CEF Newsletter - Creative Eductation Foundation

Given its popular reception, Callaway Gardens will once again be the venue for CPSI next June. In the follow-up survey, over 80 attendees responded to give us a strong understanding of what worked and what needs to be improved. Overall, 90% felt that the conference was excellent/good, and 80% felt that the venue was excellent/good. Receiving the most room for improvement was the food, which was considered too “Southern Greasy” and repetitive. Work will be done to make improvements for next year.

Interesting to note, the type of venue was less an issue than the conference committee anticipated: 41% said it did not matter, 36% preferred a hotel or Conference facility, and 18% preferred a campus. In regard to length of the conference, it is surprising that 63% would like the conference to remain 5 days. We anticipated that more respondents would want a reduction in days.

More news to come as we continue to prepare for next year’s CPSI! If you are interested in volunteering, please send a note to CPSI@CPSIconference.com.

In September, CEF Consulting dispatched a team to the Idea Festival held in Louisville, Kentucky. The assignment: to conduct “Do Tanks” for IDEA Festival sponsor The Geek Squad in support of their “What’s Your BIG Idea?” national challenge aimed at coming up with “green” solutions to the world’s current challenges. As a member of the team, along with Russ Schoen and illustrator Mike Werner, we set up in the stunning 21C Art Museum/Hotel to work with the contest winners in developing their ideas.

Six contest winners from across the USA arrived in Louisville for the three-day festival, to be facilitated through the “Do Tank” sessions. In the sessions, Geek Squad ringers assisted the CEF Consulting team as part of resource groups that fleshed out each winning idea - all of which involve creating greener and sustainable technology.
Michael Hurley, contest winner said, “I think [the facilitation team was] fantastic -- essential. The thinking was guided in a way that produced positive results – all the while making it fun.” Jim Marquart, a conference attendee who sat in, enthused, “I must commend your organization for an outstanding program. This should be a required course for all preschoolers/school grads/high school grads and all college grads as a way to improve the quality of life and the conservation of our planet. These gentlemen did an extraordinary job … Thanks for one of the most thought-provoking, educational experiences in my 73 years of life.”

Brian Beswick, Geek Resource remarked, “This style took me from not sure of sharing to sharing every idea I had, no matter how crazy it was.” David Vail, also of The Geek Squad added, “The Do Tanks were phenomenal from process to leadership to execution – They were vibrant, energetic, fun and extremely effective.”

The IDEA Festival is the brainchild of organizer Kris Kimmel, President of the Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation. Now in its 7th year, the festival featured numerous sessions related to innovation over its 3 day run. The 2007 marquis keynote speakers were Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computer and renowned science fiction author Ray Bradbury, who at 84, appeared on the stage via satellite, as a hologram at the closing event. For more information on IDEA Festival and the Geek Squad Do Tanks, go to: www.ideafestival.com, http://ideafest.geeksquad.com You may also want to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7--dy9nAl4M

By Doug Stevenson CEF

At the end of September, a team of eight US and eight South African volunteers and one CEF staff member conducted a week-long CEF YouthWise program in Stellenbosch, South Africa. In addition to providing instruction support, the South African Team members were especially helpful in translating and languages and connecting the US team to the culture and local challenges. Team members include:

Teaching and planning support: Victoria Cliche, Kitty Heusner, John Holcombe, Anna Louise Koetze, Peter Koetze, Daniel Konstabel, Donna Luther, Gloria Mini, Suzie Nussel, and Belkist Padilla, Elise Steenkamp and Adam Vanwilling

This marked the fifth year of the program. CEF has been involved since the inception of the Paul Roos Akademie in 2003, when former CEF Board Member Kobus Neethling read about its formation and contacted the School. Joette Field was recruited to develop the curriculum and together with a team of volunteers including Ginger Bernd, launched the program.

Below is Victoria Cliche’s account of one day spent at CEF YouthWise South Africa.

Here we are in Stellenbosch, a quaint town established by Dutch settlers. The inn where we stay is steps from the prestigious Paul Roos Gymnasium, a private school for boys.

During the four academic vacations each year, such as this week, the school is attended by youth who are referred to in this culture as “black” and “colored” children. Most of them speak Afrikaans or Xhosa and speak English only as a second or third language. They have been identified by their schools and selected by Paul Roos to attend the Akademie program – the only one of its kind in the nation. The program is dedicated to supplementing the children’s education with academics, culture and Creative Problem Solving skills. The two primary goals of the program are 1) ensuring the youth can pass the 11th grade “matrics” exam that determines University placement, and 2) broadening their horizons and giving them better choices in life.

Our mornings are spent with the 10th Graders (our YouthWise “Level 4’s”) who will be deepening their learning about creative thinking while being exposed to new concepts on leadership. There are 33 children divided into four “Leadership Teams,” each facilitated by two adults. There are many smiles, many hopes and many dreams. Their major assignment - woven into the CPS teaching - is to create a flag for the Soccer World Cup being held in South Africa in 2010.

“Each of you will design your own individual logo” Donna Milani Luther, Head of School, Inly School, tells the students. “As a team, you will design a logo for South Africa that will tell the world what you want it to know about your country. You will place all of the logos on the flag and make a unified presentation.” The room is a buzz with ideas and discussion as each team works through the CPS process.

John Frederick, Executive Director, Center for Executive Leadership and Change, Daemon College and volunteer organizer of CEF YouthWise for two years, announces that we will be moving into our “Coaching Teams,” which are composed of 3 students and one CEF volunteer or staff member. We break into 11 teams and spread out on the lawn outside the lecture hall. The students bring their journals. The assignment is to identify a leader in your local community and the qualities that make this person a leader. What qualities would you like to emulate and potentially incorporate into your personal logo?

When asked who he had chosen, a boy in my group replies, “My father because he gives me everything I need: food, shelter and education … and he treats me with no terror.” This prompts a discussion about discipline, fairness and respect. Each teenager shares their role model and journals reflections in the small group. The children are all able to find someone to look up to: a parent, community worker, minister or a teacher.

In each grade level, CEF introduces ways to work on communication skills and presence. For the 10th graders, they have the opportunity to be interviewed on video tape and/or make a statement about creativity. These interviews are conducted continuously by Belkist Padilla, President, Insights Marketing Group, first-time CEF YouthWise volunteer and John Holcombe, CEF Board Member and volunteer.

The students reconvene in their Leadership Teams and prepare to close out the day. They have a journaling exercise reflecting on what they learned and then all come together in a circle for a closing song lead by one of the Leadership Teams.

The students break for lunch. The CEF team, composed of South Africans and Americans, scrambles to prepare for the two afternoon groups: twenty-one 11th-graders (level 4.5) for whom this is their last week of their final year at the Akademie, and fifty-four 9th-graders (level 2) for whom this is their second exposure to CPS.

The 11th graders are introduced to using Lego Serious Play as a tool for building models that frame community challenges and solutions that can be brought back to their communities.

Ian Corbett, Knoco South Africa, who has volunteered with CEF for several years, leads this level with assistance from John Frederick, Judy Reid, Literacy Specialist, and John Holcombe. The young men divide into four groups but struggle with the concept of a metaphor. John Holcombe sets up an exercise using Visual Explorer, a multi-image tool created by David Horth and Chuck Palus at the Center for Creative Leadership. This allows the participants to select images that can be used to represent ideas. There are many “ah-ha’s.” The word metaphor is now constantly on their lips. They have grasped the concept and the teams are now ready to tackle their assignment of representing challenges with 3-D models they craft from Lego.

The groups create models that frame the issues of HIV/AIDs (both the threat of the disease and issues facing those infected), gangs and child abuse. “What is that about?” I ask one of the groups. “This is called ‘The River to Success.’ The model has little figures (youth) on one side and a shiny trophy cup and a man dressed in a tux and top hat on the other. Between the two sides are a path and a river. Across the entrance to the bridge over the river is a huge crocodile with a skeleton in its mouth.” The group explains, “There is only one path. Everyone must go this way. It is hard to survive.”

The CEF team understands this all too well: In previous years Tiyo had emerged as one of our shining students. Derek Swartz, the Paul Roos math instructor had been trying to assess how he might be able to send Tiyo to University as he saw so much promise in him. Tiyo had been in touch with Judy over the course of the last year to inquire “Please ma’am, you said I was a leader. Please remind me how?” Tiyo did not return this year. He was killed by a stray bullet from a gang shootout near his home last December.

I return to the 9th graders who have already completed a review of “What They Know” lead by Kitty Heusner, CEF Board Member and first-time CEF YouthWise Volunteer. Additionally, they have been introduced to a four-part song by Donna and participated in an experiential CPS activity lead by Tom Potter, CEO, Parent Education Program, who is returning to CEF YW in South Africa for the 4th year.

They are now to be introduced to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. “I wonder if I asked ‘Who in this room is smart?’ how many of you would raise your hand?” Laughter, a few hands go up, a class wise-guy jumps up waiving two hands. “What does it mean to be smart?” There is less humor, more thoughtful reflection. “You’re good in math!” one child offers. “You can write,” shares another. These are acknowledged as correct. “What if I told you, ‘You are all smart?’” Over the course of the next hour, the 9th graders learn about the eight smarts. They assess their view of their abilities relative to the “smarts.” They self-select their area of preference and join with others of the same preference. They then plan and perform their chosen smart in front of the larger group.

One of the volunteers, Suzie Nussel, has brought her camera and printing equipment. Students, some of whom have not yet been photographed, clamor to get in front of the lens. At each tea time they ask for extra photos. There are pictures of pairs of friends, a student with a facilitator and group pictures, all of which helps to reinforce their experience.

The 9th graders also end their day in reflection through a journaling exercise on “I wish statements” lead by Belkist and Suzie. Before departing, they fill out a “Way to Go!” slip for their learning buddy and drop it into the individual’s mail pouch created from a paper bag with his/her photo clipped to the front.

CEF has been conducting the program in South Africa since 2003 and was proud to see the first 21 young men, out of the original group of 60, graduate from the Akademie. We are eager to see the next group of the thirty-three 10th grade boys and girls graduate next September. We hope the CEF community will give generously to this program. Each life touched may be a life saved or, at the very least, a life changed for the better.

Carly McKay, whom many of you know from CPSI registration, completed her year and a half long internship at CEF in August.

Carly has been working on her Bachelors Degree with a focus on communication disorders, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is pursuing her field of study at the Hillside Elementary School in Needham, MA. Her current assignment is helping two third-grade boys integrate into the mainstream classroom. She also works one-on-one with them in private tutoring sessions. Carly says that both boys are lovely and have a great sense of humor.

After two years at CPSI, Carly is hooked. She stopped into CEF recently and expressed he hopes of returning to CPSI in ’08 to see all of you. We are most appreciative of her good work, cheerful disposition and customer service. We wish her the best in her career pursuits.

Pim Vossen, CEF intern from the Netherlands, left this summer to return home to finish his studies. Majoring in Facilities Management, Pim is currently working on his thesis. With his work, he hopes to convince the faculty of his University to integrate Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving (CPS) into the curriculum with an ultimate goal of having all students trained in CPS before they graduate. After graduation, Pim hopes to return to the States to continue his work with CEF.

This is your opportunity to make a difference! CEF is looking for an individual willing to step up and coordinate the volunteers who give of their time to help move the Creative Education Foundation forward.

The Volunteer Coordinator’s main responsibilities will be to plan, develop, and implement volunteer programs, recruit volunteers, and supervise volunteers in support of the Creative Education Foundation.

The right individual will have great organizational, people and communication skills. Will know how to keep volunteers on task through positive reinforcement, know when and where volunteers are needed.

The individual we are looking for will have some or all of the following skill sets:
• Principles and practices of volunteer management.
• Strong communicator, both written and verbal. Is able to produce written documents in English with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Work cooperatively with CEF staff and the general CEF community.
• Effective computer skills on PC or Mac.
• Some experience in volunteer management, HR or a related field.
• Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.

If you have any interest in this position or know of someone who might fit the bill, please contact Lisa Karlin: lisakarlin@cpsiconference.com

Buffalo State College, newly created tenure-track assistant /associate professor, Creative Studies Department, to focus on leadership begin Fall Semester 2008. Competitive salary.

Responsibilities: Teach undergraduate leadership minor courses with opportunities for teaching graduate creativity courses; serve as coordinator for undergraduate leadership minor program; pursue an active research agenda in leadership; provide service to department, campus, and community.

Required Qualifications: Earned doctorate by time of appointment. Formal coursework and experience teaching or training in leadership. Demonstrated knowledge of leadership in theory and practice. Evidence of scholarly productivity in leadership. Ability to work cooperatively as member of a small interdisciplinary team of Creative Studies faculty.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience teaching and/or training in creativity and/or creative problem solving or comparable process. Can articulate a research agenda. Articulates ability and interest in working with undergraduate students and to link leadership and creativity. Articulates an understanding of commitment to educational service.

Review of applications will begin on January 15th and continue until position is filled. Send electronically letter of application (containing your philosophy of teaching, articulation of research interests and agenda, qualities you bring to cooperative work on a small team), CV, 3 letters of recommendation (electronically from the person), to: Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, Search Chair, at kellersm@buffalostate.edu Creative Studies Department, Buffalo State College, Chase Hall 245, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222-1095. For more information visit www.buffalostate.edu.

Editors / Writers: Suzie Nussel, Jane Goldwasser, Doug Stevenson.
Graphics: Justin Horth.
Oversight: Victoria Cliche.

Interested in helping us make the CEF Newsletter great? We need writers, photographers and artists for book reviews, creativity tips, and more. Contact us at CEFNewsletter@creativeeducationfoundation.org.