This year, the popular TedXTacoma is bringing together members of the community, both military and civilian, to talk about diversity, change and community. There are as many advantages as disadvantages for communities set among, near and beside military installations. The abundance of traffic and the transient populations are only two of many obstacles these civilian and military communities face. The fact is, however, that we are all still one community, and on Nov. 16 from 5-8 p.m. at the American Lake Conference Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a forum of guest speakers will discuss their own journeys and why Bridging the Gap is so important.

The term "transition" is a familiar one for servicemembers and their families, as change comes consistently in the form of duty stations, deployments, trainings, and ultimately the transition from military life back to civilian. The real reality though, is that every person in every walk of life is also experiencing change, and dealing with transitioning from what they knew before, to what they live with now. Regardless the circumstance, we can all learn from each other in how to cope and grow from these life changes. An expected 15 speakers will take the stage for anywhere from five to 15 minutes to share their own inspiring stories, with an additional VIP experience to follow. Tickets range from $15-$50, and while it is open to the public, passes for non ID card holders must be issued for base access.

Ted Conferences is a nonprofit organization, developed in 1984 as a forum for spreading ideas, and has been held since as a yearly conference. Ted.com now offers over 2,600 free videos from engaging and inspiring speakers, ranging in a wide variety of subjects. The vision of Ted Talks is to spread great ideas, and ultimately change the world for the better. Tedx Events are organized locally around the world, to continue the vision of spreading ideas with inspiring conversations and speeches.