August 20 to 27, 2016
The Chairs for LOAS 2, 2016 are
  Alison Green and Nora Schmidt

"Creating a Pandemic of Global Compassion
through Education & Media"

Alison Green & Nora SchmidtDavid Lehman, PhD, will discuss the essentials of global compassion and its critical role in emotional and societal health.  He’ll highlight this by sharing examples from several organizations fostering compassion, from schools for all ages from around the world, and from his decades of experience in educationJoin us to be inspired and to bring home ideas for change!  

 

Theme Speaker
David Lehman, PhD.
David Lehman, PhD, eminent educational consultant, founder of two alternative schools, and long-time UU, will discuss global compassion and its critical role in emotional and societal health. He’ll highlight this by sharing examples from organizations fostering compassion, schools for all ages from around the world, and from his decades of experience in education. Dave earned his BA in Religion from Ohio Wesleyan University, his MEd in Biology Education from the University of Virginia and finally, a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas in Austin. He founded two alternative schools and served as principal of one in Ithaca, NY for several decades, as well as published numerous articles and trained a wide array of educators. Dave has been invited to speak to diverse audiences all over the country and greatly enjoys and excels at engaging with people of all ages. 

A long-time member of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca where he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for 2 terms, Dave was an active member of the Social Justice Council and RE Committee. Please join us in welcoming Dave and his wife, Judy, to Star Island. Get ready to be inspired and to bring home ideas for change in your own community. 


Minister Of The Week

Rev. Frank Clarkson has been serving the UU Church of Haverhill, MA, for the past eight years. He received his M.Div. from Episcopal Divinity School in 2004, was ordained to the UU ministry in 2005, and was the assistant minister at the North Parish of North Andover, MA, for three years before being called to serve the Haverhill congregation. Previously a freelance photographer, Frank is grateful to be a parish minister because he believes in the power of religious community to transform lives and our world. 

Frank has been married to Tracey for 29 years and they are the proud parents of 2 young adult children. Frank is passionate about fly fishing and also craves silence, southern food, and time to read.


Registrar:
Mary Heafy

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LOAS II Youth Group Team

Youth Coordinator:
Jen LaBaire

     Floater:
Susan Haase

Youth Group Leaders

Name: Malaga Group
Ages:  0.1 to 3
Meets at: Louisa's Barn
Leaders: Mike Scott
and Sally Hostetler
MIKE SCOTT SALLY HOSTETLER
Name: Lunging Group
Grades:  Pre-K to 1st
Meets at: The Kiddie Barn
Leaders: Dana Shoultz
and Gemma Scott
DANA SHOULTZ GEMMA SCOTT
Name: Cedar Group
Grades:  2nd and 3rd
Meets at: Lawrence Hall
Leaders:
Ankur Matthew
and Ellen Grahl
Ankur Matthew ELLEN GRAHL
Name: Duck Group
Grades:  4th, 5th and 6th
Meets at: ...
Leaders: Jessica Robidoux
and Toby (Tie Dye) Dills
JESSICA ROBIDOUX TOBY DILLS

Name: Smuttynose Group
Grades:  7th, 8th and 9th
Meets at: ...
Leaders: Mike Leger
and Pete Trufahnestock

MIKE LEGER Pete Trufahnestock

Name: Appledore Group
Grades:  10th, 11th & 12th
Meets at: Marshman
Leaders: Anna Henschel
and Mike Millspaugh

ANNA HENSCHEL & MICHAEL MILLSPAUGH ANNA HENSCHEL & MICHAEL MILLSPAUGH

Workshops and Starbursts:

WORKSHOPS
Week long classes offered daily

The Writing Circle
with Ellen Schmidt

E.M. Forster once wrote, "How do I know what I think till I see what I say?"  We are often amazed at what we say in our own writing.  In the Writing Circle you can write from your heart in a warm, supportive, and creative setting. 
Enjoy the magic of writing in a group.  People do some of their best writing this way. The Writing Circle is a unique way of getting to know each other and ourselves better. Write spontaneously and without judging.  There is no wrong way to do this. Each day I will provide a spark –a special stimulus that is practically guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing.    Everyone is welcome, whether you write often or think you might like to give it a try.  Come one day, several, or all week.
  

Ellen Schmidt www.WritingRoomWorkshops.com

 

Compassion Meditation
Led by Rev. Allen Wells

A practical way, within a community of loving support, for developing  strength from stillness, for gaining insights into the basic nurturing side of our being and for fostering compassion in our daily living.  In the Buddhist tradition, compassion practice is one of four “virtuous abidings” (Brahma Viharas) that include loving kindness (metta), sympathetic joy (mudita),  compassion (karuna) and equanimity (upekka).  We will explore the nature of all four since they are interrelated, and at times, we need one more than the other. We’ll also distinguish between the attitudes of compassion, empathy, and sympathy, that we sometimes confuse, to our detriment.  Practicing the “Brahma Viharas” will provide learning from the heart to complement our theme talk and infuse our activism with love. To quote the Dalai Lama, “My religion is loving kindness.”  
Rev. Allen Wells has been practicing insight meditation (vipassana) for the past 25 years.  He is a mind/body oriented psychotherapist and affiliated Community Minister of The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, NJ. He is a graduate of the Integrated Study/Practice Program of The Barre Center for Buddhist studies.  He has also traveled to India to investigate the practices of The Buddha on site.  He enjoys teaching meditation and he likes to mix spirituality with humor.

YOGA:
with Nicola Hayward

In this workshop we will focus on practical relaxation and awareness techniques to help you bring yoga off the mat and into your daily life.  We will also explore the relationship between the acceptance and compassion we show ourselves and how we impact the world.  This workshop is open to every level of experience.  We will begin each day by cultivating awareness to our bodies and the relationship between body and mind using drawing, writing, breathing, relaxation, and meditation.  We will then deepen our awareness through the practice of Hatha yoga.   This means holding postures or asanas to gently and persistently touch and release tension and to train the mind to remain relaxed, comfortable, steady, and still under pressure.  The practice also includes movement flows, or vinyasas, to circulate the energy we build and periods of relaxation to allow us to integrate and experience the effects of our work.  This is a time to love the clay you are made of, to feel the imprints of your life upon it, and to realize, experience, and harness your constant remaking.

"Soapstone Carving":
with Candis Dixon

  For safety reasons, the island management has requested that we not do soapstone carving this year. 

But never fear! Candis is cooking up a surprise workshop to tempt everyone’s creative spirits—stay tuned!

Comics Workshop
led by John Bent

The aim of this workshop is to look at comics/graphic novels as a medium uniquely suited to exploring personal narratives and engendering empathy and understanding. The workshop will look at how comics, through the use of image and text, draw upon both written language and the more abstract and open-ended visual language inherent in drawing and visual art to communicate complicated and nuanced subject matter. An exploration of the visual language of comics and sequential art will help participants understand how comic artists use panels, gutters (the space between panels), page layouts and drawing style to communicate time, frame and the emotional content of a narrative. Participants will be provided with a packet of comic stories from a wide and diverse collection of authors. The packet will be divided into different narrative threads of comic writing, including Social Justice, Personal Narrative/Memoir, Surrealism/Fantasy, and Journalism. A discussion of the comics in the packet from the perspective of comics technique will help participants to understand how comics can communicate powerful messages in ways that novels, films and other media cannot. Participants may also have the option to write and draw their own one to two page story, if time allows.

Paid for, in part, by an ISA grant. Thank you ISA!!!

Improv Workshop 
by Alexandra Landau

Alexandra Landau is so excited to be leading her improvisation workshop again this year! Last year it was great to see all her workshoppers open up and feel free to try out new things and take risks in a fun, accepting environment. Participants will take part in imagination exercises to unlock their minds so that they can use all their senses to imagine new and interesting possibilities, which will aid them not only in making interesting decisions in acting exercises, but in communicating with people in everyday life and looking at life through a more creative lens. They will also engage in activities to open up their physicality for use in acting exercises. They will practice the skill of listening and responding to a partner truthfully, which is the basis of all acting, and of meaningful, open communication in life. Everyone of all ages and experience levels is welcome to come to the workshop in order to try out something fun and new that they haven’t done before, so that they can laugh, build community, and learn to accept, listen, and play with others.

Workshop on "Angel Investing"
led by Tom Blum

Tom BlumTom Blum has been an active angel investor in start-up companies for over 15 years. He will discuss the ABCs of Angel Investing, current trends, why fortunes made by first round funders in Uber and Pinterest doesn't mean your nephew's company will succeed, and unicorn hunting.  

Expect discussions on topics such as how angels differ from venture capitalists, what are "crowdfunding, angel groups, accelerators and incubators", and how the current angel euphoria is changing the US economy.

Just What We Need: A Bunch of White People Talking About Race…  
led by John Freund

 No doubt:  we can debate about how to explain it, or to define it, or over how bad it really is, and why it is.  But the fact is, racism continues to play a role in how our society is structured and how we relate to each other on a daily basis.  The privilege that white people regularly enjoy is the ability to be blithe about race.  It's The System, right?  Yes.  But what is my part in the system?  How have I benefited?  How has it hurt me?  And how have I helped to sustain it, even if I didn't create it?  This workshop will challenge us to ask these questions of the person in the mirror. There will be presentations in the form of music, words and images, as well as moderated Covenant-Circle-style, safe-space, honest discussion.  Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend but we request that you commit to attending every day for the entire week as each day will build on the previous one.

MINI-Workshop

Getting Older: Topics We Care About
led by Michelle Kunz

Day 1: Hospital Induced Delirium Prevention Workshop or
“Why Grandpa wasn’t the same after he got home from his hip replacement surgery”
     Hospital-induced delirium is a sudden and severe change in mental status which affects more than 7 million hospitalized Americans each year. In fact, older people who show no signs of confusion at home may become quite disoriented or forgetful in the hospital.
     This workshop, conducted by Michelle Kunz, Certified Senior Advisor and Professional Patient Advocate, and owner of Senior Care Management, will give you the tools to understand what hospital induced delirium is, why it happens, what outcomes can be expected and what can be done to prevent delirium.

Day 2: Shoalers’ Choice
     Michelle will talk on a topic or topics that are requested by conferees. Since there is such a diversity of issues surrounding aging, Michelle would like to have discussions and share information on topics that are of current interest to those attending. So get your ideas and questions to Michelle via email at mkunz@srcaremgmt.com not later than August 10, and she will pick the one(s) that seems most relevant to the most people. She will have the topic available to conferees on the first day of the conference. 

S T AR B U R S T S
Single, 45 Minute Mini-Workshops to fill in your days

The Musical History Tour in 3 Installments by Diane Taraz
Star Island Melodies, Songs of the Sea, Step Back in Time
Book Group led by Jane Elkin:
"All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Online Dating for Adults led by Laird and Susie Henna Tattoos for Adults with Terri Behm
Painting Stone Mandalas with CeCe Braun Film Noir - with David Landau 

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