Author Archives: Sue

About Sue

I work as a facilatator and consultant and am passionate about Appreciative Inquiry, education and working with other like-minded folk to help make this a better world for our children and young people.

AI Foundations Course – May 2009

Date: May 11-13 2009
Time: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm
Location: William Penn House
515 East Capitol St., SE Washington, DC 20003
An Approach for Faster and Deeper Understanding of Change

A 3-day workshop for individuals, groups, and group leaders to gain a fresh perspective on an old idea. It is an opportunity to learn how to turn dialog into action.

This workshop is ideal for people in position of leadership, and for groups with projects or tasks that are calling for creative and innovative approaches.

Course facilitators, Marge Schiller PhD. and Joyce Lemke, have worked with a variety of groups from schools to social services, and advocacy groups to business leaders. For three days, they will be at The William Penn House teaching a dynamic and life-changing course.

Cost
$150/person ($125/person for groups of 4 or more*) CEU/CEC available for some professions
*groups of 4 or more from same organization/ project

Contact
For questions, or to register, contact
Brad Ogilvie
Phone: 202-543-5560
Fax: 202-543-3814
E-mail: Brad@WilliamPennHouse.org

The William Penn House is located in the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, convenient to DC Metro

Download Flyer

Asking Great Questions – April 2009

Asking Great Questions … get GREAT results!

The Art of Creative Dialog

Date: April 20-22 2009
Time: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm
Location: Duncan Conference Center, Delray Beach, Florida

We have been taught to look for the right answers but perhaps it’s actually the questions that determine our quality of life! You may have spent time and energy finding answers, but we’d like to suggest that the real answer lies in the questions we ask of ourselves and each other. When you ask a question, you open worlds.

Why settle for less?

Learn to build strengths on strengths.  Energize the BEST in people AND your church, organization, or business.

This two day workshop is part of a series on Appreciative Inquiry and Leadership. It is appropriate for those who are new to Appreciative Inquiry and those who have had experience.

Workshop facilitators, Marge Schiller PhD. and Joyce Lemke, have worked with a variety of groups from schools to social service, and advocacy groups to business leaders. Marge is the author and editor of “Appreciative Leaders: in the Eye of the Beholder”. Joyce is a noted educator and thought leader for Appreciative Inquiry.

Cost $185 per person with lunch; 3+ from one organization @ $165 ea.

Download flyer and registration form

Or contact Deb McLaughlin
The Duncan Conference Center
15820 S. Military Trail Delray Beach, Fl. 33484
Phone: 561-496-4130
Email: dmclaughlin@duncancenter.org

Note: The Duncan Center has overnight accommodations for 80 people. Semi-private rooms with private bath. Rooms are spacious and quiet with small lounge areas in each building. Each room fitted with twin beds and some queen beds, and has its own library, clock radio, and individual climate controls.

Living Values Education at Aventura School

Dear Partners in Positive School Cultures,

Some of you know abut Living Values Education Program (www.livingvalueseducation.org ) which is a ten year old non-profit all volunteer organization dedicated to being a part of a global movement for a culture of peace in the framework of the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. All of our approaches are strength based.

We incorporate Ai in to all our staff trainings and have been working with school systems in USA and the countries around us and belong to such groups as the Character Education Partnership out of D.C. where we provided a presentation at their annual conference on the results of our parenting groups in Dade County. We have a series of books that help adults come up with activities with different ages in 12 values (http://www.livingvalueseducation.org/Resources/Book_Overview/Book_Overview.htm )

We have just learned that one of the schools (Aventura School in Florida} we have worked with these past seven years is a finalist for national recognition. Here is the official release.

TWENTY-SEVEN SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS SELECTED AS NATIONAL FINALISTS IN PRESTIGIOUS CHARACTER EDUCATION COMPETITION
Winners to be selected in late May
February 25, 2009 . . . Washington, DC

The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has named twenty-five schools and two districts as National Finalists in its National Schools of Character (NSOC) awards program. CEP, the nation’s leading advocate for quality character education, chose the 27 National Finalists from a record 185 applicants across the United States. CEP will be conducting site visits to all National Finalists throughout the end of April. CEP’s Blue Ribbon Panel will then meet to select approximately 10 winners in May.

“CEP congratulates all the applicants and commends them for the important work they are doing to develop young people of good character,” CEP Executive Director Joe Mazzola said. “Character education has never been more important. It is a genuine honor to recognize these exemplar schools that are setting the standard for the rest of the nation.”

Schools or districts selected as the 2009 National Schools of Character will receive the award, national recognition, and a financial grant at CEP’s 16th National Forum on Character Education, Citizens of Character – the Foundation of Democracy, to be held October 29-31, 2009, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center outside of Washington, DC. Having demonstrated the success of their initiatives through the rigorous NSOC application and screening process, winners use their grants to serve as national leaders and models for other schools and districts seeking to improve their character education efforts.

“We know the NSOC application process is time-consuming and demanding,” NSOC Director Janice Stoodley said. “But applicants repeatedly tell us they benefit from applying. We know the process works. We are able to find schools and districts doing innovative things to connect with kids and connect kids to their communities. We see first-hand the remarkable results these schools are able to achieve in terms of academic achievement and school climate.”

CEP selects the National Finalists on the strength of their written applications, which demonstrate their outstanding work in encouraging the ethical, social, and academic growth of their students through effective character education. In addition to the 27 National Finalists, 28 schools will receive national honorable mention as a result of the strength of their work. CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education, which defines excellence in character education, guides the evaluation and selection of finalists and winners.

Each year since 1998, the NSOC awards program has recognized K-12 schools and districts that provide exemplary comprehensive character education programs that consistently yield positive results in student behavior, citizenship, school climate, and academic performance. For more information about CEP or the NSOC awards program, visit www.character.org.

Character Education Partnership2009 National Schools of Character Award National Finalists:

  • Alta S. Leary Elementary School, Warminster, Pennsylvania
  • Ashland High School, Ashland, Ohio
  • Aventura City of Excellence School, Aventura, Florida
  • Bayless Elementary School, St. Louis, Missouri
  • Bayless Junior High School, St. Louis, Missouri
  • Beverly Elementary School, Beverly Hills, Michigan
  • Beverly Woods Elementary School, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • The Blake School, Hopkins, Minnesota
  • Brigantine Elementary School, Brigantine, New Jersey
  • Col. John Robinson School, Westford, Massachusetts
  • First Philadelphia Charter School for Literacy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Fox C-6 School District, Arnold, Missouri
  • Fuguitt Elementary School, Largo, Florida
  • Greenfield Elementary School, Beverly Hills, Michigan
  • Hamilton Township School District, Hamilton, New Jersey
  • Kehrs Mill Elementary School, Chesterfield, Missouri
  • Lake Riviera Middle School, Brick, New Jersey
  • Long Elementary School, Crestwood, Missouri
  • Lore Elementary School, Ewing, New Jersey
  • Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, Alexandria, Virginia
  • Milwaukee College Prep School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Parkside Primary Center, Bethalto, Illinois
  • Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette, Colorado
  • Seminole Elementary School, Seminole, Florida
  • Sullivan Primary School, Sullivan, Missouri
  • Walnut Street Elementary School, Uniondale, New York
  • Westwood Elementary School, Friendswood, Texas

Geographic distribution:
The 2009 National Finalists represent 15 states. Five states have two or more National Finalists: Missouri (6), New Jersey (4), Florida (3), Michigan (2), and Pennsylvania (2). In 2009, 26 states participated in the State Schools of Character awards program, a preliminary step in reaching the national level of competition. All of the 27 National Finalists were part of this process and named State Finalists in their states.

Demographics:
Most of the 2009 National Finalists are public schools although two are districts and one is a private school. Nineteen of the twenty-five schools are elementary schools, two are middle schools, one is a high school, and three have a mix of grade levels. Most National Finalists are located in suburban settings, although nine of the schools are urban and one of the schools is located in a rural area. A number of the National Finalists have student populations that may be described as low-income; 10 have one-third or more of their students eligible for free and reduced price lunch.

Anne Rarich
Certified Executive Coach and Facilitator
Inscape Publishing
Authorized Distributor
Phone: 978-369-9071
Web: http://www.learning-exchange.com

2009 World AI Conference Call for Workshops

Dear Positive Change Core Colleagues

On behalf of Dr. David Cooperrider, Honorary Conference Chairman, we are pleased to announce the 2009 World Appreciative Inquiry Conference, which will be held November 16-19, 2009 in Kathmandu, Nepal at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Hotel.

In addition to the in-person conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, an Online Conference will also encircle the globe with hundreds of individuals participating virtually.  As such, you have an opportunity to participate in multiple ways either in person in Nepal, online, or both! Learn more about the conference at: http://www.2009worldaiconference.org

As David comments: Why Nepal? This small but extraordinary country represents a region where Appreciative Inquiry has taken root in dozens of nationwide programs, empowering its citizens–including tens of thousands of women from over 100 ethnicities. I cannot imagine a more appropriate or inspiring setting for us to come together as a community of practitioners and scholars to learn from each other and advance the field of strength-based work together. With this setting serving as our inspiration, we will explore the cutting edge work being done around the world in Appreciative Inquiry and other strength- based methodologies that we can take the positive revolution for change to the next level together! I hope to see you there!”

CALL FOR WORKSHOPS:
We are currently inviting workshop proposals for the conference, both for in-person and virtual workshops. We are looking for workshops that are rich in example, interactive and engaging, and which illustrate the most innovative use of Appreciative Inquiry and other strength based change approaches to meet the pressing needs of our communities, governments, civil society organizations, and businesses. The conference workshops are an excellent way to bridge theory and practice and are a powerful way to share your work with organizational leaders, managers, change agents, designers, and innovators from all over the world!

Full details about the call for workshop proposals are available at:
http://www.2009worldaiconference.org/proposal/

Please share the vision of your workshop by using the on-line easy submit form at: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB228S9JLRNUP

The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2009.

For more information on the overall conference agenda and exciting opportunities for co-sponsorship, please visit the conference website at: http://www.2009worldaiconference.org/ or contact: info@2009worldAIconference.org

Finally, please feel free to send the Call for Workshops to people you know. We thank you in advance for your help in identifying the kind of work the whole world should hear about!

Sincerely,
Lindsey N. Godwin, Ph.D.
2009 World AI Conference Co-Chair
Assistant Professor of Management
College of Business
Morehead State University

(Sue James, one of our PCC members, is also on the International Advisory Board for the 2009 World AI Conference.)

Appreciative Inquiry Foundations Course, January 2009

Date: January 20-22 2009
Time: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm
Location: Duncan Conference Center, Delray Beach, Florida

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is research into the root causes of success. It is asking,  ‘What goes well around here, and how can we get more of it?’

This theory-based and highly practical course will focus on:

  • Identifying the basic principles, assumptions and practices of Appreciative Inquiry
  • Identifying how and when to use Appreciative Inquiry
  • Defining a topic
  • Designing questions
  • Telling stories
  • Using the data from stories

Our 3-day course for individuals, groups, and group leaders provides opportunity for participants to gain a solid basic understanding of AI, with many opportunities to learn by doing.

This workshop is ideal for individuals, leadership groups from organizations, educators, clergy, and anyone who is interested in ‘change at the speed of imagination’!

Course facilitators, Marge Schiller PhD. and Joyce Lemke, have worked with a variety of groups from schools to social services, and advocacy groups to business leaders. For three days, they will be at the Duncan Conference Center teaching a dynamic and life-changing course.

Cost: $250 per person (Reasonably priced onsite accommodation also available)

Download Course Flyer

For more information or to register, call Veneta at 561-496-4130 or email her on vlorraine@duncancenter.org

Mail registration and payment to:
Duncan Center
15820 S. Military Trail,
Delray Beach, FL. 33484
http://www.duncancenter.org

Note: The Duncan Center has overnight accommodations for 80 people. Semi-private rooms with private bath. Rooms are spacious and quiet with small lounge areas in each building. Each room fitted with twin beds and some queen beds, and has its own library, clock radio, and individual climate controls.

2008 Annual Positive Change Core Meeting

Thank you to everyone who participated on March 1, 2008 in Deerfield, FL either in person at the Hampden Inn or virtually. This was an extraordinary meeting for PCC. We acknowledged that we are at a critical crossroad in our evolution. We have a rich history of working with school communities that want to change direction to using positive approaches with youth. The experience in our membership attests to the strong commitment and significant skills that we can continue to provide. Our chaordic design products are withstanding tests of use in multiple environments.

We decided that it is time to move forward in a direction that will support an involved international community of people who recognize the fundamental value of investment in the quality and experience our youth in educational and developmental arenas. Our Lead Learner product is on schedule and we expect a 2008 publication. Other publications are in progress and we established 2008 production goals.

We embraced the objectives of the International Education Conference and will support organizational activities.

Positive Change Core will move forward throughout 2008. We will embrace new opportunities, explore innovation, and emerge as an energetic and engaging beacon for positive approaches with youth in education and other organizations.

The Excitement is Growing!

The May 15, 2008 monthly meeting was very exciting. The preparation for Canton is moving forward. We identified virtual participation opportunities (contact Shelia McCann if you are interested). Read our minutes and get excited, too.