It is a brainstorming session in which young and old, men and women participate to exchange ideas on a number of issues for the welfare of their country and themselves.
TEDx was held in the Kingdom for the first time last year, and this time it attracted more participants who deliberated 25 ideas presented by a number of young men and women.
A documentary film was screened at the start of the TEDx event that was followed by a number of speeches by the organizers explaining and extolling the event.
Participants were then called up to present their ideas, and some later spoke about their experiences in achieving success.
Bandar Al-Mutlaq, a young Saudi, was the first to take the floor. He called for an international dialogue among nations and urged them to close ranks and achieve rapprochement. Other ideas followed on health care, productive Muslim, keeping streets clean and other issues, mostly pertaining to youth
Speaking to Arab News about his idea to develop a healthy society, Briyan Karkadan, who presented the idea to the forum, said he wanted to stress maintaining good health and that using traditional methods could do this. “We can easily avoid many of the diseases that Saudi society now suffers and also cut the medical bill,” he said.
Karkadan, a medical student, said the most common diseases in the Kingdom were diabetes, cardiac-related problems, hypertension and high cholesterol. “Means of protection against these diseases are easy but they are not being followed here. If one exercises, eats healthy food and keeps away from unnecessary worry and anxiety, then sustaining good health in society would be easy,” he said.
Karkadan said the TEDx was one of the important activities worthy of more media focus. “I was one of the organizers of this event last year and I can say the attendance this year is much bigger,” he said.
Sara Al-Houtami, said she was attending the occasion for the second time. “It is a forum for brainstorming of ideas. It contributes effectively to building bridges of cooperation among participants,” she said.
Sara asked the print media to give more attention to the event specially that the social media tools on the Internet were writing about it. “Such gatherings enable the young men and women to exchange ideas and cement ties for the welfare of society and the country,” she said.
