Summer camp is a unique opportunity to foster deep creative engagement, but too often art activities become routine, adult-directed crafts with predetermined outcomes, leaving children and adults frustrated and uninspired.

This workshop invites new and experienced educators, camp directors, and program leaders to rethink their approach—moving beyond step-by-step projects to design experiences that nurture curiosity, imagination, and child-led exploration.

Through hands-on examples and practical approaches to designing the environment, with loads of inspiring ideas, participants will learn how to incorporate open-ended materials, process-based art, and play-driven learning into their summer camp programs.

Join the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project for an interactive and dynamic writing experience designed to inspire educators to empower student voices. This event will introduce a digital choice board featuring a diverse array of prompts rooted in poetry, journaling, and narrative, allowing participants to engage in writing that resonates with them.

Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on texts by Ida B. Wells, John Lewis, Amanda Gorman, Maya Angelou, Brent Staples, Edwidge Danticat, Raquel Willis, and Danez Smith, exploring themes of identity, resistance, and literacy as a tool for power. Writing will be shared in pairs and collectively, fostering meaningful dialogue on student choice, multilingual perspectives, and inclusive representation in the classroom. A collaborative Padlet will serve as a living archive where participants can share their work, whether through text or images, creating a space for ongoing reflection and inspiration.

Whether you attend live or contribute asynchronously, this event offers practical strategies to elevate student voices and integrate choice-driven writing into your teaching practice.

Come write, reflect, and reimagine the role of literacy in shaping empowered learners! Gratitude and appreciation to our WPWP Fellow Hannah Lewis for designing and organizing this convening!

This is a hyrbid event. There is no need to register for the in-person option. Use this link to register for the virtual option:

https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/-DJ3gLsJQKWKIuofqda6PQ

Imagine a classroom where geometry isn’t just learned, but experienced.

Join us for this hands on workshop. Make a paper gift for Valentine’s Day while experiencing first hand how 2nd through 5th grade students at David Leech Elementary, Falk Lab School, and Carlow University Campus School are learning – and understanding – geometry through paper folding.

If you like what you see at the workshop, this will also be the last chance to introduce Origametria to your school as part of the Carlow University Education Department pilot (= no cost).

No prior origami experience required.

Register now to secure your spot!

Session III: Thursday, January 23, 2025, 11:00am-12:30pm (ET)

MAEC’s Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE) and Center for Education Equity (CEE) present Complementing the School Day: Tools and Supports for Out-of-School Time (OST) Providers, a five-part family engagement series.

In both classrooms and out-of-school time (OST) settings, we share a common goal: improving the academic achievement of students. The Biden-Harris Administration’s 2024 Improving Student Achievement Agenda highlights three key strategies to boost academic performance, one of which is increasing summer learning and extended or after-school learning time. OST programs, bridging school and home life, play a key role in this effort.

In this five-part webinar series, we will equip OST providers with the tools and supports they need. Join us to explore the following focus areas:
-Program Quality and Equity
-Amplifying Family Voice
-Mental Wellness for Staff and Students
-Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
-Community and School Partnerships

A community of practice for family engagement practitioners in Maine, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
Join our four-session Community of Practice on asset mapping, a powerful tool for creating effective family engagement plans by identifying and leveraging strengths within communities or families. This series will guide attendees in tailoring family engagement plans, fostering cultural inclusivity, and identifying potential collaborators. Participants will also explore practical strategies for incorporating asset mapping into strategic planning and resource allocation to maximize the impact on family engagement.

Perfect for educators, administrators, family engagement coordinators, community leaders and organizers, and policymakers and advocates, this series will provide opportunities to connect with peers and learn from experts in the field.

Advance your career and become an advocate for equitable change within education and society! The University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Education (EdD) program offers eight majors, including a major in out-of-school learning—the only such doctoral program in the country.

The program is designed for working professionals and combines an online learning environment with monthly Saturday in-person sessions.

Those who apply before the February 1, 2025 application deadline can begin the program in summer 2025.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Join our five-day interdisciplinary workshop and learn thecore principles behind artificial intelligence and machinelearning through hands-on activities using free and easilyaccessible computing platforms. Participants will discoverhow this technology works and explore its impact onhuman decision-making in the criminal justice system,public policy, the allocation of scarce resources, andmedical diagnoses. In addition, effective strategies for theuse of generative AI in the classroom will be addressed.Educators will leave this workshop with a set of teacher-tested units and assignments, ready to be implementedwhere appropriate into their existing curriculum.

ATTENDEE TESTIMONIALS
“The workshop’s insights into the ethical implications and biases of AIsystems were of great value to me, as they highlighted theimportance of responsible AI implementation.”“This is one of the best professional development workshops I haveattended.”

AUDIENCE
Teachers and administrators passionate aboutincorporating AI and its societal implications into theircurriculum. No prior coding, computer science, or AIbackground is required. Workshop attendees fromPennsylvania will receive Act 48 continuing educationcredits. Attendees from outside Pennsylvania willreceive a certificate of completion after the event.

When children are trusted, and time and space are made for their creativity, truly remarkable things unfold. A 1st-grade teacher in a public school describes her dedicated period for open-ended art and play as “preventative wellness.” This intentional space for creativity is what she credits with helping her students feel emotionally regulated, engaged, and ready to thrive each day.

Would you like to create a similar experience in your learning space—one where students feel supported, inspired, and creative, and where you also feel calm, joyful, and fulfilled?

Join us on November 12th for Designing for Discovery, a transformative workshop where we’ll show you a simple yet highly effective system for cultivating discovery and engagement in any learning environment, on any budget.

In this workshop, you’ll learn:

+Proven strategies for fostering emotional regulation, creativity, and joy in children.
+Simple, budget-friendly techniques to transform any learning space into a hub of discovery and innovation.
+Practical tools that help both educators and students feel inspired, supported, and empowered.

Imagine a classroom that nurtures the heart and mind, sparking each child’s natural curiosity and helping you enjoy each moment with them. Designing for Discovery will give you the tools and insights to make this a reality.

ELIE Circle’s 3-part Holistic Health Framework is specifically designed for community-based educational spaces to support the holistic health of both young people and staff. The framework consists of describing holistic health, barriers to holistic health, and holistic health tools.

The first session is focused on staff, I will introduce participants to the framework, discuss barriers to holistic health (oppression – adultism and staff’s stress/identity), detail holistic health tools (advocacy/activism – dismantle adultism, connecting – intentionally build relationships, and introspection), and finish with participants practicing to use the framework in their own work.

Staff Focused Session Dates/Times:
Series 1: Friday, October 25, 2024 10a-1p ET
Series 2: Saturday, October 26, 2024 10a-1p ET
Series 3: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 5p-8p ET

The second session is focused on stress and safety, I will introduce participants to the framework, discuss barriers to holistic health (stress/trauma), detail holistic health tools (connecting – perspective taking and facilitating safety), and finish with participants practicing to use the framework in their own work.

Stress and Safety Focused Session Dates/Times:
Series 1: Friday, November 1, 2024 10a-1p ET
Series 2: Saturday, November 2, 2024 10a-1p ET
Series 3: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 5p-8p ET

The third session is focused on oppression and liberation, I will introduce participants to the framework, discuss barriers to holistic health (oppression manifestations and inaccurate history), detail holistic health tools (advocacy/activism, critical self-reflection, connecting – affinity groups, evaluating curriculum/activities, and learn accurate history), and finish with participants practicing to use the framework in their own work.

Oppression and Liberation Focused Session Dates/Times:
Series 1: Friday, November 8, 2024 10a-1p ET
Series 2: Saturday, November 9, 2024 10a-1p ET
Series 3: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 5p-8p ET

If you attend all 3 Holistic Health sessions, I will provide you with a free one-on-one 15-minute follow up Zoom meeting.

There are 30 tickets available for each session. Five of the tickets are $17.85 per person and the other 25 tickets are $23.18 per person. If you are looking to train your whole staff, please email debralyn@eliecircle.com.

Applying for a Moonshot Grant? Need guidance? Attend a Moonshot Grant Office Hour.

Office hour sessions are for any Moonshot Grant applicant seeking help or additional support.

The scheduled sessions will be held on:
Monday 6/10 from 1:30 – 3:00pm
Thursday 6/27 from 9:30 – 11:00am
Monday 7/15 from 10:00 – 11:30am
Monday 8/19 from 1:30 – 3:00pm
Thursday 9/5 from 2:00-3:30pm

Once you register, sign up for a five or ten minute time slot in the link shared in the confirmation email.
This is an online event.