Al-ZAHRA, Gaza Strip — At the conference hall of the University of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, 11 local speakers shared their inspirational stories and experiences in various fields, from technology to entertainment. The Sept. 24 event was part of the TEDx program, a global activity that aims to create a platform for people to share their creative and innovative ideas with an audience.

TED has been seeking to expand worldwide and has been granting licenses since 2006 to universities and institutions around the world to host independently run events. So far, more than 130 countries have hosted TEDx events.

The University of Palestine held its first TEDx event on Sept. 24. The university's administration said in a statement on its website that the event aims to spread inspirational ideas and that TEDx is a "local, self-organized event that brings people together to share a TED-like experience."

Esraa Yaseen, the coordinator of the TEDx Palestine event, told Al-Monitor, “In the Gaza Strip, there are a lot of creative people with inspiring ideas who need global platforms to express themselves. Their ideas can change the stereotypical image of Gaza that is based on death, destruction and poverty. [The talks] can shed light on the new image of Gaza and prove that Gazans have ideas and capacities and can be part of such global events.”