Courtesy of REDU and TED

There’s been a growing ache among many to turn TED’s ‘ideas worth spreading” into “actions worth taking”. So this year, TEDActive set out to apply the considerable brain trust of its attendees to TEDActive Projects, with the goal to “explore, collaborate and -- most importantly -- act on the vital issues raised at TED.” Six hot topics were chosen: Education, Mobility, Sustainability, Public Art, Social Networks and Travel. And twenty or so TEDActive attendees, TEDActivators in both form and function, were selected to populate each of the six Project Groups.

Each group was presented with a pressing question specific to their Project Group’s area of expertise. Each group was challenged to come up with one micro-action (or more!) in answer, to be presented to the TED community at large. And each group had just days from the time of their arrival in Palm Springs for TEDActive to come up with a course of action.

TEDActive enlisted the help of IDEO -- the absolutely awe-inspiring global consultancy that teaches organizations how to innovate and grow through good design -- to facilitate sessions with each Project Group. And thanks to the good people at REDU, the Education Group got a little something extra - me, a graphic recorder to help in the process.

That’s where my affilitation with all these awesome folks began. I was asked by TEDActive to join the Education group as a live-content graphic recorder to help facilitate their journey from question to micro-action. (My friend and colleague Sunni Brown would have done this. But she had a slightly more pressing engagement this year: as a SPEAKER on the main stage of TED!) I was thrilled to join the project, and even more thrilled to learn I’d be working with Ilya Prokopoff of IDEO. With Ilya’s expertise, our group of raring-to-go educators would be gently guided in the process of creating actionable steps out of good intentions.

The question posed to our group of passionately-engaged TEDActivator educators:“How can we empower kids to reshape the education system?” With no easy answer in sight (and questions on the question itself), the challenge was officially on.

The move from whiteboard to springboard took place during the TEDActive conference in Palm Springs, February 28 - March 4, 2011. The carefully-selected Education Group members met and mulled in locations as varied as The Living Desert Museum; in and around the cabanas and firepits of the host hotel, The Riviera; while dining at the former home of Lucille Ball; and within the dedicated Education Project space, brilliantly located near the TEDActive Cafe in one of the superbly-situated simulcast spaces.

As lovely as that sounds - and quite admittedly, was - the pressure to deliver was always there. We’re talking about a collection of highly-motivated, highly-caring individuals who work every day to make an impact on education, and who recognized the opportunity a larger stage would afford. Literally. The group was set to present their suggested action from the TEDActive stage, to their fellow TEDActive attendees, along with the other five project groups. Plus “big” TED would be tuning in from Long Beach to see the presentations.

The following pictures capture a process-centric view of the journey leading up to the big reveal.

What they don’t fully capture is the passion and commitment with which the TEDActive Education Group applied itself to addressing the issue of how to empower kids and reshape education. For that, you can look in part to the result of all their hard work. More than a microaction, an up-and-running website! Check out Elev8ed.org to learn more about how TEDActivator Educators are just starting to help empower kids. Even better, become part of the solution - the site is open for everyone to join and contribute.

Congratulations to each and every one of the TEDActive Education Group. You inspired me as a mother to two young daughters, and as a person who values passion in action. I was honored to be part of this special week, and look forward to seeing what you continue to do.

Additional Thanks to:

Sarah Shewey and Janet Lee of TED for being so welcoming, involved and responsive from the time they first engaged me in conversation.

Ilya Prokopoff and the other folks from IDEO for being so inclusive and generous with their talent and time.

REDU for being the perfect sponsor: authentically engaged and curious about starting an important conversation.

The eBeam by Luidia for supplying the technology to turn our whiteboards into digital workboards. I’m looking forward to utilitzing the technology more.

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Although not specific to the Project Groups, this whimsical video perfectly captures the spirit of those TEDsters who volunteered their time and expertise to participate in TEDActive Projects. Inspired by “ideas worth spreading”, they were driven to create “actions worth doing”. And dedicated a good amount of their time at the conference to pay their own inspiration forward. I was honored to be a part of the inaugural year of TEDActive Projects, and look forward to returning in 2012.

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