Interview with Clara Montes

Metropolitan finds out more about 'The Brave You' as we speak to Clara Montes, organiser of the TEDxBarcelonaWomen event.

Can you tell me more about the organisation TEDxBarcelona Women?

TEDxBarcelonaWomen is a high impact conference held annually in Barcelona with the mission of inspiring, empowering, connecting and giving visibility to female talent. Through the power of 'Ideas Worth Spreading', we challenge the status quo and give a voice to women and men of different ages, disciplines and nationalities with a common goal of achieving gender equality.

Can you explain the concept of this year's event "The Brave You"?

'The Brave You' is a celebration of that brave 'you' that we all carry inside. The 'you' who dares, who leads, who creates and inspires. It's about reaffirming the power within; that passion and talent that should be unleashed and shared. This theme has been well received among the TEDx community in Barcelona because it's inclusive and empowering, but above all, because it represents what moves us: building a world in which both men and women feel 'brave' and closing the 'bravery gap'.

What does the event entail? 

This year and as always, TEDxBarcelonaWomen will be much more than a conference. It will be a multilingual and multidisciplinary journey in which the attendees will be able to learn, have fun, feel excited, rediscover themselves and connect with more than 300 like-minded people in the city. 

First, we will enjoy a session of the exclusive TED Women 2017 conference from New Orleans (USA), where men and women from around the world will discuss the future of gender. Later, we will enjoy 'brave' live music from the magical jazz and soul duo Salt & Soul.

We will be pleased to have renowned speakers such as Katrine Marçal, a renowned economist and author of 'Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?' (2015), who envisions the arrival of robots as a possibility to bring humanity and feminism back to economics, or Maria Fernández-Miranda, journalist, deputy director of Cosmopolitan and author of the book 'No Madres' (2017), who reflects on the questions that we ask to women and what would happen if we changed them.

We will continue with a fun Improshow by Planeta Impro, and finish with a very special networking session, which includes the inauguration of our multidisciplinary artistic exhibition 'The Brave You'. The exhibition showcases over ten national and international artists who advocate gender equality, presenting their most intimate work and challenging our ideas about bravery.

And...we will also have some surprises for our guests!

Why do you think is it important to talk about gender equality?

There are still too many 'gaps' (gender gap, confidence gap, wage gap, courage gap, etc.) that prevent women from being represented in positions of power. However, female leadership corresponds to the ideal type of leadership, which is way more democratic, transformational and inclusive than of the last century. Also, women represent 52% of the world's population and make 80% of purchasing decisions, but there are still many glass ceilings to be broken.

Celebrating success stories and initiatives, sharing, learning, promoting networking, and giving visibility to 'role models' is definitely key to changing the narrative and retaining power. It also helps to inspire both men and women to make small changes in the way they think, act and feel, which has an incalculable impact. All this happens at TEDxBarcelonaWomen with #IdeasWorthSpreading.

The day that it is no longer necessary to talk about gender equality or to organise this type of event, we will all have overcome the patriarchy.

So, who do you hope to see at the event? 

TEDxBarcelonaWomen will be a glocal event because it celebrates local and national talent, but also enriches us with international ideas. Therefore, it will be conducted in two languages, Spanish and English, thus representing the multiculturalism of Barcelona and its TEDx community.

That being said, TEDxBarcelonaWomen is addressed to absolutely everyone because gender equality must involve all of us! This is not a women's event for women. All the people, regardless of gender, age, origin, profession, religion or sexual orientation etc., are welcome and necessary for changes to occur.

In TEDx we celebrate diversity because we know that it is there where learning and magic take place - and also where the best ideas were born!

How did you feel about the event selling out in just four hours? 

The whole team was very happy. In the end, it's a sign that we are doing a good job, but above all, it is proof that in Barcelona, ​​gender equality matters and that there is a community of TEDxers eager for change.

On the other hand, we would have loved to invite more people, but we had a limited space capacity. 

How does the "The Brave You" event fit into TED and TEDx brand?

TED celebrates gender equality around the world with its renowned annual TED Women conference, which will be held in New Orleans (USA) this year. For us, the most magical thing is that hundreds of cities worldwide will host TEDxWomen events simultaneously. For example, we are sharing what happens in New Orleans at out event here in Barcelona, and adding our own recipe to the 'party'.

At TEDxBarcelonaWomen, we choose art, music, ideas that are worth spreading, comedy, co-creation, networking and much more! It is wonderful to know that there are so many people all over the world who also care about this cause and who come together to debate and build on it.

I think TED is a spectacular love brand that spreads knowledge in a very special way, improving the state of the world and all those who participate in making these changes possible. Moreover, TEDx also encourages citizen empowerment to impact local communities and that is, for me, what elevates all of this from being about the brand and conferences, to being a glocal movement in which we are all invited to participate.

Find out more about the event here.