TEDxYouth@SPH – Catalyst for Change

Benjamin Owens
Benjamin Owens was born in London, England and moved to Sydney, Australia, before adapting to life in Jakarta, Indonesia. He first got his physics degree from Macquarie University in Sydney, and has since developed a passion in science. With Benjamin’s experience in three different countries, his love for local city culture developed, and he yearns to see Indonesia move forward in their new identity as an empowered youth. Additionally, Benjamin is also involved with various social projects such as investing in youths, one of them being a kids’ home in Bali, and to date, has been a youth leader for ten years, hence why he chose to teach in Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Village, as a way to further connect to students and young people.

Faye Simanjutak
Faye Simanjutak is an avid reader, traveller, but ultimately lover of her native nation, Indonesia. Because of this, Faye considers herself a nationalist and highly appreciates the beauty of her country, which is her drive to helping Indonesian children and establishing her own NGO (Non – Governmental Organization) ‘Rumah Faye’ at the age of nine. As of today, Faye will be launching the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) in September and has had the opportunity to meet various world leaders, including Indonesia’s ministers and President Joko Widodo in further discussing education and legal rights. Faye’s passion is ultimately what makes her a catalyst for change.

Fiona Asokacitta
Fiona Asokacitta is currently a junior attending Sekolah Pelita Harapan. She is an avid feminist activist who has written a novel, B****, expressing her views. Fiona is currently the managing editor of SPH’s online newspaper and the leader of a politics and world issues awareness club, Speak Up!. She is a business, history, and literature student who enjoys debating and researching, having won multiple awards in both national and international levels. However, her love to defend social justice is unparalleled with anything else. Known to be the local feminist in SPH, she plans on sharing ideas on radical feminism and what it means to be a feminist in the third wave.

Henky Chahyadi
Henky Chahyadi graduated with a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) and received scholarship to pursue his doctoral degree in control engineering/robotics at the University of Sydney, Australia. As a business coach and creative corporate thinker, to date, he has given birth to lots of new discoveries, innovations and way of thinking in the area of management, leadership and human capital development. He and his team have obtained two prestigious awards in the last five years: MAKE (Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise) award in year 2010 and MDG (Millennium Development Goal) award for ‘Best Innovation in Education’ in the year 2014.  In May 2015, he left the company to pursue his big vision of “Building Reliable, Authentic and Inspiring Network For Indonesia Revival Everywhere” (BRAINFIRE). To achieve his vision, in his new role as a reviver for Indonesia, he unceasingly spread the unusual way of thinking “to complete, not to compete” to be part of everyone’s lives especially in teachers, youths and young executives, and social entrepreneurs through a series of authentic coaching program called SOCCERMINAR™.

Veronica Colondam
Veronica Colondam is the CEO and Founder of Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB, which translates as the “Loving the Nation’s Children Foundation”). It was founded in 1999 out of deep concern and love for the youth of Indonesia. Focused in the area of youth development,  YCAB transitioned into a social enterprise that has empowered more than three million youths through education and economic empowerment in a sustainable way. YCAB ranks #63 in Top 100 NGO by the Global Journal, Geneva, as the only an Indonesian origin organization. Earned her Master degree in Social Science from the Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases. Postgraduate study at INSEAD and global leadership programs at HKS and Yale; and, Impact Investment at Oxford Said Business School. Veronica also serves as a member of the International Board of INSEAD Social Entrepreneur Global Council and of Pepperdine’s Master program in Change and Social Entrepreneurship. She also sits on the boards of Microsoft Youth Council, Advisory Council of Coca-Cola Indonesia. Veronica is the youngest recipient of the UN-Vienna Civil Society Award (2001), Young Global Leaders by World Economic Forum (2006), Fellow of Asia Society 21 Young Leader (2007) and Globe Asia’s Most Powerful Women in Indonesia (2015). She also received Global Social Innovator Award (2008), Channel News Asia’s Change Maker Award (2009) and the “Asian of the Year”(2009). Received EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year (2011) and Schwab Social Ent in 2012, and in 2014, she was Forbes’ 10 Most Inspiring Women and named as Forbes 48 Asian Philanthropists.