Donovan Daniel at the March TEDx event
Message Addresses Importance of Intentionality and Social Connection
Donovan Daniel, of Indiana, Indiana University of Pennsylvania director of student leadership and a two-time IUP graduate, has been selected to present through the TEDx program.
TEDx is the local version TED Conferences, LLC, a nonprofit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan “ideas worth spreading.” Licenses are available for local businesses, nonprofit agencies, or individuals to host TEDx events, which are tailored to community needs. Videos are recorded and distributed via YouTube.
This year, the selection committee for the TEDx Point Park University event chose the theme “Renewal.” According to Heather Starr-Fielder, department chair and professor, community engagement and leadership, there were nearly 50 applicants for this year’s event, with only six talks, delivered by eight speakers, chosen for the program. Nationally, less than 20 percent of speakers who apply for TEDx talks are selected.
The talks were delivered in front of a live studio audience on March 8, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
Daniel’s talk, “Shear Connections: Making Moments Matter,” speaks to the physical adverse effects of loneliness and lack of community. He cites United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 2023 Surgeon General Advisory calling attention to the national public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection, which studies have shown to increase the risk of dementia, stroke, heart attack, and premature death. The advisory provided six pillars for addressing this public health crisis. Daniel’s talk provided some practical advice for how people can implement the sixth pillar—“Creating a Culture of Connection.”
Daniel stressed the importance of creating and finding “third places,” a term coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg. According to Oldenburg, third places host the regular, involuntary, informal, and highly anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work. Daniel’s idea worth spreading is that any place could become a “third place” when people choose to treasure and intentionally connect with those around them. Daniel provided three examples of this idea at work in his barbershop, a popular farmer’s market, and on the IUP campus.
Daniel will host a watch party for his video on August 1 at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Paper Garden in Indiana; the event is free, but reservations are required and can be made through Daniel’s Facebook page.
His video is free and available to view on YouTube; it can also be viewed by searching for the presentation name, “Shear Connections: Making Moments Matter.”
“I have a great passion for public speaking,” Daniel said. “This was an incredible opportunity and an honor to be chosen to share a message that I believe is so important: why we need to make connections, to see one another and to be seen,” he said. “I want people to know this important point: ‘it is imperative that you know life’s journey is impossible to accomplish alone. We all need each other.’
“My message ends with this: ‘If we want to see our communities renewed, if we want to see Pittsburgh renewed, if we want to see the world renewed, especially after COVID, if we want to take on this epidemic of loneliness, we need to take the time to see each other, to actively listen, to follow up, to treasure what people treasure, because when we do, we will change the world,’ ’’ Daniel said.
Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and sports in 2009 and a master’s degree in adult education and communications technology in 2014. He began his IUP career in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a multicultural recruiter.
He has been an invited presenter for a number of regional programs, including IUP’s Six O’Clock Series, Chatham University’s Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, and Carlow University’s health masculinity series in the spring of 2022 and 2024.
In his current role, Daniel helps students get involved at IUP through its many clubs and organizations, and he helps them build leadership skills. He is eager to give leadership advice to any student looking for direction, since he benefited from that kind of guidance years ago. He believes he has received much from IUP, and he continues to give back because “it just makes sense.”
He is the cofounder and CEO of Grizzled Teddy Company in Indiana, a business committed to encouraging and equipping men to groom their hearts, minds, and beards. He also is a teaching elder at Word of Grace Fellowship in Indiana.