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2001 Conference - Keynote Speakers Monday, October 8, 2001 Karen Vadino, MSW, is one of those rare individuals who can make you laugh and cry in the same moment. She is a dynamic motivational speaker, humorist and trainer. Karen is a nationally known presenter who will add more laughs in one presentation than you ever thought possible. Having worked in human services for over 20 years in settings such as psychiatric hospitals, chemical dependency centers and college campuses, she presents in front of thousands of people each year with a message of joy, hope and her own "Vadinoan Theory of Releasing Dolphins". Karen has the ability to relate to both adults and youth alike in ways that each can see the gifts and foibles of the other. Karen makes her home in Youngstown, OH and is well known throughout PA, having presented many times at the PA Association of Student Assistance Professionals conference. Karen's keynote address will be a humorous look at everyday existence using her "real-life" experiences as a metaphor for the common journey that we all share, regardless of our gender, age, race, geographic home, income level, intelligence, height, weight, etc. You get the picture! Laughing: Just For the Health of It You may not find this in your HMO brochure, but laughter is still the best medicine. Karen's lively talk will kick off the second annual "Unleashing the Power" conference with more laughs than you thought possible inside an hour. She will use her real life experiences as a metaphor for the common journey that we all share; regardless of our gender, age, race, geographic home, income level, intelligence, height, weight, etc. You get the picture! Don Coyhis, BA, is a seasoned and gifted speaker sharing a powerful message of using native ways to build healthy communities. Don is President of White Bison, a non-profit organization he founded in 1988. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, White Bison is sponsor of the national Wellbriety movement. Don is a member of the Mohican nation and combines his years as a senior executive with Digital Equipment Corporation with his natural appreciation and understanding of his Native American heritage. His teachings reflect the principles, laws and values that bring about wellness, integrity and justice in communities and organizations. Don's keynote address will include an appearance and description of the Sacred Hoop of 100 Eagle Feathers that was recently carried by hundreds of individuals across North America through native reservations and tribal colleges. The Sacred Hoop has been seen by approximately 60,000 persons. Don brought the Sacred Hoop to the 2000 National Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth conference in Minneapolis, MN and shared his critical message with 2500 people during the closing address. Don's story and presentation resonated throughout the hall with a level of reverence and awe that few conference closings have ever achieved. The Firestarters: Creating Community Movement for Change Ways to mobilize your community will be explored from a native perspective. Powerful tools will be discussed along with a sharing of the vision that led to the development of the growing Wellbriety movement. Don shared this exciting presentation at the 2000 Search Institute National Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Conference with over 2400 people during the closing address. He will bring along with him the Sacred Hoop of 100 Eagle Feathers which has been seen by over 60,000 persons throughout reservations and tribal colleges in the United States and Canada. Tuesday, October 9, 2001 Sam Keen, Ph.D., is a national treasure. He calls himself "overeducated", having earned degrees from Harvard Divinity School and Princeton University in theology, religion and psychology. Sam is well known for his seminal work, Fire in the Belly, which landed on the New York Times bestseller list for an extended period of time. He has been featured in a popular Bill Moyers PBS interview and one of his 13 books, Faces of the Enemy was made into an Emmy nominated PBS documentary. After serving for years as consulting editor for Psychology Today, Sam now spends most of his time writing, lecturing and leading seminars throughout the world. When not traveling, he can be found at his ranch in Sonoma, CA high in the air on the flying trapeze. His latest book, Learning to Fly, is a exhilarating memoir of his life-long interest in the flying trapeze and its connections to fear, trust and the joy of letting go. Sam's keynote address will concern the incredibly fast pace of our culture today and the possibilities for slowing down long enough to build meaningful relationships with ourselves, our families, our neighbors and most importantly- with young people. Slaying the Speed Demon: The Out of Control Pace of Life in the 21st Century Speed is the modern disease. Almost all of us in the developed nations are unknowingly addicted to something we insist on calling "progress". Phrases like: "I am so busy", "Time is money", or "Where do my days go?" exemplify this phenomenon. We are losing that sense of time the Greeks called Kairos, meaning organic time, body-time, dream time or the time it takes an apple or a life to come to ripeness. We can not create true community or build rich, deep relationships with youth or ourselves without simply slowing down. Clay Roberts, MS, is one of the most sought after speakers today in the youth development and community mobilization field. He is the president of Roberts & Associates and a senior consultant for Search Institute of Minneapolis, MN. Clay is a co-author of the recently published book on "asset building schools", Great Places to Learn. He has developed five national model programs, including Here's Looking at You, 2000, a K-12 drug education program, Natural Helpers, a peer-helper program, and Get Real about AIDS, a grade 4-12 AIDS prevention program. Clay has appeared on various television shows such as: "The Today Show", "Frontline", "Hour Magazine". His writings and articles have appeared in Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report and Instructor magazine. His keynote address will center on creating asset-building school climates. At last year's Unleashing the Power of Youth and Community Potential Conference, Clay received the most requests for a return appearance. We are lucky to have Clay with us again as he makes a rare East Coast trip from his home in Bainbridge, WA. Asset Building: Its More Than Building Relationships with Young People Hear from one of the most well-traveled experts in the asset building movement about emerging trends and what's working and what's not. A particular emphasis will be on the power of overlaying the asset framework into a school's existing reform efforts. New findings across America will help you "connect the dots" between academic improvement, increased test scores, community partnering, parental involvement and infusing the asset message in your schools and neighborhoods. Leave the conference with a roaring fire lit under you!