday life. Enjoying a discussion with either attendees or other volunteers about what you just saw. And of course attending the apero/party after the event to celebrate the day and go out together with some volunteers. I volunteered three times before joining the core team.”

What is your advice to future volunteers?

Xavier: “Come and be part of the TEDxZürich team. See first at the event day what we worked on during the year. Come and see if you want to join the core team.”

Tell us about your volunteer journey.

Xavier: “I wanted to help and be part of TEDx when I was a volunteer. How I became a core team member? Chance. Persistence. A good amount of patience.”

Peter: “After having volunteered three times and realizing I could not get enough of this experience it was time for the next level. I knew already some people and I ended up in the Audience Experience Team. Seeing behind the curtain and designing some bits of the next event :)”

Sarah Ebling

          Sarah Ebling holds a professorship in Accessibility Studies at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and is a senior researcher at the University of Zurich. Her research focuses on natural language processing in the context of disabilities and special needs, specifically, sign language technology and automatic text simplification. Her groups’ contributions involve artificial intelligence techniques with a strong emphasis on user involvement. She is involved in various international and national projects and leads a large-scale Swiss innovation initiative entitled „Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies“ (2022-2026; https://www.iict.uzh.ch/).