Chicago Ideas: Conversations That Shape Change

How to Survive the Era of Fake News

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 21:00:00 -0000

In this must-watch panel discussion, top journalists discuss news in the era of Trump. In addition to sharing “surreal” personal experiences as reporters in a hostile, Trump-led environment, they analyze the codependency between the media and President Trump, explain how we got here, and discuss what platforms like Facebook can do to help the problem of fake news.

Uploaded 10-05-18

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How to Help Struggling Chicago Students

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Elizabeth Dozier, founder of Chicago Beyond, explains what she saw as a principal in a struggling Chicago school and what needs to be done to help kids in underserved neighborhoods that have been stricken with gun violence.

Uploaded 15-03-18

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Why should tackle football for children be banned?

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Should tackle football for children be banned? Chris Nowinski, the co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, thinks so. That's why he helped lawmakers in New York create a bill that would ban tackle football for kids under 12. In addition to that bill being introduced, a similar one from IL lawmaker Carol Sente was introduced as well, House Bill 4341 or the #DaveDuersonAct to Prevent CTE, named after Chicago Bear Dave Duerson, who is believed to have suffered from CTE, causing him to take his own life. In an attempt to create change and push the conversation forward, Duerson's teammate, Otis Wilson, appeared at a press conference to voice his support. “There are a lot of individuals that have this issue and the more research that’s being done—hopefully we’ll have something to combat it," he said. Swipe through to see Chris Nowinski make the case for a ban on tackle football for children while Otis Wilson looks on. For the entire panel discussion, which also includes Dr. Bennet Omalu (on whom the film Concussion is based), in full HD, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/cte-experts-on-the-future-of-football

Uploaded 26-01-18

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Mark Walsh’s Story

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 18:10:00 -0000

Every 3 hours someone is shot in Chicago. It’s time to Put The Guns Down.

Uploaded 12-10-15

Hear more stories at https://www.musicVSgunviolence.com

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It Takes a Community: Building Opportunity Through Inclusion

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Community is an essential ingredient for all startups but it's a critical element for the success of women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses. This impactful on-demand program will offer lessons from entrepreneurs and organizations on how communities can better support one another and how businesses can position themselves for future opportunities and success by inviting diverse perspectives to the table. This program is presented by The Blackstone Charitable Foundation, World Business Chicago, and ChicagoNEXT.

Uploaded 16-11-20

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The Future of Work

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 17:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 14-02-18

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Where Creative Inspiration Comes From

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Tinker Hatfield, the man behind the design of Air Jordan sneakers, talks about his creative inspiration and what it's like to work with some of the world's greatest athletes.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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The 77 Project: A Ride with Jacqueline Reed, Founder, WHA (Community Area #25)

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Jacqueline Reed is the founder and original CEO of the Westside Health Authority. We hope her story of continued community uplifting and connection inspires you to connect with your neighbors and build your community from the inside.

Uploaded 26-10-18

The 77 Project is a storytelling and media project presented by Xfinity with additional support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help share the narrative of our neighborhoods from the inside out. Our hope is that this project will help inspire citizens to connect with solution-makers in the city of Chicago and beyond. If you didn't know, the city of Chicago recognizes 77 community areas within the city limits, and this year we're shining a light on organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact in each of those locations.

More on Xfinity:

Xfinity connects people in all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago each and every day. Xfinity is proud to sponsor the 77 Project to provide a platform for local residents to voice ideas that will shape our city's future.

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Alan Blaustein: Where Does the Patient Fit?

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Patient advocate Alan Blaustein visited a number of doctors, a handful of wrong diagnoses, and a dozen unnecessary prescriptions before finally being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Here, he shares his story and describes his hope for a reformed system and better communication among health providers in the near future.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Access Granted: Leveling the Playing Field in Entrepreneurship

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Can entrepreneurial approaches alleviate the effects of the region’s economic inequities? With investment and resources, the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago and Sunshine Enterprises are betting that they can. See how these two organizations on the Chicago's South and West Sides provide vital resources to small business owners whose ventures are contributing to the revitalization of divested communities.

Uploaded 04-02-20

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Dexter Bullard: Resources and Improvisations

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:10:00 -0000

How did they come up with THAT?! Listen as Award-winning director and theater artist Dexter Bullard shares how actors use ideas to develop improvisation, and watch as performers demonstrate the way physical actions affect the impulse of ideas.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Lauren Drain: My Life Post-Cult: Back to Normality

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 -0000

When she was fifteen, Lauren Drain's family joined the Westboro Baptist Church, known for picketing the funerals of veterans and spewing hate speech. Years later, Lauren was banished by her father for questioning their practices. In this interview, she shares her incredible story.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Kennedy Odede: Shaking the Status Quo by the Strength of the Grassroots

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Imagine growing up in Africa's largest slum, where 1.5 million people live in an area the size of Central Park. There are no roads, no sewer systems and few dreams, but here Kennedy Odede is giving the gift of "shining hope" to more 36,000 women.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Valerie Lies: Failing Forward

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Are you fearless enough? Have you made your failures matter? Hear Valerie Lies, CEO and president of the Donors Forum and Jean Case, CEO of The Case Foundation, highlight how those two elements have shaped history, the way we learn lessons and the mantra of one of the country's largest private foundations.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Tim Kafalas and Thomas Beug: Learning From Locals

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Travel TV hosts Tim Kafalas and Thomas Beug explore the world, meeting the locals and documenting their experiences. Learn their only travel rule and hear why it's not the sights of the city they want to see, but the soul.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas Defines Home at Chicago Ideas Week

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 08:00:00 -0000

There are nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America. Define American Founder and CEO, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and Chicago Ideas Week speaker @joseiswriting is one of them. How do you define American?

Uploaded 24-01-19

Follow @chicagoideas for more eye-opening ideas that will inspire you to act today:

instagram.com/chicagoideas
twitter.com/chicagoideas
facebook.com/chicagoideasweek
chicagoideas.com

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Elaine Chang, Aza Raskin, Dan Rosensweig: The Brains Behind Disruption

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Disruptive innovation is everywhere. From healthcare to social media, education to music, CIW gathers game-changing leaders from across the board to explore the importance of disruption in every corner of business, tech and life.

Uploaded 22-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Diane Latiker’s Story

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 06:10:00 -0000

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Edible Clouds and More Wondrous Food from Irwin Adam Eydelnant

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 06:00:00 -0000

As a food futurist (and co-founder of Chicago's new wndr museum), Dr. Irwin Adam Eydelnant specializes in making food in new and curious ways, including edible clouds and other "moments of food delight.” He also studies emerging technologies in how food is grown, how people are choosing food (or in the future, how the food will choose them), and even the very essence of what food is. He covers all of it in this fascinating Talk that will leave you hungry for the future.

Uploaded 25-07-18

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Major General Marcia Anderson: Hire a Hero

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Why hire a veteran? Hear Major General Marcia Anderson share why the more than 200,000 deployed citizen soldiers of the Army Reserve make five-star employees, and find out how employers can connect with those returning home.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Future of News: What's the Story? Presented by TIME

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:00:00 -0000

How will the news industry change over the next decade as we become an increasingly social media driven, paperless, and global society? In collaboration with TIME, CIW investigates citizen journalism, digital media and the future of news as we know it.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Navigating Modern Tech Ethics: A Conversation with Facebook

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 03:00:00 -0000

In this interview by tech writer and entrepreneur Anil Dash, top stakeholders at Facebook discuss navigating modern tech ethics in the new world, where tech dominates our lives. Facebook Vice President of Product Design Margaret Gould Stewart and Facebook Research Manager Sudhir Venkatesh explain how Facebook addresses ethical challenges; how to design for a diverse audience of 2 billion that has varying needs and different morals; and what you might not know about Facebook from the outside looking in.

Uploaded 01-05-18

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What it’s Like to Train with a Navy SEAL

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Jesse Itzler is an entrepreneur who's behind several successful ventures, but he wanted to learn how to push himself to his absolute limits. He decided to invite a Navy SEAL into his home to live and train with him for a month.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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Jeff Lieberman: Living the Questions

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 01:00:00 -0000

What makes you nervous? Have you ever seen a sunset? Where do the stars go? Ponder seven riddles as technologist and Discovery Channel host Jeff Lieberman sheds light on the meaning of life. You'll never take a shower or sit in traffic the same way again.

Uploaded 16-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Brian Bowen Smith: Silencing the Creative Critic

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:10:00 -0000

Photographer Brian Bowen Smith has seen it all - he's shot Hilary Swank on a white shag carpet, Gabrielle Union on a fly-covered beach - and heard it all, too. In this hilarious talk, he shares how to silencing the critics by trusting your gut, leaving your ego at the door, and more.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Life's Big Questions: A Conversation with Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 -0000

In the midst of a truly unprecedented year, how does Mayor Lightfoot stay calm and centered? How does she spend her free time (if she actually has any to spare)? These are some of the questions we asked during this insightful conversation, politics aside.

Uploaded 10-11-20

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Stephanie Shaw on Love, Tinder-Style

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Comedian and college professor Stephanie Shaw offers her hilarious insights on dating, now vs. then.

Uploaded 14-03-18

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Elizabeth Cohen: The Empowered Patient

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

After her newborn daughter experienced unnecessary treatments in the NICU, CNN correspondent Elizabeth Cohen began a quest to empower patients to better navigate the health care system, encouraging us all to be vigilant, be educated, and listen to our bodies.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Mind the Gap: An Exploration of Community Reinvestment

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

29.6% of the households in Greater Grand Crossing live beneath the federal poverty line. 22.4% of the houses are vacant. Like neighborhoods across the city—especially on the West and South Sides—Greater Grand Crossing is suffering from Chicago’s notorious wealth gap.

Uploaded 29-01-20

And Rebuild Foundation is changing the narrative by leveraging the power and potential of communities, buildings, and objects that others have written off to give spaces that have otherwise been forgotten a new breath of life.

In order to learn about the positive impact organizations across Chicago are having on the city, we teamed up with The Chicago Community Trust for Mind the Gap, a series that offers a first-hand look at the organizations (like Rebuild) that are reinvesting in communities across the city.

Learn more and do your part:
https://blog.chicagoideas.com/local_look/mind-the-gap/

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Kara Swisher: What's Next for Tech

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

What's in store for the tech world when it comes to disruptive innovation? Kara Swisher, co-executive editor of AllThingsD, sits down with Rick Stengel to discuss what's next in this constantly evolving industry.

Uploaded 22-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Thierry Daher: Fashion Forward Marketing

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

The primary function of footwear is not walking, but a statement of where you stand in shoe culture. From the war to Barbie, Run-DMC to Air Jordans and a shoe cobbler to a celebrity, listen to filmmaker Thierry Daher explain the psychological and social impact of shoes.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Willie Williams’ Story

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 18:10:00 -0000

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Jamila Woods Performing "Blk Girl Soldier" Live

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Jamila Woods performs "Blk Girl Solider" live at Chicago Ideas Week 2017, with MusicReloaded accompanying on piano. The event, "A Seat at the Table: Finding Equal Footing Through Storytelling," brought together powerful black women in media from across platforms, including brand director Bozoma Saint John, Teen magazine editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth and actress, producer, and writer Lena Waithe.

Uploaded 20-12-17

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Rick Nielsen: The Legendary Collector

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Do you "collect" things like it's going out of style? You're not alone. Hear self-proclaimed hoarder and Cheap Trick lead guitarist, Rick Nielsen, share his extensive guitar, stamp and record collections and find out why he loves The Who and more.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Jeanne Marie Laskas: Hidden Americans

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

What fuels American workers? What runs people's lives? From coal miner to an air traffic controller to a trucker, hear author Jeanne Marie Laskas illuminate how and why our country works.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Performance by DanceWorks Chicago

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

DanceWorks Chicago performs to "Little Girl Blue" as sung by Nina Simone

Uploaded 06-02-18

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Why Do Immigrants Come to America?

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Why do people immigrate to the United States, even illegally, especially from certain countries? In this interview with Anne Marie Slaughter, Define American's Jose Antonio Vargas asks how US foreign policy, trade agreements, and addiction to cheap labor affect migrant populations and discusses how race plays into immigration status.

Uploaded 02-07-18

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Natalie Vanatta's Sci-Fi Vision of a Future US Hack

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Natalie Vanatta was always interested in science fiction, particularly what would happen in the future. So it’s no surprise that as a defensive hacker working to protect the United States from a malicious attack, she and her colleagues have thought long and hard about what could happen as the US becomes more fully automated—and what they can do to stop it. In this Talk, she takes us through her sci-fi, yet completely plausible, vision for what could happen in the future if a hacker decides to wreak havoc by causing automated refrigerators and pantries to think they’ve run out of bananas and milk. For more info and to see in full HD, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/how-bad-could-a-hack-on-the-us-get

Uploaded 25-01-18

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Megan Amram: Comedy Crack in 140 Characters

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 12:10:00 -0000

With viral quips and brilliant one-liners, hear how Megan Amram, writer for NBC's Parks and Recreation, got her surprise start on Twitter.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Building the World's Most Advanced Telescope

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Lucianne Walkowicz is an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, and is part of the team working on the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile, which will revolutionize the way we understand the night sky.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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Michael Carter: The Gift of Opportunity

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

For a lot of people, college is defined by school, parties, etc. But as an undergraduate, Michael Carter rolled up his sleeves and founded Strive for College, a mentoring program to help low-income students apply for a higher education. Hear how this BHSI fellow has done some A+ work helping hundreds of students enter four-year colleges.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Tiffany Persons: The Accidental Socia Entrepreneur

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

At age 9, Tiffany Persons won the "Miss Congeniality" award at the Little Miss Detroit Pageant. Little did she know it would be that spirit that would lead her to a life of social change. As the founder of Shine on Sierra Leone, Tiffany shares how she "accidentally" became a social entrepreneur.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs: The World's Most Exclusive Fraternity

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

And you thought your sorority or fraternity was exclusive. Hear TIME Magazine's Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy share the secrets of the world's most private fraternity: The Presidents Club.

Uploaded 18-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Lilly Ledbetter on Her Fight for Equal Pay for Women

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

"I never started in life to have my name on a lawsuit...nor did I plan to have my name on a law that would be become so well-known around the world," Lily Ledbetter says in this Talk about her struggle for equal pay for all women. As an overnight supervisor at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., Ledbetter discovered she was getting paid less than her male co-workers with the same job. Even though it took nine years, lasting through her husband's fatal illness, Ledbetter took her case all the way to the Supreme Court. Hear how she went from suing for pay discrimination to being the face of the landmark Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Uploaded 10-04-18

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Tim Ferriss: Testing Assumptions

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

What if you had to eliminate in-person meetings and phone calls? What if you had to only work four hours each week -- or were forced to take four weeks off? Hear the mental tools Tim Ferriss uses to blast away bottlenecks in your productivity and enjoyment.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Annette Holt’s Story

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 06:10:00 -0000

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Ellen Gustafson: Change Dinner, Change Health, Change the World

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

30 Project Founder Ellen Gustafson believes we can take back control of our food system and health, and proves her point by connecting global hunger, obesity, and security issues to the food we put on our own tables.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Brad Goreski: Inside the Mind of a Celebrity Stylist

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Brad Goreski has dressed the biggest celebrities, landing them on the best-dressed lists while maintaining their individuality. Hear Brad's insider perspective on the nature of trends, designers who challenge us and how to dress fierce and fabulous.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Is the human genome important?

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Francoise Baylis, a renowned geneticist, ponders the ethics behind the manipulation of the human genome and whether, as a human race, more safeguards need to be put in place to preserve it.

Uploaded 15-05-20

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The Social Justice Aspects of Illinois's Cannabis Law

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Joanne Caceres, a Cannabis Law Attorney at Dentons, explains the various components of the law that legalized cannabis in Illinois and how they address social inequity in the state.

Uploaded 05-12-19

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Paul Rieckhoff: Adapt, Improvise and Overcome

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

One day you're dodging bombs in Afghanistan. The next, you're dodging traffic in America. Hear Paul Rieckhoff of The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America share the physical and emotional challenges of transitioning into civilian life, and find out how you can give veterans an 'on ramp' back into society.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Eva Moskowitz on the Real Issues Facing Schools

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

President of charter school Success Academy in New York, Eva Moskowitz explains how the conversation around "school choice" takes the focus away from where educators would like it to be: on how to best educate students.

Uploaded 14-03-18

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Brandon Boyd: The Creative Life

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:10:00 -0000

Renaissance man Brandon Boyd can do it all... he sings, he writes, he draws, he paints. But he knows his limits, and shares them (and much more) as he discusses and analyzes a lifetime of creative expression and experience.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Steve Case: The Original Digital Disruptor

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Steve Case, cofounder of AOL and CEO of Revolution LLC, is an original disruptor who is still disrupting the status quo of business and technology today. From the CIW stage, Steve sits down with Rick Stengel to explore the past, present and future of game-changing innovation.

Uploaded 22-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Theodore Ross: Am I a Jew?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

When Theodore Ross was 9 years old, he moved from New York City to Georgia, where his mother had him convert from Judaism to Christianity. Years later, he embarked on a cross-country journey looking for his lost religion, and found some unusual answers to a simple question -- am I a Jew?

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Why Are Some People More Productive Than Others?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the author of “The Power of Habit” and “Smarter Faster Better." He has extensively researched what makes people productive, and determined that one key trait is their ability to "build mental models."

Uploaded 27-04-17

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What Does It Mean to Be an American? with Jose Antonio Vargas

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Undocumented Activist Jose Antonio Vargas discusses the state of the immigration crisis shortly before Trump was elected, his experiences as an undocumented gay American, the history of immigration in America especially as it relates to race, and what it means to be an American in today's day and age. Filmed at Chicago Ideas Week 2016.

Uploaded 02-07-18

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Tom Brokaw, General Colin Powell and General Stanley McChrystal: The State of Our Returning Vets

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Listen how Tom Brokaw, General Colin Powell and General Stanley McChrystal discuss the differences and similarities between veterans coming home from war in the past and present, and how it is our obligation to support these fine young men and women as they return to civilian life.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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A.J. Jacobs: My Life as an Experiment

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Bestselling author A.J. Jacobs is a human guinea pig. He has done everything from embedding himself with religious snake handlers to outsourcing his life to workers in India. Through deep observation and fearless participation, hear how he immersed himself in experiences to augment the art of storytelling.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Prince Graham’s Story

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:10:00 -0000

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Is marijuana a miracle drug?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Comparing marijuana to penicillin, Mitch Kahn, CEO of Grassroots, discusses the ways that people's understanding of cannabis will change with expanded use.

Uploaded 05-12-19

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How to Dance a Speech: Benjamin Holliday Wardell

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Benjamin Holliday Wardell is the founder of the Cambrians, a dance company that builds collaborative processes to bridge gaps in the dance and theater worlds. Here, Wardell tells us about this process both in words and through interpretative dance.

Uploaded 20-12-17

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Charles Best: Projects That Match Your Passions

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

How did DonorsChoose.org get its first headline feature in the New York Times? Founder and CEO Charles Best admittedly gets very nervous when he tells this "hiccup" of a story. Find out how Charles went from helping his own classroom in the Bronx to impacting more than 6.6 million students in America.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Elle Macpherson: Let's Talk About Beauty

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Hear supermodel and businesswoman Elle Macpherson and CIW founder Brad Keywell analyze the concept of beauty and how it has changed throughout Elle's robust career.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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CPS Chief Education Officer Janice K. Jackson on School Choice

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

"School choice." If you have school-aged children and live in an urban area, it's more than a buzzword, it's probably something you've given a lot of thought to. When we convened a panel of experts from different spheres, both public and charter, to discuss school choice and the future of education, they all agreed on something surprising: parents should have the choice of where to send their kids. So why does the issue of school choice come up again and again when discussing our struggling education system? Here, Janice K. Jackson, Chief Education Officer of Chicago Public Schools, lays out why choice gets misrepresented and the issues it does cause. She also talks about what she has observed when she visits underperforming schools and what she feels are the major problems facing Chicago Public Schools from a public policy perspective. For the entire panel, also featuring Eva Moskowitz and Doug Tuthill, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/the-future-of-education-in-chicago-and-beyond

Uploaded 13-03-18

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Leah Libresco: Having Better FIghts About Religion

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Once an outspoken atheist, blogger and debate junkie Leah Libresco converted to Catholicism in the Spring of 2012. Here, she discusses how we can all have better arguments about the differences -- and perhaps more importantly, the similarities-- between and among our various religious beliefs, leading to a better understanding of faith itself.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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LeVar Burton: The New Reading Rainbow

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:10:00 -0000

For 26 years, LeVar Burton used television to encourage children to read through the Reading Rainbow show. Hear why the host is back with an iPad app to teach the next generation through virtual literary adventures.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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I AM ALS Co-Founders Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya Share Story of Resilience at Chicago Ideas

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

I AM ALS Co-Founders and Former Obama Staffers Brian Wallach and his wife Sandra Abrevaya were blindsided when he, an otherwise healthy father of two, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Instead of sinking into despair, Wallach and Abrevaya founded I AM ALS with the goal of finding the cure that will save his life. Hear their story.

Uploaded 04-11-19

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Jay Parkinson: Creative Health

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

When pediatrician Dr. Jay Parkinson got out of residency, he started his own practice based around personal in-home care and online appointment scheduling... and got 7 million hits to his website within one month. Since then, he's set out to modernize our expectations for health care using technology to connect doctors and patients in a simple, cost-efficient way.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi: Super Brain

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Have you ever wondered what the secret to happiness might be? Well as it turns out, there's a formula. Hear spiritual guru Deepak Chopra and renowned neuroscientist Rudy Tanzi reveal that equation and more - including how to change your genes and keep your brain healthy, happy, and strong.

Uploaded 16-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Kevin Coval, "Jewtown"

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Chicago poet Kevin Coval reads his poem "Jewtown" during the Chicago Ideas Curiosity Series.

Uploaded 13-03-18

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Chicago Ideas Week Highlights

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 29-03-13

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Micaela Connery: Putting the Spotlight on Ability

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

What were you doing when you were 15? Micaela Connery was launching the first Unified Theater production at her school, and what began as a small social project in her parent's living room has grown to impact 4,000 students from coast to coast. Hear how she made that magic happen, and what inspired her to start it all.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Stacy Hart’s Story

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:10:00 -0000

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Will Tracy and Seth Reiss: The Art of Offending

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

As the brains behind America's Finest News Source, hear Will Tracy and Seth Reiss explore the creative process of publishing those perfect Onion headlines.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Is Your Brain Lying to You?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Ever wonder why you can’t convince someone they’re wrong? In this fascinating Talk, Tali Sharot explains from a neuroscientist’s point of view why the human brain is primed to lie to us about some things, and how to convince it to change. For more info and to watch in full HD, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/is-your-brain-lying-to-you

Uploaded 01-02-18

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Melissa Stockwell: Fuller Life with Prosthetic

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Melissa Stockwell sports a shiny red, white and blue prosthetic after she lost her leg to a bomb in Baghdad. Find out why she says losing a limb made her life more fulfilling, and hear how she's gone on to compete in the Paralympics and find a new career.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Kathleen Edwards: Asking for Flowers

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Would you turn your life into a public story? Hear why singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards is doing just that, learn the stories behind her favorite songs, and find out what naked knife fighting with Viggo Mortenson has to do with it all.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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The Future of Wearable Technology

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Billie Whitehouse is the designer and director of wearable experiments, which created Funderwear among many other wearable technologies.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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Judith Rodin: Reinventing our World

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Disruptive innovation spans far beyond the tech world. Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, one of the world's leading philanthropic organizations, challenges the CIW audience to shatter status quo thinking in all areas of life.

Uploaded 22-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Rinat Aruh: Design Thinking in Early Education

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:10:00 -0000

Hear how a group of eighth graders rethought the role of lockers, desks and chairs to design the classroom of the future -- and why Rinat Aruh, co-founder of design and strategy firm aruliden believes we need to inject design into early education.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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State of Democracy from a Mayoral Point of View

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Watch as CIW examines the state of democracy at the local level with the mayors of Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Fontana. Learn what major issues they're facing in their communities and hear how each is holding herself or himself accountable.

Uploaded 18-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Jason Fried and James Warren: World of Work

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Would you like to work from home? Or just a few days each week? Hear how Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of 37signals, has created a one-of-a-kind work environment by making time a limited resource.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Sonya Jackson: Secrets of Corporate Giving

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

If "corporate giving" sounds like an oxymoron, you haven't met Sonya Jackson. Hear the president of the United Airlines Foundation share how she walks the delicate line of doing good both for charity and the company -- and her warning about the worst thing a nonprofit can do.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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James Marshall Reilly: The Millennial Generation

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

When James Marshall Reilly quit his job, he began interviewing friends who found success at an incredibly young age in areas where they had no formal training. How the heck did he do it? Hear what Reilly discovered as the secret to their good fortune -- and how you can use it to make your own.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Helping Refugees in the Trump Era: The International Refugee Assistance Project's Becca Heller

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) v. Trump decision by the Supreme Court, as well as the crisis at the border, has many wondering what the refugee process is like for both refugees and volunteers. In this Talk, the co-founder of IRAP, Becca Heller, explains the legal and other challenges facing refugees worldwide and her own role in helping refugees in the age of President Trump’s “Muslim ban."

Uploaded 27-06-18

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The 77 Project: A Look at The Dovetail Project (Community Area #69)

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Learn more about The Dovetail Project and get involved: http://thedovetailproject.org/

Uploaded 26-10-18

The 77 Project is a storytelling and media project presented by Xfinity with additional support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help share the narrative of our neighborhoods from the inside out. Our hope is that this project will help inspire citizens to connect with solution-makers in the city of Chicago and beyond. If you didn't know, the city of Chicago recognizes 77 community areas within the city limits, and this year we're shining a light on organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact in each of those locations.

More on Xfinity:

Xfinity connects people in all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago each and every day. Xfinity is proud to sponsor the 77 Project to provide a platform for local residents to voice ideas that will shape our city's future.

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Monica Hresil’s Story

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:10:00 -0000

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Tahirah Whittington: Bach's Cello Suite No.1 in Three Styles

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Can you tell the difference amongst these three performances? Each is cellist Tahirah Whittington playing Bach's "Cello Suite No.1 in G Major (Prelude)," but each manages to provoke a slightly different feeling by the intention that Whittington has put behind it. A founding member of the Ritz Chamber Players, Whittington is currently the cellist for "Hamilton: An American Musical."

Uploaded 07-04-18

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Judy Smith on Responding to a Crisis

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Judy Smith, the architect behind the public response to some of the most significant crises of our lifetime—including the SARS outbreak in 2002—addresses the role information (and its exchange) plays in shaping how people react to a critical situation.

Uploaded 13-03-20

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Liz Dwyer: What if Schools Weren't Schools Anymore?

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

As the education editor at GOOD magazine, Liz Dwyer believes in service learning and focusing on student's creativity and problem-solving skills. Hear how and why she wants to transform schools into cultural experiences.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Panel Discussion: Can a City Work Like a Startup?

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Can a city work like a start-up? We gathered experts to discuss what's required to make bold change in urban areas. “We have to change the notion that government is over here and the people they serve are over there," Stephanie Wade, Senior Program Manager and Designer at Bloomberg Philanthropies, suggested, while panelists Phyllis Locket (CEO of LEAP Innovations) and David Zipper (Partner, 1776 Seed Fund) stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in order to make a positive impact that can be scalable to a large urban area. Where did they agree the most? That bold leaders who aren't afraid of making changes and learning from mistakes are essential. Using data to figure out what works is key to understanding where to go next. And most of all, that change IS possible! For more info and to see the video in full HD, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/can-a-city-work-like-a-startup

Uploaded 13-03-18

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Why We Need a New Civil Rights Movement

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

With 2.3 million Americans in prison and more than 4 million on parole, Adam Foss speaks about why we need a new civil rights movement on the Opening Night of Chicago Ideas Week, October 16, 2017. Creating links between history today and walking the audience through the average life of a black person born in the “wrong zip code,” he explains what’s at stake and inspires action.

Uploaded 14-01-18

To see in full HD and for more info: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/why-we-need-a-new-civil-rights-movement

The other Talks referenced in this video:
David Miliband: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/how-you-can-personally-help-refugees
Arthur C. Brooks: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/arthur-c-brooks-on-how-to-effectively-talk-politics-with-loved-ones

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Madison Cowan: Taking it all with a Pinch of Salt

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Can cooking change lives? Listen as Madison Cowan shares his journey from the streets to the Food Network -- and how he traveled the world to learn how to master the kitchen and give back to the people he hurt.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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John Friedman: Value-Added and the Long-Term Impacts of Teachers

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:10:00 -0000

One year with a great teacher will increase a student's annual earnings by $50,000. Hear John Friedman, assistant professor of public policy at Harvard University, share the blueprint for student success -- including how we can measure quality teachers through standardized test scores and use different tools to make better hiring decisions.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Mark Halperin and John Heilemann: Election Report 2012

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Listen as Game Change authors and political analysts Mark Halperin and John Heilemann analyze the 2012 presidential campaign about one week after the shocking Denver debate -- and hear how the election will impact our future.

Uploaded 22-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Kenny Leon and Phylicia Rashad on the Stories that Shaped Their Careers

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Phylicia Rashad sits down with the man she calls "her" director, Kenny Leon, in this intimate interview that explores both of their careers through their own stories about the women who raised them, the opportunities they seized, and the African-American experience.

Uploaded 21-06-18

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Jeremy Zimmer on Changing Office Culture at United Talent Agency

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

When the office climate at United Talent Agency (UTA) turned toxic, CEO and co-founder Jeremy Zimmer and his colleagues made the drastic decision to let go some of the leaders whose my-way-or-the-highway attitude was pulling people apart.

Uploaded 27-03-20

And instead of bringing the company down, the move ultimately brought people together, improving office culture, and setting the stage for double-digit growth year over year.

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Lisa Brummel: How We Manage the Workforce

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

How will people work 20 years from now? Will there be holograms and robots and flying cars? (Oh, my!) You won't be in the Land of Oz, but take a journey with Lisa Brummel, Chief People Officer at Microsoft, as she gives us a glimpse into the workplace of 2032.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Nikki Durkin: Collaborative Consumption: Fashion in the Sharing Economy

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Have a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear? So did Nikki Durkin. Hear how the young entrepreneur realized collaborative consumption can work in the fashion space and why her virtual closet, 99dresses.com, is taking Australia by storm.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Jazz by Julian Reid and Nico Segal of the Ju Ju Exchange

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Julian Reid (piano) and Nico Segal (trumpet) of the Ju Ju Exchange perform at "The New Sound of Music" at Chicago Ideas Week 2017.

Uploaded 18-12-17

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Pamela Bosley’s Story

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:10:00 -0000

Every 3 hours someone is shot in Chicago. It’s time to Put The Guns Down.

Uploaded 12-10-15

Hear more stories at www.musicVSgunviolence.com

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How Our Brains Could Teach Us to Fly

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

In this mind-blowing Talk, neuroscientist and Northwestern University professor Moran Cerf explains how the brain works—including how easy it is for your brain to fool you. Moving on to what may be possible if the full potential of brains is released, Cerf expounds on new research and technologies you’ll be thinking (and talking) about for years to come—like how your brain could teach you how to fly.

Uploaded 28-03-18

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Yael Cohen: How Gen Y Is Changing Cancer

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

F*ck Cancer founder Yael Cohen is at the forefront of a fresh news movement that has multiple generations working together to begin "looking for cancer instead of just finding it."

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Mitch Albom: Making Each Moment Matter

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

How will we find happiness and meaning? Author Mitch Albom shares the invaluable life lessons his dying teacher taught him in this behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration behind Albom's best-selling book "Tuesdays with Morrie."

Uploaded 16-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Carol Edgarian: The Intimacy of Stories

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Are all works of fiction secretly autobiographical? Carol Edgarian, a New York Times best-selling author and co-founder of NarrativeMagazine.com, uncovers where stories come from.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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The 77 Project: A Look at Cara Chicago (Community Area #28)

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Learn more about Cara and get involved: https://carachicago.org

Uploaded 26-10-18

The 77 Project is a storytelling and media project presented by Xfinity with additional support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help share the narrative of our neighborhoods from the inside out. Our hope is that this project will help inspire citizens to connect with solution-makers in the city of Chicago and beyond. If you didn't know, the city of Chicago recognizes 77 community areas within the city limits, and this year we're shining a light on organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact in each of those locations.

More on Xfinity:

Xfinity connects people in all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago each and every day. Xfinity is proud to sponsor the 77 Project to provide a platform for local residents to voice ideas that will shape our city's future.

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Adam Braun: The For-Purpose Path

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

One new school, every 90 hours - that's Adam Braun's goal for 2013. Adam founded Pencils for Promise with just $25, and has now led the organization to build more than 100 schools across four countries. See how a pencil, a small piece of potential, has been radically transformational for these children.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Rafael Alvarez: Bringing True Relevance into Education

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:10:00 -0000

In communities where success means getting a minimum-wage job, Rafael Alvarez helps inner-city high school students secure meaningful internships in the corporate world. Hear how his organization, Genesys Works, is bridging the gap between education and business.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Sebastian Junger: Why Soldiers Returning From War Have Trouble Adapting

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Author of War Sebastian Junger has devoted a sizable chunk of his life and career to studying and writing about why veterans have trouble adapting when they return from war. Hear his findings, and unlock a set of issues that goes beyond our veterans and looks into our society as a whole.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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Performance by Matt Muse

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Chicago rapper, producer and songwriter Matt Muse is also a teaching artist at Young Chicago Authors, which has incubated some of the freshest voices in Chicago hip-hop, including Chance the Rapper, Mick Jenkins, Noname, and fellow Chicago Ideas performer Jamila Woods. The Chicago Reader said Muse "makes music that might as well be designed to inspire his students." His most recent EP is called The Sikk Tape. To see this video in HD, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/performance-by-matt-muse

Uploaded 27-01-18

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Kirsten Lodal: Waging a New War on Poverty

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

There's a financial war on poverty, but what about a mental war? Kirsten Lodal has waged it, founding LIFT, a national organization that trains volunteers and staffs centers to help those in hard times. Talk a walk in their shoes and hear her story as she fights to kill the stigmas that come with being poor, homeless and unemployed.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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An Inside Look at Impeachment with Joe Lockhart and Rahm Emanuel | Chicago Ideas

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Right as congressional impeachment hearings began on Capitol Hill, we sat down with Joe Lockhart and Rahm Emanuel—two veterans who worked for the Clinton administration during an impeachment investigation—to talk about the historic proceedings and what they could mean for the future of the country.

Uploaded 13-11-19

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Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe: Rocking Out to Classical Music

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Hear why pianists Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe think classical music can be just as exciting as contemporary music -- and watch as they give a powerful demo of just how vibrant it can be.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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The 77 Project: A Look at Taste of India with Indo-American Heritage Museum (Community Area #2)

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Learn more about the Indo-American Heritage Museum and get involved: https://iahmuseum.org/

Uploaded 26-10-18

The 77 Project is a storytelling and media project presented by Xfinity with additional support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help share the narrative of our neighborhoods from the inside out. Our hope is that this project will help inspire citizens to connect with solution-makers in the city of Chicago and beyond. If you didn't know, the city of Chicago recognizes 77 community areas within the city limits, and this year we're shining a light on organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact in each of those locations.

More on Xfinity:

Xfinity connects people in all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago each and every day. Xfinity is proud to sponsor the 77 Project to provide a platform for local residents to voice ideas that will shape our city's future.

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Voices Against Gun Violence – Pamela Hester Jones’ Story

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:10:00 -0000

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Helene Gayle: 70 Years of Caring

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Where did "care packages" come from? Here's a hint: They were born 70 years ago. Still don't know? Listen as Helene Gayle, president of the humanitarian organization CARE, answers that and so much more about how CARE is empowering girls and women in the fight against poverty, encouraging social entrepreneurship and providing massive humanitarian aid around the world.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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The Man Behind the Medicine with Dr. Anthony Fauci

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

It's time to get to know one of the most influential doctors in the country—Dr. Anthony Fauci. Experience a unique and intimate conversation about the man the New York Times called “The nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases” as he sheds the scrubs and chats about life, experiences and what drives his passion to help others.

Uploaded 29-10-20

Dr. Fauci The Man Behind The Medicine is presented by Horizon Therapeutics and supported by WTTW.

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Saeed Jones on the Importance of Stories

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Saeed Jones speaks about his experience growing up in the American South as a black queer man and how he now uses his platform as a tool for activism and change.

Uploaded 28-02-20

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Interview with Jennifer Garner and Mark K. Shriver, Save the Children

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Known for her work as an award-winning actress, Jennifer Garner has taken on many roles over the course of her career. One, however, has had the power to change the future for those most in need. As a trustee and artist ambassador for Save the Children, she has spoken on Capitol Hill on behalf of underserved communities and has traveled the United States to see the effects of poverty first-hand. Through her advocacy, she brings attention to the needs of low-income families, especially those in her home state of West Virginia, as well as those affected by disasters like Hurricane Harvey. In this interview with the organization’s senior vice president of US programs and advocacy, Mark K. Shriver, and conducted by Aminatou Sow, she explains why the work is so important to her and the promise it holds for the future.
For more info and to see in full HD, visit https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/jennifer-garner-on-how-to-help-children-in-poverty

Uploaded 15-01-18

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Phylicia Rashad and Kenny Leon on Their Special Relationship

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Phylicia Rashad calls Kenny Leon "her director." Find out why in these highlights from the Chicago Ideas event "Kenny Leon: In Conversation with Phylicia Rashad."

Uploaded 23-06-18

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Natalie Haynes: The Ancient Guide to Modern Life

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Through the eyes of "the angriest man in the ancient world," the satirist Juvenal, comedian and classicist Natalie Haynes reveals how the search for the meaning of life has stood the test of time.

Uploaded 16-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Keith Bellows: Explorers: Leaders of the World

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:10:00 -0000

Hear Keith Bellows, National Geographic Magazine's editor-in-chief, share some landmark explorations they've captured and describe where the future of exploration is headed.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Kohl Crecelius: Buy a Hat. Change a Life.

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Kohl Crecelius started crocheting in high school. Watch how one man took the yarn and hook to the next level, spreading the craft to more than 150 people in Uganda and Peru while empowering and educating women along the way.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Claire Robinson: Five Ingredient Fix

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Want to go from good chef to great chef in five ingredients or less? Hear Food Network host and chef Claire Robinson share how a single in-season star ingredient can rock your recipe and bring you back to your roots.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Arun Chaudhary: Political Narratives: From State Fairs to State Dinners

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

What goes on behind the scenes of a presidency? Arun Chaudhary, the first official White House videographer and key member of President Obama's New Media Team, has captured the authentic relationships between the president's staff, his family and the American people since joining the 2008 campaign.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Election Barriers, Voter Turnout, and Dysfunctional Democracy

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Seth Flaxman, the founder of Democracy Works (the organization behind the powerful voter information / registration platform, TurboVote), addresses the dysfunctional and confounding processes that dissuade people from voting.

Uploaded 09-08-20

Around 40 percent of people who can vote in the United States choose not to, and often times, they cite a litany of bewildering procedural issues that make voting more trouble than it's worth.

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Is China the New World Superpower?

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

In this thought-provoking panel discussion, China experts present a framework for understanding China’s strengths and weaknesses, then examine if China has what it takes to lead the world through the lens of military, economic and cultural influence.

Uploaded 18-06-18

Featuring:
David Rank - Former Chargé d'Affaires (Acting Ambassador), US Embassy, Beijing
Jeffrey Bergstrand - Professor, Finance, Mendoza College of Business and Fellow, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame
Lenora Chu - Journalist and Writer
Moderated by Journalist and Author Ted Fishman

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Chicago Dance Crash Performs at Chicago Ideas Week

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Performance by the dance company Chicago Dance Crash at Chicago Ideas Week 2017.

Uploaded 20-12-17

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Laughing Through the Arab Spring with Bassem Youssef

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:10:00 -0000

Chicago Ideas presented Bassem Youssef in conversation with Gigi Pritzker, seeing the pair parse Youssef's process, both then and now, with Youssef detailing a comedian's role in social and political activism.

Uploaded 01-05-17

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How Can We Find Political Unity - Cleo Wade

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Activist and author, Cleo Wade, discusses what she thinks is contributing to our increasingly polarized political divides, then outlines her idea of what unity means (and what it can do for our society).

Uploaded 06-03-20

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Brad Newman and Bo Young: Give Smart, Give Local

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Something inspired by a philanthropic three-year-old has to be great. Hear GiveLocally.net founder Brad Newman and CEO Andrew Young share the story of their peer-to-peer fundraising platform, and find out what they've done to harness the generosity of more than 10,000 people to help those often overlooked by government organizations and large charities.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Abby Wambach on Closing the Wage Gap, Overcoming Substance Abuse and More

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Soccer star Abby Wambach had an incredibly successful career on the field, but since retiring she's fought to close the wage gap between men and women in the United States.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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Julia Sweeney: The Gifts of Not Believing in God

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Comedian, author, and atheist Julia Sweeney was raised Catholic, with a God who, in her mind, "was like a really loving uncle." Since letting go of God, she has found new meaning and inspiration in the simplicity of just being human, even as she wrestles with what atheism means for her, and most importantly, for her family.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Josh Nesbit and Mark Arnoldy: Global Health and Mobile Technology

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

What if you and your loved ones couldn't get any medicine when you were sick? That lack of health care is a daily reality for those in rural Nepal, one of the poorest areas of Southeast Asia. Hear how Josh Nesbit, CEO of Medic Mobile, and Mark Arnoldy, Executive Director of Nyaya Health, are taking on this global challenge with powerful ideas and efficient technologies.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Why Bozoma Saint John Took on Fixing Uber

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

When Uber's brand was suffering from bad sentiment, Bozoma Saint John took on the task of rehabilitating the ride share's public image, both as a professional challenge and a personal mission.

Uploaded 21-02-20

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Graham Hawkes: The Future of Underwater Flight

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:10:00 -0000

Is there anything left to explore on earth? Hear why Graham Hawkes, CEO of Hawkes Ocean Technologies, thinks "earth" is a silly name for an ocean planet and learn how he explores its depths.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Lupe Fiasco: Solely for the Soul

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Join music critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis for an intimate discussion with Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco, and learn about the inspiration and motivation behind his music.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Felicity Aston: Alone in Antarctica

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

When was the last time you were truly alone? Explorer Felicity Aston spent 59 days skiing across Antarctica, sans contact with any life form. Hear how she survived her extreme journey.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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The 77 Project: A Look at Chicago Gay Men's Chorus (Community Area #77)

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Learn more about CGMC and get involved: https://cgmc.org

Uploaded 26-10-18

The 77 Project is a storytelling and media project presented by Xfinity with additional support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help share the narrative of our neighborhoods from the inside out. Our hope is that this project will help inspire citizens to connect with solution-makers in the city of Chicago and beyond. If you didn't know, the city of Chicago recognizes 77 community areas within the city limits, and this year we're shining a light on organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact in each of those locations.

More on Xfinity:

Xfinity connects people in all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago each and every day. Xfinity is proud to sponsor the 77 Project to provide a platform for local residents to voice ideas that will shape our city's future.

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Kimbal Musk: The Kitchen Community

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Lowering BMIs and raising test scores -- one school at a time. Hear the creative way entrepreneur and restaurateur Kimbal Musk is connecting kids across the country to nutritious food in the battle against obesity.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Bre Pettis: Making It

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

It's the classic business model: You buy things, you put them together and then you sell them. Hear why Bre Pettis, founder and CEO of MakerBot, is at the forefront of infusing innovation, technology and creativity into this timeless practice.

Uploaded 22-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Chicago Ideas is Connection, Impact, Change

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

For 10 years, we've connected people through their curiosity, inspiring unity and collaboration that has fostered profound change throughout Chicago—and beyond.

Uploaded 22-07-20

And 2019 was our biggest year yet.

30,000+ attendees.
130+ programs
77 community areas engaged

Learn more about our upcoming programming and how to join our community of curiosity at https://chicagoideas.com

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Joi Ito and the Power of Disobedience

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:10:00 -0000

In this Conversation, Joi Ito discusses how scientific research and artistic expression inform one another, and how they both push our culture forward.

Uploaded 01-05-17

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Aminatou Sow interviews Zoë Quinn on #GamerGate and More

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Zoë Quinn (@zoequinn) is one of the most critically acclaimed, widely recognized indie developers in the gaming industry. As a result of #GamerGate, she’s also known for her advocacy on behalf of victims of online abuse, which has received support from people as wide ranging as Wil Wheaton and Barack Obama. She has testified about online abuse at the United Nations, and continues to speak out about the issue, including in her new book "Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate."

Uploaded 19-03-18

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Panel: Lena Waithe, Elaine Welteroth and Bozoma St. John, interviewed by Robin Givhan

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Writer, actress and producer Lena Waithe; Former Teen Vogue Editor in Chief Elaine Welteroth; and Uber Chief Brand Officer Bozoma St. John are interviewed by Robin Givhan in this panel discussion during Chicago Ideas' Talk "A Seat at the Table: Finding Equal Footing Through Storytelling." For more details and to see in full HD, visit: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/panel-discussion-lena-waithe-elaine-welteroth-and-bozoma-saint-john-on-the-power-of-storytelling

Uploaded 08-03-18

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How to Incorporate Food Sustainability Into Your Daily Life

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Girl and the Goat Chef Stephanie Izard and the Obama Administration’s Nutrition Policy Advisor Sam Kass join “Hungry Hound” Steve Dolinsky for a Chicago Ideas Conversation that looks at sustainability, how the environment relates to healthy eating, and food as a natural resource.

Uploaded 21-05-18

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Spoken Word by Patricia Frazier

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Patricia Frazier is an award-winning poet, filmmaker, activist and youth mentor raised in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood who has shared the stage with such artists as Chance the Rapper, Macklemore and Ciara. Influenced by poets and songwriters like Mama Brenda, her writing highlights the multifaceted identities of black women.

Uploaded 15-01-18

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Designing Your Best Life with Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans are designers who have managed to translate their skills into everyday life. In their book, "Designing Your Life," they break down the best practices for anyone to build a life that thrives.

Uploaded 27-04-17

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The Power of Love to Make You Stronger

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Today we don’t gather our own food, fight off wild animals, or live in caves. And yet, explains Dr. Rick Hanson, we’re equipped with stone-aged brains. With practice, however, and a focus on the good, we can make ourselves more resilient, while opening up new horizons of experience.

Uploaded 03-04-20

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Lynne Cox: Exploring the Very Edge

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:10:00 -0000

How far can we push our bodies? Our minds? Our limits? Extreme open water swimmer Lynne Cox began training to swim across the English Channel at age 14. Hear how she found success in that goal and with many other dangerous challenges.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Justice Richard Bernstein on Relentlessly Pursuing His Passion

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Justice Richard Bernstein talks about finding and pursuing his passion in spite of the barriers he had to overcome along the way.

Uploaded 08-04-20

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Taryn Davis: Widow, Not Window

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

After losing her husband, Taryn Davis typed "Widow" into Google. Google's response: "Did you mean 'window?' " Hear how Taryn went on to create a place where widows of fallen service members come together for peer-to-peer support.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Yusef Salaam on What He Learned From Adversity

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five, speaks about how he found purpose in his experience contending with the unfair forces of the American justice system.

Uploaded 08-04-20

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Ezekiel Emanuel: Health Care Reform and the Future of American Medicine

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Renowned bioethicist Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel spells out the current problems and solutions for the outrageous costs and relatively low performance of American health care, while providing an optimistic view of what's come before our current state of affairs and, most importantly, what the future holds.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Wayne Kramer: Jail Guitar Doors USA

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

With about 95 percent of the 2.5 million U.S. inmates eventually returning to life behind bars, how can you make prison positive? Hear how rocker Wayne Kramer turned his stay in Club Fed for a 1970's drug conviction into a platform to launch Jail Guitar Doors USA, a nonprofit that teaches inmates both musical and life skills.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Sandra Holl: The Floriole Café and Bakery

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Hear why Sandra Holl, pastry chef and owner of Chicago's Floriole Café and Bakery, channels her grandma in the kitchen -- and what it means to the community.

Uploaded 14-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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In Conversation: Alec Baldwin Beyond the Screen

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 06:10:00 -0000

In this Conversation, Alec Baldwin explores the space between his personal life and his work life, using anecdotes and impressions to illuminate his point.

Uploaded 01-05-17

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Susan Credle: Brands Have Stories to Tell

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

We've all seen commercials that are more snore-worthy than compelling. But does that mean authentic storytelling is dead in the advertising industry? Susan Credle, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett USA, believes character-driven stories are very much alive—and they can change the world.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Edward Norton: Why Rubber Chicken Dinners Suck and Crowdfunding is Awesome

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

You may know him from the big screen, but you might not know he's also responsible for one of the largest and smartest peer-to-peer fundraising platforms. Hear self-proclaimed "philanthropy addict" Edward Norton shares his philosophy on giving, creative fundraising ideas and why that last charity luncheon you went to (you know the one we're talking about) doesn't work.

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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3 Areas Where You Can Make a Difference In Chicago

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

It’s clear that we’re living in an America with “haves” and “have-nots.” So if you’re one of the “haves,” what can you do to decrease disparity and help marginalized communities? This trio of women—Anna Valencia, Elizabeth Dozier, and Bridget Gainer—who are making important strides in different areas come together to explain how to help specifically in Chicago, whether that’s through early childhood education, turning around blighted neighborhoods or simply helping minority people in your workplace have the confidence to lead.

Uploaded 09-01-18

For more info and full HD: https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/how-to-come-together-to-make-a-difference-in-chicago

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Randy Lewis: Looking Past the Disability

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

For many disabled people, their status is synonymous with unemployment. See how Walgreens' Randy Lewis, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics, redesigned the company to take the "dis" out of "disability."

Uploaded 18-03-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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Lisa Niemi Swayze: Worth Fighting For

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

In this heartfelt talk, actor Patrick Swayze's wife, Lisa Niemi Swayze, share her husband's fierce battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. As she walks through moments from their journey -- the moment of diagnosis, the decision to fight it, and ultimately, the decision to let go -- she reminds us how to love and live bravely, cherishing each moment like it may be our last.

Uploaded 16-04-13

About Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago Ideas Week is an annual seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community, aiming to become the platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers. CIW's goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish a community of people who have the desire to achieve great things. Learn more: www.chicagoideas.com

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