Why public education? For Annie Kidder, the executive directer and founder of People for Education, this is both a question and a statement. In a world today where hope is often lacking, Annie makes a strong case that publicly funded schools are the place where hope becomes concrete. ​Annie is the Executive Director and a founder of People for Education. A former theatre director, she became engaged in public education as a civil society issue during the late 1990’s when there was a great deal of disruption and debate in Ontario’s public education system. Since then, she has received numerous awards for her education advocacy and is regularly sought out by the media as an expert on public education issues. She has been a keynote speaker at conferences across Canada, in Europe, Africa and South America. 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