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A time of freedom and joy - can we make it so? | JJ Tatten | TEDxHull

1,064 views · Published 19 November 2018 · 14:51 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2018 · Nonprofits & Activism

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One of the greatest obstacles to truly understanding young people is the fact that we've all been one - so we're often pre-disposed to thinking we know 'how it is' for them.  JJ answers the question: what if we could imagine the space, the time, and the support that young people need to become their best selves, and give them the power to choose what should happen in their space? JJ manages The Warren Youth Project, a non-profit organisation providing free support services to 1,494 disadvantaged young people in the local area. Born into a North Dublin working-class community, JJ packed in his job as a kebab-maker and emigrated to London at the age of 18 to study journalism part-time, funding his studies by working as a labourer on various building sites around London’s docklands and living in a squat. He went on to specialise in writing about construction, alcohol and transport, forming his own PR & Press agency in 1996. Frustrated by the poor economic circumstances of communities similar to the one he hails from, JJ eventually decided to stop simply talking about it, and attempt to do something about it. When the Warren came close to closing its doors in 2014, JJ took up the mantle in an effort to ensure its survival. Four years later, its doors are still open, he has 1,494 bosses, and what little hair he previously had left has long since disappeared. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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