|
2003 Conference
Invitation - Sponsors
- Presenters - Sunday - Monday - Tuesday - Registration
*** Last-minute schedule changes ***
Sunday, October 12, 2003
“Character Building and Self Esteem”
Institute A, 1:15 PM to 5:00 PM
 Presenter:
Rick Gould is the Associate Executive Director of the Central Branch YMCA
in Wilmington, DE. During his career with the YMCA, he has worked with
teens for
over 12 years, has been recognized for developing creative approaches to substance
abuse prevention and has also served as the Director for the YMCA of the USA's
East Field Teen Leadership Training School. With a Bachelor's degree in Psychology
and a Master's Degree in Public Administration, Rick also has experience in
inpatient adolescent drug treatment. Rick has facilitated trainings in
conflict resolution,
youth development, and youth substance abuse prevention. He is a faculty trainer
for the YMCA of the USA's Principles of Youth Work Training Modules. Rick currently
lives in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife, Kerri and his 18-month-old son,
Wesley.
Workshop Description:
This course was designed to help participants learn ways to establish character
development and to encourage self-esteem development in teen programs and
services. During the past 20 years however, research conducted by the Search
Institute
into "developmental assets" has breathed new life into teen programs
and has given us all new tools to use when developing and implementing youth
programs that make a difference in our community. Through this interactive
workshop, participants will be challenged to recommit themselves to accepting
and developing
positive values and positive assets in our youth. (There is a $15 certification
fee for YMCA employees or volunteers who would like to take this course as
credit toward YMCA Youth Worker certification. You do not have to be a YMCA
employee
or volunteer to take this course.)
Learning Objectives:
- To learn the philosophy behind the YMCA character development
movement.
- To learn what "positive assets" are and why they are important.
- To learn how to build "positive assets" in youth, with an
emphasis on self-esteem.
“Working with Youth Ages 10-14”
Institute B, 1:15PM to 5:00 PM
Presenter:
Ayanna Traylor is the Achievers Director of the YMCA of Philadelphia
in Philadelphia PA. Ayanna is a Philadelphia Native, and is a graduate
of Temple University.
She has worked for 8 years as a Program Director with the YMCA of Philadelphia
and vicinity, having worked at both inner city and suburban branches since
1996. She is involved in many areas of YMCA work and serves as the Association’s
Technical Expert for the Youth Development Cabinet. She is also a trainer for
YMCA of the USA and is the Assistant Director of the YMCA Teen Leadership Training
School serving teens in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington,
D.C.
Workshop Description:
This workshop will cover the developmental stages of early adolescence
focusing on physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.
Learning
Objectives:
- Participants will understand the developmental stages
of early adolescence.
- An analysis of the basic needs of teens will be explored.
- Participants will learn a variety of age-appropriate activities
to use with this age group.
“ Acting Out: Using Theater Improv to Empower Youth”
Workshop Session One, #1, 1:15 PM to 3:00 PM
 Presenters:
Dayna Scott is the Coordinator of See Why-Connecting Youth (www.seewhy.info)
of Shelburne, VT. See-Why is a community-based organization in dedicated to
creating a safe and healthy environment where young people can thrive. The
See Why Improv Troupe has performed extensively throughout Vermont, most recently
at the Vermont state-wide "Our Voices Exposed: Anti-Tobacco Conference" Burlington.
Last year, the troupe traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico to lead a workshop
at the ACME Media Literacy Conference. Keegan Allen, Chrissy Bedard, Paulla
Flash, Suzzy Guevara and Kate Wheeler are all students of Champlain Valley
Union High School in Hinesburg,
VT. The
See Why Improv Troupe is comprised of 22 high school students who seek to
educate, empower, and inspire people to become leaders for positive
change. Using theater
improve games, they raise awareness about issues effecting youth such as:
substance abuse, violence, media influences, and stress.
Workshop Description:
Learn how to use theater improvisation as a tool for empowering youth.
This highly interactive workshop will educate, empower, and inspire
people to
become leaders for positive change. Using theater improv games, (like the
television
show “Whose Life Is It Anyway”), the troupe raises awareness
about important issues affecting youth. This workshop will be interactive
and fun
and more importantly, it will provide participants with specific tools to
spread a youth empowerment message in their own communities.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify three important issues that matter to youth today.
- Facilitate at least three theater improvisation games
that address these issues.
- Demonstrate how to use theater improvisation to promote
asset-building in their own communities.
“
Project ASK – Integrating the Assets”
Workshop Session One, #2, 1:15 PM to 3:00 PM
Presenters:
Michelee Curtze is the Coordinator of Project ASK in Edinboro, PA.
Michelee is presently working in the area of prevention for the North
West Tri-County
Intermediate Unit #5 and was previously the Assistant Principal at Strong Vincent
Middle/High School in Erie, PA before retiring in 1999 to pursue a new career
in the area of Conflict Resolution.  Michelle
helped develop the Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution programs for the
City of Erie Schools as well as several county schools for the past ten years.
She has presented many training workshops at the local, state, and national
level.
John Kossbiel
is the Manager
of Transportation Equipment serving the Mining, Switching and Industrial
Locomotive Markets for the General Electric Company. He has worked
for GE for 30 years and has held numerous positions in Manufacturing,
Purchasing, Inventory Planning and Marketing. One of his passions in
life is teaching. In an earlier career, he taught 9th and 11th grades
and after six years of teaching left to work in industry. John has
worked with Project ASK since the inception of the program.
Workshop Description:
Project ASK is a collaborative learning experience conducted by the
Erie School District, G.E. Transportation Systems, and the Erie Community.
We believe that
schools will be more effective developing students to their fullest potential
when working in collaboration with families, business, and the community. The
purpose of this program is to enable students with unrecognized ability and
underdeveloped potential to begin to view themselves as capable, motivated,
resilient learners. This is a teambuilding process to enhance the individual.
We want youth to believe the world is a positive place, that they can accomplish
what they want, and that they can gain satisfaction from life.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn how to become a great mentor and
get actively involved with youth in their community.
- Participants will learn how to increase the asset building
efforts that already exist in schools and community.
- Learn how to re-create and adapt this program for your
community
“Assets 101: An Introduction to the 40 Developmental Assets”
Workshop Session One, #3, 1:15 PM to 3:00 PM
Presenter:
Katie Claussen is a student at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Katie has been involved in community activities throughout her high
school and college
careers. With a passion for youth advocacy and empowerment, she found her niche
in Teen.TAPS: Teenagers Taking Action to Power Solutions, which she co-founded
in October 2000. Under her leadership, Teen.TAPS has led a campaign to change
a Pennsylvania state law to allow young people to serve as full members of
non-profit organizational boards. She is enjoying pursuing her other interests
at college: Ultimate Frisbee and Latino culture. When not at school in the
Midwest, Katie resides in Bethlehem, PA
Workshop Description:
This workshop is a primer about Search Institute’s 40 Developmental
Assets and the ways that communities around the country are embracing
the framework.
Participants will understand how the 40 Assets movement enhances existing positive
youth development programs and initiatives. Attendees will engage in fun, yet
informative, activities to gain an understanding of the context in which the
40 Assets are applied and their positive impact on young people. In addition,
this interactive workshop will offer participants the opportunity to apply
the 40 Assets to their own lives.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding
of the concept of developmental assets.
- Participants will be able to delineate how the assets
approach can be used to foster the mission of their organization,
school or family.
- Participants will be able to place the assets movement
in context with other positive youth development trends, programs,
and practices.
"Create Your Own Future Today! No Kidding."
Workshop Session One, #4, 1:15 PM to 3:00 PM
Note: The workshop originally scheduled for this time
slot on "Creating a Statewide Asset Building Network" has been replaced
with "Create Your Own Future".
Presenter:  Heshie
Segal is the President of Business Connections with Heshie. She
is also the co-founder of The What If ™ Organization, created
to enhance educational and life experiences of the youths and young
adults by training them to expand their vision of what is possible,
empowering them to become fully responsible for the results they produce
and offering opportunities for contributions to the world. Her willingness
to walk through uncharted territory, accompanied by her anything
is possible attitude, springs her audiences into action through
her interactive approach to speaking, training and coaching. She serves
as President-elect of the National Speakers Association-Mid Atlantic
Chapter. Heshie has founded two other organizations, JetNetting™ ,
( www.JetNettingConnection.com )
and The Girlfriend Connection™ .
Workshop Description: Have you ever been told you can't do
this, that or the other thing because you are too young, not smart
enough, too short, too big or because there's not enough time, not
enough money, etc.? How
often have you felt that others are planning your future around what
they think is best for you? All plugs are pulled in this interactive
session. You are about to learn what is possible for you if you are
committed to making it happen. Even though this might sound like a
workshop for young people, anyone of any age will be able to gain valuable
insights into making new futures possible.
“
Tag,You’re It! 50 Easy Ways to Connect with Young People”
Workshop Session Two, # 5, 3:15 PM to 5:00 PM
 Presenter: Kathleen Kimball-Baker is the Director of Publishing for Search Institute
in Minneapolis, MN. Kathleen is the author of Tag, You’re It!
50 Easy Ways to Connect with Young People. Search Institute is a nonprofit
organization
whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge and resources to promote
healthy children, youth and communities. Kathleen has been a reporter, editor
and publisher in newspaper, magazine, and book publishing for more than 26
years. She has served on the steering committee of her Neighborhood Revitalization
Program initiative advocating for youth issues.
Workshop Description:
It is through relationships with many caring, principled adults (not
just parents) that young people build the strengths, skills and resiliencies
they need to
succeed. Yet far too few young people and adults connect at all, let alone
connect in meaningful ways. This session will show how to bridge the gap, why
it is so important, how easy it really is, how rewarding youth-adult relationships
are – and how critical these connections are to thriving communities.
Learning Objectives:
- To realize how important it is in healthy communities
for adults to connect with young people.
- To learn how easy it is to build connections (even for
introverts!).
- To understand how rewarding it is to build connections
for both adults and teens.
 “
How Do You Know if You Are in Love?”
Workshop Session Two, #6, 3:15 PM to 5:00 PM
Presenter:
Paddy Wells is an author and psychologist based in Horseheads, NY.
Workshop Description:
This session will focus on gaining a working definition of what love
really is and what it requires of us to make it lasts. It will
help you get in touch
with your personal love-story and give you tools for improving your relationships
with significant others.
“ Building Community through Video Production with Youth”
Workshop Session Two, #7, 3:15PM to 5:00 PM
 Presenter: John Venner is the President of Pennridge Community Communications,
Inc., based in Perkasie, PA. John is currently a teacher at Palisades
High School and has
founded Pennridge Community Communications, a non-profit organization aimed
at bringing community and youth together through multimedia productions. John
has taught high school for the last ten years. He has previously worked in
the business sector with an eight-year industry background in engineering,
marketing and management. John was key player in the development of the Palisades
High School Academy and continues to use multimedia technology in that program
to deliver academic, teamwork, problem solving and interpersonal skills. He
holds an engineering degree from Lafayette College and a Masters of Education
from Cabrini College. John is a resident of Perkasie, PA.
Workshop Description:
Through several years of experience John Venner has experienced first
hand the power of multimedia based community projects. Community
based video projects
specifically require strong reading, writing, social, technical, creative,
communication, organization and interpersonal skills. Youth involved in creating
these projects are not only exposed to the concept of community responsibility,
each individual on the project team also builds an understanding of their own
personal strengths and weaknesses, the power of self-confidence and the importance
of teamwork. In addition to the above, topics covered will include choosing
the right medium, developing effective communication products, video pre-production,
production and post-production processes, technical issues and necessary equipment.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the Multimedia Communication Process
- Understand the steps involved in Video Production
- Be able to identify the skills involved in the Video Production
process
“Leadership: The Reward is the Journey”
Workshop Session Two, #8, 3:15 PM to 5:00 PM
 Presenters: Dan Horgan is the Founder and Executive Director
of Allegheny County’s
Promise in Pittsburgh, PA. At the age of 19, Daniel Horgan founded Allegheny
County’s Promise and now serves as the youngest member of the National
Board of Directors for America’s Promise, which was established under
the leadership of Retired General Colin Powell. Daniel has worked with the
Content of Our Character Project at Duke University and Pennsylvania’s
Communities that Care and published The Ethics Toolbox, a community resource
for teachers, service providers, and parents on ethical decision-making. He
has worked in the public and private sector and has a fundraising portfolio
of more than $1 million. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin
Powell recognized Daniel at the White House in 2002 for his leadership with
America’s Promise movement. Daniel holds a bachelor degree in corporate
communications form Robert Morris University where he graduated summa cum laude.
Laura Dujmovich is a 17 year-old High School Promise Fellow and a senior at
Moon Area High School, near Pittsburgh, PA. Laura is involved in many activities
in school including Student Council, Peer Helpers, French Club, and the Newspaper
Staff. Laura also writes for a local newspaper, The Moon Record. She wants
to attend the University of Michigan and major in journalism and psychology.
Her hobbies include writing, dancing, and listening to music. She is also determined
to make a difference in her school and community. She is currently working
on revising her student council’s constitution and thoroughly enjoys
volunteering for those in need.
Workshop Description:
From Superman to Spiderman, each of us has a hero. But what would happen
if you stopped watching and started living the journey? By harnessing
your power
in the pursuit of success, your heroic character will vanquish your villains
and ultimately save the day. In the end you will prevail and discover that
the reward was in the journey.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will determine the qualities that a super
leadership hero would possess and in turn, reflect on their own personal
leadership style.
- Participants will cope with change through a series of
interactive learning experiences.
- Participants will take risks, develop a personal action
plan, and begin their journey.
“The Game of Life: Rules of Engagement”
Keynote Address, 6:30 PM to 7:15 PM
Presenter: Dan Horgan is the Founder and Executive Director of Allegheny County’s
Promise in Pittsburgh, PA. At the age of 19, Daniel Horgan founded Allegheny
County’s Promise and now serves as the youngest member of the National
Board of Directors for America’s Promise, which was established under
the leadership of Retired General Colin Powell. Daniel has worked with the
Content of Our Character Project at Duke University and Pennsylvania’s
Communities that Care and published The Ethics Toolbox, a community resource
for teachers, service providers, and parents on ethical decision-making. He
has worked in the public and private sector and has a fundraising portfolio
of more than $1 million. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin
Powell recognized Daniel at the White House in 2002 for his leadership with
America’s Promise movement. Daniel holds a bachelor degree in corporate
communications form Robert Morris University where he graduated summa cum laude.
Keynote Description:
In this game called life, we are the players…. the community
is our field. The rules of engagement challenge us to unleash our power,
stepping beyond
our limits and seizing the moment. Once discovering and championing our passion,
nothing can stop us from achieving our potential.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will reflect their role in life as it relates
to mobilizing people in communities.
- Participants will seize the moment and define their strategy
for achieving success.
- Participants will champion their passion.
“ Evening Entertainment: Hot Stuff: Salsa Dancing”
Entertainers: The Hispanic-American League of Artists (HALA), Allentown,
PA
Presenters: The Hispanic-American League of Artists (HALA)
based in Allentown, PA, was founded by Norberto Dominguez. Norberto founded
HALA in 1994 as
part of his life long
dream of becoming a writer and performer. HALA is comprised of actors, dancers,
singers, writers, media artists, visual artists and musicians. He is the first
and only Latino to hold a position as a board member of Allentown's Art Commission
and is also a Panelist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Preserving
Diverse Cultures Division. Currently, Norberto is working on a Latino oriented
screenplay after attending WBC, an industry school for screenwriters and filmmakers
in New York. His dream is to become one of the first Dominican screenwriters
and filmmakers.
This evening’s entertainment will introduce everyone to the HALA organization
as they provide an exciting, audience participation dance performance. HALA's
mission is to educate, develop, present, and refer Latino artists as well as
to educate the greater community about our culture preserving our heritage.
The award winning versatile Dance Division of HALA, known for its hot Salsa & Merengue
dance pieces also performs traditional folkloric dances from the Caribbean
Islands and South America as well as Hip Hop and Breakdance. When not on tour,
HALA dancers train for international and national Salsa competitions as well
as helping new kids joining HALA's Dance Division learn more about Latino dance
and history.(Immediately following this evening’s entertainment there
will be a dessert reception for all conference attendees.)
|
