San Diego State Prison to Serve as Site for TEDx Event

    SAN DIEGO, CA, March 16, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In the spirit of world-renowned TED Talks, TEDxDonovanCorrectional - a unique gathering focused on inspiration, transformation and interaction - will take place at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJDCF) on Sunday, May 21, 2017. This is the first such event in San Diego's state prison.

The process of organizing TEDxDonovanCorrectional has fully engaged the prison inmate population. A Core Team of ten RJDCF inmates is strategizing, planning, and facilitating the event from beginning to end. The Core Team is supported by a group of local TEDx volunteers.

The independently organized event, licensed by TED, will feature a broad spectrum of TEDx Talks under the theme "Beyond the Surface." The event will highlight a variety of voices with an equally balanced line up of carefully selected speakers from both inside the prison and the general public. This unique setting will also offer attendees a memorable opportunity to interact and discover what's beyond the surface of the men's blue uniforms.

Beyond the surface of fences and walls, TEDxDonovanCorrectional represents an expression of ideals, thoughts and emotions that collectively have the power to expand hearts, transform minds and liberate spirits. "The theme 'Beyond the Surface,' selected by a prison-wide vote, will challenge perceived notions, uproot entrenched biases and soften hardened stereotypes. We will also explore what's beyond the surface of the invisible forces holding our universe together, the depths of unexplored worlds, as well as the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics and more," said Mariette Fourmeaux du Sartel, the Organizer of TEDxDonovanCorrectional.

This event is also being embraced, supported and guided by the RJDCF administration. Warden Daniel Paramo said "[t]he inmate population and the staff are very excited about this event. TEDxDonovanCorrectional is an occasion to showcase another side of our prison, the potential power of rehabilitation, and an opportunity for the inmates to give back to our local community."

Launched in 2009, TEDx is program of locally organized events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have gone on to be featured on TED.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe. In addition to cities around the world, and in universities and organizations, similar TEDx events have been held in over ten prisons throughout the country, including Ironwood, San Quentin and Marion Correctional.

RJDCF, the only state prison in San Diego County, is situated on a mesa about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Mexico-United States border, in the foothills of Otay Mesa overlooking the Mexican border.

To join the TEDxDonovanCorrectional conversation, receive the latest updates, and be made aware of ticket availability, visit the event's Facebook www.facebook.com/tedxdonovancorrectional or click here. Tickets for the general public will be available on March 7, 2017 through EventBrite.

About TEDx:
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, TEDx Talks 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 organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Monica Lewinsky, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED or Instagram at https://instagram.com/ted.

About Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJDCF)
The Mission at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJDCF) is a multi-mission institution: RJDCF's primary mission is to provide housing for General Population and SNY, Level I, II, III & IV inmates serving their term of incarceration at RJDCF. Additionally RJDCF provides health care services and rehabilitative programs to inmates while incarcerated at RJDCF. RJDCF is a designated institution for inmates with severe mental illness, inmates with developmental disabilities and is responsible for providing officer coverage for inmates being treated in community hospitals throughout San Diego County.

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