The Sutherland Shire will host its first full-scale public TEDx event when TEDxSutherland launches on 17 April 2026 at Inaburra School in Bangor from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

This landmark event introduces the globally recognised TEDx experience to the Shire community for the very first time, offering a new platform for world-class ideas, storytelling, and innovation right in the heart of the local community.

With the theme THRIVE, the inaugural event will explore what it means for individuals, communities, and the planet to flourish amid rapid global change.

The lineup features an exceptional group of speakers whose impact reaches far beyond their fields. Among them are two-time world champion surfer Tom Carroll; parenting expert Gen Muir; NRL Cronulla Sharks captain Cameron McInnes; and extreme climate scientist Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick.

As the first event of its kind in the Sutherland Shire, TEDxSutherland aims to ignite curiosity, spark conversation, and empower the community to think boldly about the future. The full-day program will feature inspiring talks, performances, and connection opportunities, all delivered by a volunteer team committed to bringing meaningful ideas to the region.

Further speaker announcements, program updates, and ticket details can be found on the TEDxSutherland website (https://tedxsutherland.com/) and social media channels. Keep up to date with TEDxSutherland on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About TEDxSutherland

TEDxSutherland is an independently organised, not-for-profit TEDx event based in the Sutherland Shire, dedicated to sharing ideas that inspire, challenge, and spark meaningful conversations within the community.

Driven by the spirit of TED’s mission—“ideas worth spreading”—TEDxSutherland brings together local thinkers, innovators, creatives, and change-makers to deliver powerful talks, performances, and experiences. With a focus on connection and community, TEDxSutherland curates a diverse lineup of speakers who offer fresh perspectives across science, technology, education, arts, wellbeing, social issues, and more.

The event provides a platform for both established and emerging voices, helping important ideas reach a wider audience and fostering dialogue long after the event concludes. Each TEDxSutherland event is run entirely by volunteers passionate about elevating local stories and making global conversations accessible at the local level.

Through inspiring talks, interactive experiences, and community engagement, TEDxSutherland aims to light up curiosity, empower action, and celebrate the power of ideas to shape a better future.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda.

We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues.

In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze $6.6 billion in funding for projects that support bold solutions to the world's most urgent challenges — working to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just.

In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future.

View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives. Follow TED on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X.