Imagination Conversation Set for Connecticut, April 19 in Hartford

CONNECTICUT TO EXPLORE CRITICAL ROLE OF IMAGINATION AS KEY TO FLOURISHING SOCIETY ... Connecticut Imagination Conversation is Part of 50-State Effort to Raise Awareness of Imagination: Why It Matters and How to Develop It in Our Lives and in Our Communities.

On April 19, 2010, the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and the University of Connecticut, in affiliation with Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education (LCI), will hold an Imagination Conversation at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus.

The Conversation will bring together leaders from an array of fields -- government, business, science, education, and the arts -- to explore the ways they experience and promote imagination in their work and communities. The goal of the Conversation is to present imagination as a key cognitive capacity, one that leads to creativity and innovation; and to help build awareness of imagination as a key skill in work and in life.

It is LCI's contention, as well as that of numerous scientists, government leaders, and educators, that imagination must be taught to children in our schools and nurtured in our communities. Applying imagination is crucial if Americans are to not only compete in the 21st-century marketplace, but create positive, flourishing communities that continually engage every citizen's creativity, imagination and ideas.

The Imagination Conversation will be in the auditorium of the Library Building at the University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus, 1800 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, Conn., 06117. The event begins with networking at 6 p.m. and the Imagination Conversation at 7 p.m. More details, along with parking and registration information, are available at:
http://www.appliedimagination.org

The Imagination Conversation is open to the public and will be recorded for broadcast on WNPR's Where We Live on Friday, April 23, at 9 a.m. WNPR's John Dankosky will moderate the Conversation with guests Steven Dahlberg and Scott Noppe-Brandon. Dahlberg is head of the New Milford, Conn.-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination (ICCI) and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut. Noppe-Brandon is executive director of Lincoln Center Institute and author of "Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility." Artists John O'Donnell and Ted Efremoff will visually map and document the Conversation while it happens. Students from the "Creativity + Social Change" class, invited participants from diverse sectors across the state, and the general public will also be involved in the Conversation.

This Conversation will focus on the role of imagination in education, creative community and economic development, and creative leadership in organizations. It seeks to build a relevant imagination-fueled agenda for the state to pursue. ICCI will coordinate follow-up action that emerges from this conversation, as well as additional future conversations.

“Creativity and imagination matter in every aspect of society,” says Dahlberg. “Imagination matters for engaging students and teachers in meaningful education. It matters for bringing new ideas into reality to improve the economy. And it matters for helping people express their creative capacities in their work and their communities. We hope to help connect people who want to tap into more of their imagination and apply it for creating positive change across this state.”

Imagination Conversations are expected to take place during the next two years in each of the 50 states. All of the Conversations will be documented and final proposals for nationwide educational reform will be made at a national Imagination Summit in New York in the summer or fall of 2011. At the Summit, Imagination Conversation findings and an action agenda will be presented to public policy makers, educators, legislators and the media in an effort to make cultivation of imagination a key element in our schools.

"Imagination can be described as having the ability to visualize new possibilities and the ability to ask, 'what if ...?'" says Noppe-Brandon. "Developing students' imaginations and teaching them to proceed from imaginative thinking to creative action is vital if they are to meet the challenges of today's world. If the United States is to maintain its position at the vanguard of innovation, it needs a workforce capable of finding fresh solutions to challenges and inventing groundbreaking products and services. LCI understands that imaginative learning in schools will produce such a population."

ICCI is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. It promotes imagination and creativity through public events such as the monthly Creativity Networking series; professional development training for educators and business people; advocacy for creativity topics in local, national and international conferences; dissemination of creativity ideas through writing and commentary in various media; and teaching and guest lecturing at various universities.

The University of Connecticut's Bachelor of General Studies Program encourages imagination, collaboration and democratic participation through its Public and Community Engagement-themed courses in Storrs and Hartford and online.

Having recognized the global importance of imagination early on, LCI has established itself as a leader in the implementation of a method by which imagination is introduced into classrooms and used across the curriculum. Through the hands-on study of works of art, students develop their capacities to think imaginatively and critically, which serve them in all subject areas. With its programs reaching an estimated 390,000 students per year through its partnerships with schools across the U.S. and abroad, LCI is making an impact on the direction of education not just in New York but all over the world.

ABOUT THE HOSTING ORGANIZATIONS:
About Steven Dahlberg and the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination:
Steven Dahlberg is director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, which is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. He teaches "Creativity + Social Change" in the Public and Community Engagement theme at the University of Connecticut. He has nearly 20 years of experience in this field, and has worked with Yale University, Guggenheim Museum, Yahoo!, Americans for the Arts, Danbury Public Schools, UNESCO, Louisiana's Office of the Lt. Governor, New Economics Foundation, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, World Knowledge Forum, City of Providence, 3M, Aldrich Museum, State of Connecticut, and Rhode Island College, among other organizations. He has helped toy inventors launch a creativity consulting business, directed an international creativity conference, and taught an undergraduate creativity course for incarcerated men. Dahlberg edits the Applied Imagination blog, authored the foreword to the book, Education is Everybody's Business. He is particularly interested in creative community building, creative education, local food and sustainable agriculture, and creative aging.

About Lincoln Center Institute (LCI):
LCI is the educational cornerstone of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., and is the model for arts education programs across the U.S. and abroad. Founded in 1975, the Institute is known for its inventive repertory, and brings music, dance, theater, visual arts, and architecture into classrooms in the New York City area, across the nation, and around the world. In more than three decades of outreach, LCI's approach has reached more than 20 million students, teachers, administrators, parents, community members and professors of education worldwide. The number is projected to increase in the next few years, thanks to LCI's highly successful professional development programs and Internet presence.

In What Ways Might Imagination Improve Society?

206 IDEAS GENERATED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 'CREATIVITY + SOCIAL CHANGE' STUDENTS ON 6 APRIL 2010 - HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

What's YOUR idea for how imagination might improve society? Add your ideas in the comments section below. And plan now to participate in the Connecticut Imagination Conversation on Monday, April 19, in Hartford, Connecticut ... or host your own Imagination Conversation in your community.

1. Communicating
2. Open communication between groups
3. Stop cancer
4. Stop juvenile diabetes
5. Stop crimes within the same community
6. Feed the world
7. Improve living conditions
8. Respect people's sexuality
9. Discover or create new ways to safely and effectively mass produce food and other products
10. Lead to more openness, diversity, tolerance and integration of differences
11. Encourage creative conversations
12. Invest in creative education
13. End child abuse
14. Education will become an adventure that children will crave - no more dropping out
15. Tell them that you are happy with imagination, then they will join you
16. Teach the youth manners and morals so that they can grow
17. Create tolerance
18. Stop hunger
19. Celebrate diversity
20. Neighbors of the community care for each other more
21. Stop poverty
22. Be positive
23. Stop hate
24. Appreciate or accept people stepping out of the norm
25. I can use my imagination to encourage prisoners
26. Think before you act
27. Treat one the way you want to be treated
28. Providing ideas with individuals in society to solve problems
29. Teamwork or brainstorming in a group
30. Clarity of mind and soul
31. Respect life as a whole
32. Read other people's minds
33. Work with other people's strengths
34. Help those who need us the most
35. Fight racism -> open mindedness
36. Peace with others
37. Improve self-esteem
38. Encourage more active, positive citizen engagement
39. Encourage others to join organization
40. End homelessness
41. Creative ways to be healthy, maintain health, regain health, defeat disease
42. Show the society how important they are, then they will accept it
43. Through education
44. Team work
45. Talking things out
46. Appreciation of different types of beauty
47. Fly to new, livable planets
48. By laughing
49. Build a healthier place for my kids and other kids
50. Open-mindedness
51. Make a commitment
52. Love the curvalicious
53. Travel to new dimensions
54. Travel through time and space
55. I can use my imagination to help my own community
56. End frivolous spending in government
57. To infinity and beyond - explore the universe within and without
58. By coming up with different solutions for different issues
59. Helping neighbors, taking care of each other's children, watching out for one another
60. Allowing expression through art, music, theater and dance
61. Reading books
62. Give importance to all animals
63. Have a moment of silent (regrouping)
64. Live life ... one life, one blood, one love
65. Make batteries that never have to recharge for my cell phone and laptop
66. Make batteries that are environmentally friendly when disposed or recycled
67. Eliminate existing regulations against farmers in Connecticut
68. Open new doors
69. Greater-good technology
70. Warm, nurturing environment to support the development of great ideas
71. Through education, broadcasting
72. Through billboards
73. Playing a game on team building
74. Promote trust among individuals
75. "The world can live as one"
76. Live forever - never die
77. Don't be afraid of death
78. Stop discrimination among us
79. Say no to Botox
80. Play
81. Get kids to be more physically active and healthy
82. Move
83. I can use my imagination to improve the unemployment rate
84. Creative community building - creating jobs
85. Build magnificent cities - buildings, gathering places, parks, museums, schools, etc.
86. Make sufficient information available to the community
87. Visiting the sick
88. Helping those in need (homeless)
89. Believing in yourself
90. Make veggies taste better
91. Build places that encourage creativity, instead of limiting it (i.e., Billings Forge and the G. Fox Building, respectively)
92. Encourage kids to continue with school and get educated
93. "Imagine there's no hunger, I wonder if we can"
94. Plant a tree
95. By communication
96. Travel to the past
97. Help third world countries
98. Bring out technologies that do not already exist. Similar to how real technologies can follow the imaginative, fiction-based technologies proposed in science fiction. How culture and arts can "invent" technology.
99. I can help the youth thing critically and explore their creativity
100. Creating meaningful jobs, reducing unemployment
101. Create/implement ways to care for and preserve the earth for generations to come
102. Make creativity a learning tool for society
103. Live Love Laugh
104. Have a social gathering
105. Love your neighbors
106. Less serious
107. Downloadable intelligence and knowledge (like in the Matrix)
108. It could give us new games to play
109. Share more with people in the community
110. Living for today
111. Spread the word by gathering with others or making a Web site for a fundraiser.
112. Interact with others more
113. Imagination can improve society through additional ideas being deposited into the "idea bank" and when there are more options, it can lead to more solutions to problems
114. Decrease the crimes among teenagers
115. Increase ideas among everyone (not just children)
116. Educate children to be creative
117. Spread the love
118. Encourage uniqueness
119. Marketplace of ideas
120. I can bring peace to the world
121. End drug abuse
122. Life will be interesting, stimulating, purposeful and a delight
123. Involve some stipends; it will bring people's interest
124. Ignite idea that would improve the community
125. Having dinner together - everyone likes to eat
126. Love like you haven't been hurt before
127. Humor - entertainment
128. Comedians will have better jokes and can make us laugh in different ways
129. Help people in the community to be more humble and to care for others
130. Open communication
131. Get some fresh air and fresh ideas
132. Live Love Laugh for a better me
133. Improve self-esteem and community confidence
134. I can use my imagination to create a farm
135. Improve or encourage people to eat healthier since one of my imaginings is about promoting organic food
136. Stop judgment
137. Improve the environment
138. Improve economy
139. Lead to healthier school lunches
140. Lead to healthier planet and humans
141. I can spread love throughout the world
142. Proper treatment of animals
143. Crime will decrease as there is openness, acceptance, a place for all
144. It will create jobs; many will participate
145. Share ideas
146. Hand shaking and hugging each other
147. Peace and love for every creature in the world
148. Stop greed and pointless want in society
149. Lead to society being more collaborative as opposed to individualistic -> solve problems together
150. Increase mental capacity about a problem
151. I can join different organizations within the community and help them resolve issues
152. Decrease unemployment
153. Accept each other
154. More advertisements/commercials
155. Through prayers
156. Listen to others
157. Less technology and more free play (outside)
158. "Imagine all the people, living life in peace"
159. Birth control that is 100% effective
160. Guns that are truly idiot-proof
161. Decrease healthy activities in kids in our community
162. Go shopping
163. By maximizing its potential
164. Establish better problem solving skills to introduce to children in school
165. By fostering problem solving potential in students and society's youth
166. My imagination can help encourage others
167. I can bring a sense of joy to others
168. Reduce teen drug abuse
169. Harmony and connectedness and unity among all cultures
170. Do it in many different ways, even in different languages, others will enjoy
171. Create something to challenge the community
172. Don't be judgmental
173. Challenge everyone to be the person they were meant to be; no judgment if that person turns out to be different than you expected
174. Open minded
175. Growth
176. Defer judgment
177. Improve existing ideas
178. Keeping a smile on people's faces
179. Decrease homelessness
180. Develop spirituality
181. Make known to the society why it is important
182. Be creative in arts and music
183. Develop strategies as a team or group
184. Dance
185. "No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man"
186. Never have traffic jams on the highway
187. Exploring new areas and investing tourist dollars in them
188. Focus on those young kids forgotten by parents and provide them with the love their parents don't give them
189. Free spirit
190. New ideas
191. Globalization
192. Defer judgment
193. Engage students more in their learning experience
194. Defer judgment
195. I can create a community organization to improve the community
196. Creative after-school programs
197. Being there for each other in neighborhoods
198. Keep kids out of trouble
199. Purpose and work for all
200. Do it with others, you will succeed
201. Go hiking with kids
202. Bring more family togetherness
203. The world is your family, embrace your diversity
204. Stop hate and war
205. Help globalize an economy while preventing the fall of local business
206. Care more for our elderly

# # #

67 IDEAS GENERATED BY THE RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 'THE AMERICAN NONPROFIT SECTOR AND PHILANTHROPY II' STUDENTS ON 7 APRIL 2010 - PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

What's YOUR idea for how imagination might improve society? Add your ideas in the comments section below. And plan now to participate in the Connecticut Imagination Conversation on Monday, April 19, in Hartford, Connecticut ... or host your own Imagination Conversation in your community.

1. By creating a bike trail that goes through the whole town
2. Clean-up crews for the community
3. Neighborhood closeness to reduce crime/increase community
4. Help community to produce better housing for diverse people
5. Imagination could show people parts of the place they live like they've never seen them before
6. Dig a deep, underground housing complex
7. Build better buildings
8. Make environment of community
9. More conducive to green technology - less polluted
10. Could add beauty to community art projects, music, opportunities to participate
11. Imagine ways to be more energy efficient
12. Have a community-wide BBQ
13. Creativity in finding solutions to health problems
14. Create dams and levies
15. Think out of day-to-day procedures -> fill someone else's shoes for a day (i.e., public/union workers and laymen)
16. Space travel
17. Off to civilization (arts, theater, etc)
18. Better public welfare systems
19. Improve different fuel sources
20. Renewable energy
21. New ways of communication
22. Improve transportation
23. Make community more fun to live in
24. Create another system in some part of space (zoning)
25. Better government system
26. Better transportation system
27. Better schools
28. Better cars
29. More ways to share resources
30. Increase social interaction
31. Thinking outside the box for creative solutions to common problems
32. Better land use
33. Imagining a better community - like better schools - imagine what we wanted schools to be filled with when we were kids - putting it into action
34. Children govern the adults as they have better grip on imagination
35. Offer community-wide movie showings
36. Improve arts
37. Find different resources - imagine possible venues
38. Better ways to share resources
39. More accessible buildings with less technology handprint
40. Provide creative ways for people to make social connections - community projects
41. Find new uses for the resources/food sources near you
42. Have a community garden to grow food
43. Improve environment
44. Create a center for the arts
45. Community cooking classes - take garden product and put in school lunches
46. To expand people's minds to new things
47. To expand the local business base of the community
48. Provide opportunities for people to be things they've imagined - musicians, painter, teacher ...
49. Have a town-wide pajama day
50. Improve opportunities for high school graduates
51. Healthier consumer products/food
52. "Own" a block for clean up and community pride
53. Time travel
54. Imagination can give a community a different perception of old things
55. Recycle old things into props; or add areas in parks with toy boxes or props
56. Have playgrounds on every block
57. Better ways toward health care
58. Create climate of creativity to problem solve as community
59. Get out of our houses and interact with people
60. Better transportation for people with mobility problems
61. New social interactions that are authentic, unplugged and involve storytelling
62. Have a community clean-up day
63. Creative activities in classrooms
64. Create a community center
65. Recycle end products to use waste in different ways
66. Just go clean up a neighborhood without asking for anything
67. Involve more people in volunteer projects for community

Commentary: On FRESH the Movie

By Tiffany Friedlander
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut
Media Reviewed:

FRESH the Movie
FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet. Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

Commentary:
I chose to write about this movie because it really struck me how the general public doesn’t know exactly what they are eating. Most of our fruits and vegetables are covered with chemicals and animals are being given so many antibiotics that they don’t need, it’s like we are poisoning ourselves. This movie shows us alternatives we can take to eat healthier and we can do this in our backyards. Also, it was a creative idea to share this movie with others and when I saw this, I saw it with my classmates and other people in the community. The point of this movie was to help people to think creatively to shift their lifestyles and to eat healthier.

I recall that in the movie someone said that there are people who want to eat healthy but there isn’t a place nearby where they can get fruits and vegetables. Will Allen, who used to be a professional basketball player, has his own farm and has many people come to visit to learn more about growing crops. He is involved in a program called Growing Power which brings the community together. This way he can show people how to grow crops in their own backyards, even in urban areas like where Will lives. I like the idea of how he uses waste as compost. The worms that are mixed in it turn it into compost. The point of this is to make sure people have access to fresh, healthy food. I also believe that it’s important for people to be able to obtain healthy food. We need to eat healthier and prevent obesity. It doesn’t appear that Will Allen uses pesticides on his crops. We don’t need that on the crops; if anything it is more harmful to us the more we ingest it.

Who ever thought how much antibiotics animals are given. I think it’s unbelievable how much they are given. This movie presents a long list of antibiotics that animals are injected with, which supposedly makes them grow faster and wards off low-grade infections. So, if we are eating meat with all these antibiotics in it and if we could get really sick, even if we try to take whatever medications to fight off the sickness it may not do anything because of how much antibiotics were given to the animals. This can cause some microorganisms that cause illnesses in humans to become immune to certain antibiotics. Overall, it’s dangerous for us to be eating many of the meats we buy in the grocery stores because of what the animals are given.

Watching this movie really made me think so much about what is in our food and what we are really eating. What can we do about this? I don’t think pesticides and other chemicals are needed in the things we grow. The animals we would be eating don’t need antibiotics at all. I found this movie to be inspiring. I want to learn more about where I can get food that won’t put my health in danger. This is a movie that I recommend to everyone to watch. I think this will put a shock to their system once they find out the truth behind food we buy. This is a movie that helps spread the word to others.

Commentary: On Playing for Change's 'Stand By Me'

By Josefina Tiburcio
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut
Media Reviewed:

Playing For Change: Episode 2, "Stand By Me"
Four years ago while walking down the street in Santa Monica, Calif., the voice of Roger Ridley singing “Stand By Me” was heard from a block away. His voice, soul and passion set us on a course around the world to add other musicians to his performance. This song transformed Playing For Change from a small group of individuals to a global movement for peace and understanding. This track features more than 35 musicians collaborating from all over the world. They may have never met in person, but in this case, the music does the talking.

Commentary:
This class is about exploring “Creativity and Social Change,” which is why the video, “Stand By Me,” captured my attention from the minute I watched it. The people that had the bright idea of putting this video together are very creative and are making positive social changes in society, as well as in communities all over the world. Furthermore, the name of their Web site speaks for itself -- Playing for Change.

Based on what I experienced when I watched this, I strongly believe that the creativity in this video can touch our hearts and possibly awaken the feeling and emotions that many of us hide deep inside of us. It is amazing to see how all of the people singing in the video are connected by the same passion for the music and the sound of the different instruments. Some of them actually make very nice musical sounds with different objects they play -- possibly invented or created by themselves.

The possibility of being connected by similar emotional pains exists. These pains could be caused by different circumstances in life (homelessness, hunger, loneliness caused by separation or loss of loved ones, rejection from society, etc.), but in the end, lead people to feel similar emotional pain as reflected in this video.

Most importantly, this video can impact the viewers in a positive way by making them feel compassion toward other people in society, regardless of their origin, race, color, culture and social class. This compassion for others in society is what we need. It is the tool that can trigger our desires to make a change in the life of an individual, a community, society -- and mainly in ourselves.

For instance, the first person who sings in the video, Roger Riedly, seems to be a homeless person. At the end of the song, people from the community approached his bag and made a contribution. Also, there is a possibility that the doors to the music world open up for one or more people singing and playing in this video, as an individual or company seeking new artists may become interested in them either as a singer or instrument player.

Finally, I think the creative idea of getting all these people from different parts of the world together in a single video is amazing. There is no doubt that creativity can impact our lives a lot in a positive way. Creativity not only help us to be or become creative, but it also helps us to discover the gift of the creative mind some of us already possess, but have not yet discover. At the same time, it help us to better appreciate the ideas and creative thinking of others, as well as realizing that creativity can come from anyone and anywhere. After taking the "Creativity + Social Change" class, the term “underestimate others" becomes history for some or all the students that experience this class.

Creativity in the Classroom Workshop at The Aldrich - Monday

CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
A creative education workshop for teachers, administrators, and parents ... with Facilitator Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination
==========================
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010, 4:00-6:30 P.M.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877
$30 (members)/$35 (non-members)
.2 CEUs available
Register online:
http://www.aldrichart.org/events/?id=642
==========================

CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
Creativity includes -- and is more than -- the arts. Creative thinking is a twenty-first century skill that applies to all subjects, all grade levels, and all ages. It is a skill that prepares students and adults for a rapidly changing world, where complex problems do not have pre-defined, easy solutions.
Creativity involves creative and critical thinking skills that can be taught, practiced, and applied in all curriculums. In this workshop, you will:
* Explore what creativity is, who has it, and how to unleash more of it.
* Think about thinking ... and learn how to think in new ways.
* Learn and practice applied creative thinking skills.
* Discover styles and types of creative thinking within the creative process.
* Connect creativity to the classroom.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Steven Dahlberg is head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, which is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. He works with the Public and Community Engagement program at the University of Connecticut,
where he teaches the "Creativity + Social Change" course. More info at:
http://www.appliedimagination.org

REGISTER NOW
For registration and further information please contact:
Suzanne Ryan
Museum Educator
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
seryan @ aldrichart . org
203.438.4519

Ken Robinson ... Again on Creativity and Education

[15 March 2010 - The Bonnie Hunt Show] Sir Ken Robinson shares what isn't working with our teaching system in schools.

Commentary: On Eve Ensler's TED Talk ... Happiness in Body and Soul

By Tiffany Ayala
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut
Media Reviewed:

TED Conference: February 2004
Eve Ensler, creator of The Vagina Monologues, shares how a discussion about menopause with her friends led to talking about all sorts of sexual acts onstage, waging a global campaign to end violence toward women and finding her own happiness.

Commentary:
I chose to watch this video from the TED Web site because it struck me as a piece that definitely steps outside of the boundaries. Throughout my years as a college student I have come to realize that there are many important issues where light should be shined upon. However, unfortunately the most important issues tend to be the most avoided ones. Diversity, for example, is such an important component for many students and parents when selecting colleges, but under this social umbrella of issues hang many injustices that don’t usually get addressed within the community. One of which is violence against woman.

While in college I was assigned to read The Vagina Monologues, by Eve Ensler, who is the woman in this video discussing how creative forms of art, such as creative writing and plays, have allowed her and others to spread awareness of women's sexuality and violence against women. The book was life changing and her lecture intriguing and moving. Although it is hard to accept, it does not surprise me that one in every three women will be beaten, battered or sexually assaulted in their lifetime. However, what is a pleasant surprise is the fact that through the creative art of performance and speaking out with women sharing their personal experiences, worldwide social change is possible—leading more women to share their stories while spreading the influence, providing others with hope and strength, and helping to find happiness within the body and soul.

As discussed in the course, Creativity + Social Change, there are many aspects of life in which the presence of creativity is beneficial. For example, in education, prison systems, and spirituality.

It was interesting to hear Eve Ensler make a connection to the topic of spirituality within her lecture. She referred to a Buddhist convention, which she had attended and where she was told that she would find happiness by the end of the program. Eve, on the other hand, thought the idea was obscene. She didn’t believe in happiness, and thought that only idiots were happy. How could one find happiness in a life filled with suffering and pain?

I, for one, could somewhat agree and understand Ensler’s opinion. Though at the same time, I wondered how she could say such a thing when all of those suffering women who were brave enough to share their stories with her, as well as the whole world, managed to lead so many other woman to escape; freeing themselves of the pain and suffering to then find internal happiness.

I was glad to hear Eve Ensler end her lecture referring back to the beginning where she referred to the concept of happiness. Throughout her journey around the world speaking to all sorts of women and hearing their stories she had finally come to terms with what she had come to understand as happiness—and for me to hear this was very comforting and inspirational. I would urge everyone, men and women, to think about this deeply, and consider it in your own lives, no matter who you are or what you are going through.

Ensler closes her lecture saying that happiness exists in action, through telling the truth, and giving away what you want most. Most importantly, she emphasizes that social change comes about when we give to the world what we want the most, and as a result, we heal the broken part inside each of us.

Commentary: On James O’Brien's PopTech Talk ... Hands-on Education

By Angela Hyde
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut
Media Reviewed:

PopTech: James O'Brien: Hands-on Education
2009 PopTech Fellow James O’Brien assembled a staff of like-minded educators to create BCAM – Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School. The fledgling educational-innovation tank combines performance-based academics and professional training in media and arts to prepare teenagers for success in the 21st century.

The current education system in the United States is failing many of the young people it is meant to prepare to take their places as responsible, contributing members of modern society. The system as it exists is archaic, focusing on teaching knowledge and skills that are no longer relevant in today’s knowledge-based global economy. Many students are being totally lost in the system, missing out not only on personal fulfillment and growth, but also on the ability to become productive, engaged workers and citizens. Is there another way to approach how we educate our youth so that they are truly prepared to enter the world after high school? Is it possible to nurture and develop their innate curiosity into a lifelong love of learning that provides the foundation to become the problem solvers and innovators of tomorrow?

James O’Brien, principal and founder of the Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School (BCAM), is building an environment at that school to tackle these challenges, employing unconventional methods and approaches. The mission at BCAM is to support and provide a relevant education to ninth through twelfth graders, preparing them for college and careers beyond high-school graduation. The challenge is heightened by the additional issues of daily urban life: student literacy capabilities that range from college-ready to third- and fourth-grade reading levels; a student population that feels alienated and unmotivated and that lives in an environment of violence, crime and gang affiliations.

To implement their goals, the innovative staff at BCAM developed a “21st Century Professional Preparatory Model Curriculum,” which uses a three-pronged approach to educating students: academics, creative arts as part of the core curriculum, and professional development. Mr. O’Brien discusses how the school meets students at their level and works with them to develop their talents and skills. Academics are steeped in the inquiry model, and students are taught to relate the lessons learned in academics with what is happening in their lives and to connect with their communities. Because in New York state all students are required to pass five Regent exams in order to graduate from high school, preparation for those tests is incorporated into the academics portion of the curriculum. Arts, which include fine arts and media arts, are required for three years to foster personal expression and creativity. To foster professional development, the school partners with professional organizations and businesses where students serve internships that involve them in the work world. Mr. O’Brien is pursuing paid internships, which would give the high school students added incentive to be truly “invested” in their work and futures.

While BCAM is still in its infancy, it is an example of how educators are going outside of the current education model to create vital, engaged education systems that address the needs of young people and their world.

For more information on the state of education in the United States and a look at how others are revolutionizing education, check out these Web sites/video clips:

• http://www.nctaf.org/resources/research_and_reports/nctaf_research_reports/documents/Chapter4.Carroll.pdf
• http://poptech.com/popcasts/dennis_littky_on_big_picture_ed
• http://poptech.com/popcasts/eric_dawson_peace_games

Commentary: On Ken Robinson's TED Talk ... Schools Kill Creativity

By Brooke Smith
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut
Media Reviewed:

TED Conference: February 2006
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. In this talk, he makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Background:
I watched a video presentation from the TED Conference. The ultimate goal of TED is to highlight, study, and show how one can use the gift of human imagination. The man giving the speech was Sir Ken Robinson. He grew up in England and moved to California later in life. The speech was easy to listen to and humorous. Sir Ken Robinson used to be a university professor but now writes and speaks about creativity and education. The speech took place in Monterey, California, in February 2006 during a four-day TED Conference.

Commentary:
This video relates to our class in many ways. Sir Ken Robinson spoke about the main goal of changing our education system and how we use this system to teach our young children. He believes that creativity is the backbone to every individual and that traditional education teaches children how to conform to become studious while losing their creativity. According to him, the definition of creativity is, "the process of having original ideas that have value." In class, we spoke about this exact concern with the educational system. I believe that teachers should modify the way they attempt to conduct their classrooms. According to the video, education was created before the 1900s to meet the needs of industrialization. The most useful subjects back then were reading, writing and mathematics. This time period began steering children away from things they enjoyed because there was no future in being a musician or a dancer. Instead, the goal was to force everyone to become academic and find careers that they may not enjoy but will obtain financial success.

Sir Ken Robinson said: "We have a huge vested interest in [education], partly because it's education that's meant to take us into this future that we can't grasp." I agree with this statement. Traditional education and the subjects it deems important have become outdated. The times have changed and it is time we revamp the goal, focus and purpose of education. If we do this, we can better prepare our children for the uncertain future and the necessary skills needed to be successful today.

The speaker believed that children "all have tremendous talents, we [adults and education] squander them." How do we create schools and education to stop dismissing creativity and talent? This question was asked in class. I do not believe that there is just one change that would fix the educational system. Instead, it is many little changes such as teaching style, use of technology, etc., that would help begin a new style of learning. Children are full of imagination and talent. This is the main reason I love my job. I go to work every day and learn more from the children than they learn from me. They may not know that they do this, but I love their innocence, imaginations, ideas and passion. Children are very passionate about most of the things they do. "Kids will take a chance, even if they don't know how to do something or why they are, they still try," Robinson said. It is only through our educational eystem and adults telling children "No" that we hinder and/or stop children's creativity.

I took down many interesting things that Sir Ken Robinson said. These are just a few of the quotes that stuck with me.

• Creativity is as important now as literacy.
• If you not prepared to be wrong we will never be original.
• The challenge is how to remain an artist, because we were all born as one. (quoting Picasso)
• Highly brilliant people and brilliantly creative people no longer think this way because of being STIGMATIZED in school.

This video was easy to watch and full of valuable information on why the need to change the educational hierarchy is necessary to adequately prepare future generations. Instead, we are setting children up for failure. A degree no longer holds as much value as it once did. Everyone has them now. Instead, you have to continue your education and obtain higher degrees like a master's degree or law degree. It is time for a change to our system. How can we as individuals begin this change? Will it help future generations if we do?

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