Manhattan Beach’s Mayor’s Youth Council hosts third TEDx talk

By Claire DuMont

Staff Writer

Mayor’s Youth Council hosted its third TEDx talk, “Happiness: Stay in the Moment,”  in the small theater during afternoon office hours on April 13, featuring talks by by English teacher Stacy Cabrera and teen psychologist Diane Glick.

The topic,“Happiness: Stay in the Moment,” focused on the importance of living in the present and happiness. Junior Ronald Clinton and senior Annabelle Tribble organized and coordinated the event with the other members of Mayor’s Youth Council.

“The talk had everything required of an effective TEDx: relatable speakers, a hefty audience, and a captivating TEDx video to introduce the topic,” Clinton said. “Overall, it was a success.”

Mayor’s Youth Council is a program that joins students and community leaders. Members were asked to sign up to help organize and run the talk. Two previous TEDx talks have taken place at Costa earlier in the year on November 18 and January 13 covering stress management and creativity, respectively.  

“I decided to participate in the talk because I thought it would give me the opportunity to educate students on a topic I knew a lot about,” Clinton said. “I watch TEDx talks all the time on YouTube, so I knew leading one at Costa would be an incredible experience.”

The presentation started with an brief introduction of the speakers from Clinton followed by a video of another TEDx talk that to introduced the audience to “Happiness: Stay in the Moment.” Cabrera and Glick each gave a speech providing their own experiences as well as their advice for the audience.

“In life, I’m not always going to be having ‘a good time,’” Cabrera said. “Sometimes, life is work, life is hard, and sometimes it’s even painful. And that’s okay. It’s a necessary part of the experience in order for me to grow, and flourish, and change—that’s happiness to me.”

“Happiness: Stay in the Moment” was the last TEDx talk at Costa. According to Clinton, the Mayor’s Youth Council will be hosting more talks during the next school year.

“I hope the students and those that attended the talk have a greater sense of confidence and pride in themselves,” Clinton said. “All in all, I hope they came out of the talk happier than they did coming into it.”