Breaking down barriers

Inspiration and ideas on offer at Cornwall’s only TEDx event.

Taking place on 27th October, TEDxTruro returns with a whole host of speakers sharing their stories. One of the event’s sponsors is Stephens Scown LLP. We speak with Robert Camp, Managing Partner of the Cornish law firm, who picks the talk that he is most looking forward to.

“TED is all about ideas worth spreading, and now more than ever I think we need that.”

TED started in America more than 30 years ago. Since, it has inspired local, independently organised events around the world. Robert explains how Stephens Scown got involved: “TED is all about ideas worth spreading, and now more than ever I think we need that. TED Talks and TEDx events give us a chance to take a step back and think about things from someone else’s point of view; to learn something new and make a positive change in the world.”

TEDxTruro’s theme this year is ‘Beyond Barriers’, and each of the speakers will bring their own perspective – from discussing how music affects our brains and emotions to exploring diverse topics, including endurance, resilience, inclusion and neurodiversity.

Robert continues: “It is fantastic that we have our very own TEDx event in Cornwall now. I really enjoyed going last year – it was such an inspiring day, which sparked so many discussions and conversations among those of us lucky enough to be there. If you enjoy watching TED Talks online, you’ll
love experiencing a TEDx event. It’s much more immersive and powerful as you’re watching the talks live and sharing it with others around you.” This year, the event has moved to a bigger venue at Truro and Penwith College’s Truro campus. The talk that Robert is most eagerly anticipating is by Shawn Brown – a dyslexic inventor who passionately believes that young people need to learn in ways that embrace the natural differences in their brains. From his experience in building kids’ inventions and training dyslexia organisations, Shawn will explore how neurodiversity is linked to innovation, yet widely overlooked in our education system.

Robert adds: “In education, we need to embrace that everyone is different and find ways to help everyone achieve their potential. This is crucial if we are to provide a workforce which is right for our fast-changing society.”