Such sharing requires courage—and trust in those who are listening.

For Arjun, a Year 10 student at YCIS Shanghai Pudong, the timing of TEDx was serendipitous: 14 June was World Blood Donor Day, and his speech was about blood donation. When his grandfather became critically ill in 2017, Arjun was very moved by the selflessness of blood donors. Since then, he has enthusiastically participated in community service activities and co-founded Bloodline Youth, an initiative encouraging young people to donate blood. To date, they have organised eight blood drives in international schools. Just one week before TEDx, the group received recognition from the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, Mr Siddharth Chatterjee, for their efforts.

"Through my TEDx talk, I would like to send a message of unity. I want to send a welcoming message to people to join the initiative. And also, I want to show how it has affected me as a person," Arjun reflected. "Once people understand somebody's story, they will be more inspired to do it."

Daniel, a Year 4 student from YCIS Shanghai Lingang, was the first of the 49 speakers to take the stage. With great enthusiasm, he began by discussing his fascination with the Shanghai Metro. He compared the designs of the subway carriages, explained passenger behaviour, and even noted the distinct smells of different lines. What has made him such a perceptive observer?

He shared that he has ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Initially, he felt very uncomfortable about his "different" behaviour, but his mother told him that it was the result of having a "Super-powered Brain." Supported by teachers who helped him understand his needs, Daniel transformed his perceived problem into a superpower ability.

"Being different isn't a bad thing, it makes us special," he concluded. "Just as the Shanghai Metro connects many places in the city, our differences connect us in a unique way."

From the rehearsals to the final performance, Daniel's mother, Ms Chan Chan Ho, remained by his side. Watching him bravely share his story, she couldn't hide her emotions. As a parent, she too had once struggled to understand her son's differences. But now, both she and Daniel have not only accepted the differences, but have also gained the confidence to advocate for a more inclusive society.

"The speech has helped him to understand himself more," she reflected.

Haslina, a Grade 11 student at YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang, also focused her talk on differences. As a Pakistani born and raised in China, she once grappled with an identity crisis because of her appearance and language difference.

That changed several months ago when she visited Lahore, Pakistan, her ancestral hometown, for the first time. As she photographed the historical Mughal architecture and the vibrant craft traditions in the city, her confusion about her identity began to fade. "The experience made me become prouder of my identity, and I learned that it's okay to belong to two different cultures."

Though questions about her complex cultural identity still arise, Haslina hopes her TEDx talk will spark opportunities for herself and her classmates to have discussions about the topic. 

The TEDx speakers discussed various topic including animal welfare, AI ethics, and the protection of the rights of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong SAR. Regardless of the topic, the speakers drew on their own life experiences to lead the audience members toward discussions of universal significance, thus turning the dialogue from "I" to "we."

The term "Ubuntu" comes from the Zulu and Xhosa language. It means, "I am because we are," and thus celebrates human connections and community.

"Whether I am responsible and careful about other people's feelings affects how we are as a community and as a world. As artists, we have that responsibility because so many people look to visual Information to understand the world. And art is one of the gateways to understanding how visual language works. We're teaching that to our students," Ms Dai explained.

Notably, throughout the day of the exhibition, visitors left their messages and sketches on the display board marked "Ubuntu". The colourful, overlapping strokes resembled a convergence and an echo of the people's voices and thoughts.

On the day, students and staff from YCIS Shanghai, YWIES Shanghai Lingang, YWIES Shanghai Gubei, and YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang collaborated to present splendid performances.