Northeast Ohio Regional Library System
Event Description
Geographic Member/Other Cost:    $180
Full/CE Member Cost:              $  90


The morning starts with Kristen Simmons, author of the Article 5 series.   This will be followed by a best practices session to include out of the box programming for children and teens.  Lastly, the day will end with sparking your imagination and those of your customers.





 
Location
Kent State University
Student Center
1175 Riseman Dr.
Kent, oh 44242

click here for Google Maps
Contact Person
Melissa Lattanzi
(phone: 330-655-0531)
Details
Morning:
Kristen Simmons
writes young adult fiction - the kind that's dark and scary but generally involves some kissing. She's the author of ARTICLE 5 (2012), BREAKING POINT (2013), and THREE (2014), as well as THE GLASS ARROW (2015), and METALTOWN (2016).

Afternoon:
Wonder, Imagination and the Rest of Life:
How to activate and channel the beauty and challenge of young people


Come explore wonder with us. Recharge your imagination with wonder, and have the opportunity to see the same things in a new way and new things in a new way. Most importantly, begin transforming your library and programming by creating a climate and culture of wonder that unfolds unlimited opportunities for learning.

"To engage young people, to improve learning, to help students reach and extend past their goals, requires special people who have the imaginative capacity to believe in human potential.

We begin our lives with learning everything we can. We wonder about why things happen and how things work. Our imagination lights up with question after question about our how the world works…we engage in observation, in play, and in trial and error just to learn everything we can. Over time, as we know more, and become more conscious of the act of learning, and of knowing, our capacity for childlike learning diminishes Certainly, we may be curious about new subjects and different types of learning, but it is rare to be able to capture the same spirit of wonder about learning that inhabits all children.

But that’s exactly what libraries have the capacity to foster, not just for children, but as a mindset for young people to embrace as they transition from childhood in to adulthood and beyond.

Libraries, with resources that make new worlds readily available to their customers, promote wonder, fuel the imagination, and can re-establishes these key traits as the essential elements of the learning and living equation. What if libraries were a base camp for wonder?

Presenters:  Christian Long  & Joel Daniel Harris
Christian is an educator, school planner, and passionate advocate for innovative learning communities. He holds a master’s degree in education, with a concentration in school design, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as a bachelor’s degree in English and a certificate of secondary education from Indiana University (Bloomington). Christian is the co-founder of WONDER (by Design): A Learning and Design Expedition, a collaborative multi-disciplined venture that explores the future of learning thru a human-centered design lens. He is also the proud founder of Prototype Design Studio, an on-going experimentation in social-driven design done in partnership with students, teachers, professional creatives, and community leaders around the world. Christian speaks internationally on topics ranging from design thinking mindsets, trends in education, emerging technologies, and innovative school design practices. He also embraces any chance to talk passionately about the hero’s journey, wonder and curiosity. Christian is married to Karla, a brilliant middle school principal, social studies teacher and experiential education leader. They have 2 young children (Beckett, class of 2025, and Berkeley, class of 2027) that wonderfully help shape (and challenge) everything they know about education and learning.

Joel Daniel Harris is an idea-preneur, community activator, and is the founder and Executive Dreamer of TomTod Ideas. TomTod is a dream incubator for middle school students that helps them launch their ideas that are centered on community development. They’re housed in a the Main Library of the Stark County District Library and work with students in a variety of in and out of school settings. Joel brings over a decade of full-time work with middle school students to the table and is particularly interested in helping young people start taking action and leading today, rather than waiting for “someday” to finally arrive. A Malone University graduate with a Liberal Arts major, Joel also has a masters degree from George Fox University in Portland, OR. A lifelong resident of NE Ohio, Joel is invested in seeing the region grow and thrive. Joel is a Leadership Stark County graduate, founder of Seismos (a non-conference for practitioners in youth ministry from around the midwest), and facilities training for companies on imagination’s practical uses in daily leadership challenges. He is married to the lovely Joy and they are proud, brand new parents of Everett Jeanette (class of 2032?).

 
 
Event Documents/Images

Youth Services Symposium XXVI: Spark Your Imagination


Face to Face Event


return to Northeast Ohio Regional Library System