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The event on June 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Boston Court Pasadena, marks the resurrection of the TEDx Pasadena program under new leadership. The theme “Perseverance” will feature local leaders sharing stories of resilience in the face of recent community traumas like the pandemic and the wildfire.
Lisa Cavelier, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena and a featured speaker, said the Eaton Fire’s impact extends beyond property loss.
“Over 75 of our families who’ve lost everything, and then many who lost their school as well,” Cavelier said. “It takes a lot of perseverance for us to hang in there with them each day and give them the support that they need to have.”
The fires have created what Cavelier describes as “collective community trauma” that challenges even adults to process, let alone the Club’s youngsters.
Cavelier advocates for redefining perseverance beyond traditional “bootstrap” mentalities that emphasize simply enduring hardship.
“I’m calling it the ‘myth of perseverance,’ where it can be all about ‘buck up, buck up, come on, you can do this.’ There’s a lot more to it,” she said. “And that leaning into the feelings, leaning into holding the hard things you have to hold sometimes, and then working through those, is also perseverance.”
Mayor Victor Gordo, another featured speaker, said Pasadena has faced multiple overlapping crises.
“The number of issues that were under the surface, that all broke the surface at the same time, including George Floyd, including housing, financial health — the number of issues that broke the surface during COVID at the same time became an issue in and of itself,” Gordo said.
Despite these challenges, Gordo remains optimistic about the community’s collective strength.
“We have persevered and we will continue to do that so long as we’re working together, because we are stronger together,” he said.
The Boys & Girls Club serves 500-600 children daily, with 44% not reading at grade level at the beginning of the year. The organization has implemented programs that address both academic challenges and trauma simultaneously.
TEDx Pasadena was originally founded in 2015 but had been dormant before this resurrection coinciding with community recovery efforts. The event represents a broader shift in how civic institutions respond to collective trauma, moving from individual heroism narratives to community-based healing approaches.
“The reminder is it’s not my administration, it’s our administration, our city, our collective efforts,” Gordo said.
TEDx Pasadena 2025 will be held at Boston Court Pasadena, at 70 N. Mentor Avenue.
For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
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