Fall is blowing in some changes for PTC...

We have shared four years of regular monthly gatherings, exciting participatory education exchanges, and opportunities to meet and share resources with other trainers, educators and organizers. Throughout this time, we have received great feedback from participants wanting more: additional sessions to get deeper into specific topics, increased networking opportunities, and more time!

As a result, we have decided to try a new approach that will deepen the content that we offer. We are also pursuing ways that PTC can contribute to the movements and organizing efforts, the community-building and leadership development work, and the innovative + practical educational offerings of this city and region.

We will therefore be changing from our usual yearly line-up of monthly gatherings to a cumulative, multiple-session format in 2014. We (Hillary Blecker and Jessica Levy) as well as Susanna Gilbertson and Sarvelia Peralta-Duran (both PTC members from the past year +) are envisioning and developing those next steps. We hope that you will join us in that new format, and we will share more details as the plans develop.

Please feel free to be in touch if you'd like to get on our email list and hear about future developments:  phillycollaborative@gmail.com

Interactive Spaces

Wednesday, June 26
6:30-8:30 p.m.

Location: Greenfield Intercultural Center, 3708 Chestnut Street

RSVP here.

A hot, stuffy room. No windows. Chairs in rows facing front... How does the use of space affect people's learning? How can playing with the use of space open up new possibilities for learners?  In this gathering, we'll 1) look at how changing the layout of a space can change how participants interact, and 2) do some activities that get participants interacting with their environment as a way of opening up discussion about the power and politics of how space is used.

Jessica Levy works in the intersections of theater, education, and civic engagement. She has designed and implemented civic participation initiatives, arts-based community programs, and a variety of education, service, and advocacy events. She holds an M.A. in Applied Theater from CUNY and in Adult Education from the Univ. of Toronto.

Gatherings are open to the public and cost only $5-10 (sliding scale).

Light refreshments are provided.

Educating after Violence

Wednesday, May 22

6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Greenfield Intercultural Center, 3708 Chestnut Street

RSVP here.

Do you teach or facilitate in a setting where many of your students/participants have experienced trauma and violence?  Do you want to learn more about the impact of violence on learning?  This gathering will explore both the impact of violence on learning as well as provide educators with skills to use in these settings.  
 
Facilitator:  Susanna Gilbertson, MSW, is an adjunct professor at Community College of Philadelphia and Harcum College.  She also facilitates parenting groups for Educating Communities for Parenting. Susanna has created and facilitated interactive workshops on intimate partner violence, sexual health, and suicide prevention for youth, professional and community groups for over 13 years.

Using Participatory Education in Organizing

Wednesday, April 24 
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: PhilaPosh, 3001 Walnut St., 5th Floor (AFSCME DC 33 building)

RSVP here.

We are interested in how PTC can be a resource for organizing efforts happening in and around Philadelphia!

Are you using participatory and/or popular education approaches in your organizing and movement-building work?  Would you like to be?  Bring your examples, questions, ideas, and best practices.  Share, discuss, and network with other organizers, community workers, and trainers.  If you have a short activity that you use in your organizing work that you want to share at the gathering, please let us know on the RSVP form.

We will use Open Space Technology - a discussion / sharing format that allows for the participants to focus on topics that they are most interested in - to explore the use of participatory and popular education in organizing work. 

Facilitators:  PTC members Susanna Gilbertson & Hillary Blecker will be facilitating introductions and setting up the Open Space.

March 27: Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Facilitator:  Sarvelia Peralta-Duran

Location: South America Room, International House Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut St.

RSVP by clicking here.

Experienced trainers and educators know that using participants' experiences as a departure point for learning is useful, powerful, and an essential part of teaching as a participatory process. However, many trainers have not had the opportunity to formally study some of the theories that form the basis of experiential education methods. During this gathering, we will explore David Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle as a useful framework for designing and delivering trainings to a wide range of audiences.

The gathering will involve an experiential activities and small group work to facilitate learning about Kolb's theory as it relates to different learning styles. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss activities that fit within each part of the cycle, as well as questions that help to facilitate learning.

Sarvelia has 10 years of experience designing and delivering workshops in a variety of academic settings. She specializes in facilitation techniques, diversity and intercultural trainings. She is passionate about student development and intercultural work as a means to advance social justice and equity. She holds a B.A. from UPenn and an M.A. from the School for International Training Graduate Institute. Sarvelia is currently the Alumni Relations Director at the International House of Philadelphia, a non-profit that houses domestic and international students.

PTC gatherings are open to the public.

We accept donations from $5-10 (sliding scale). No one will be turned away for inability to contribute.

Note: This month's donations will go toward International House Philadelphia.

Light refreshments are provided.

Feb. 27 - Training Techniques Lab

6:30-8:30 p.m.
Facilitators:  Laura Flippin, Xu Li, Alison Stolow, Ronggui Su, and Colleen Daley

Location: Europe Room, International House Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut Street

RSVP by clicking here.

Students currently enrolled in the Experiential Learning Design class at UPenn's Graduate School of Education will be demonstrating 2-3 experiential learning training techniques that other trainers can employ to meet their own goals and objectives. This will be an opportunity for trainers to learn new techniques or brush up on ones they already know. It will also be an opportunity to support young professionals who are new to the field by providing a safe space for them to practice their skills and receive constructive feedback.

Laura has two years of training experience and over ten years of teaching experience.  She is in the first year of a two-year graduate program in Intercultural Communication at UPenn and is a graduate intern at the Penn Greenfield Intercultural Center, where she is involved with workshop design and implementation. 

Xu Li runs and designs workshops for the Chinese Student Support Network at UPenn to increase Chinese international students’ cultural awareness, mental wellness and social networking in intercultural settings. She is a first-year graduate student in Intercultural Communication and has been a staff intern at the UPenn Greenfield Intercultural Center since 2012. 

Alison is in her last semester studying Intercultural Communication UPenn. Alison previously lived and worked in Houston, TX teaching ESL Pre-K as a Teach For America corps member. Through that experience, Alison became passionate about early childhood, learners of second languages, and the field of education in general.

Ronggui has served as the president of a student-run English club, started two study groups focusing on English vocabulary and pronunciation, and helped primary school students improve their English listening and speaking skills by training and sending university students to participate in their school activities.

Colleen is a former Peace Corps volunteer with a passion for social justice, youth, languages, and religious and cross-cultural dialogue. She is about to graduate with a Master’s in Intercultural Communication (ICC) at UPenn, where she has collaborated on   designing a new core course for the ICC program focused on training design and experiential learning.

Using Your Stories to Move People to Action

Wednesday, January 23

6:30-8:30 p.m.
Facilitator:  Rose White

Location: PhilaPOSH, 3001 Walnut Street, 5th Floor (AFSCME Building)

RSVP by clicking here.

Storytelling is a powerful organizing tool to communicate values, victories, and hopes for the future.  This workshop will outline techniques that are effective in using personal stories to communicate and build common ground.  Workshop participants will outline their own story using these techniques, and will practice using their story as a way to invite people to join their campaign.

Rose White has been an organizer and trainer at the Service Employees International Union since 2002.  She started at the union organizing nursing home workers into the union, and since then has worked on the political staff of local unions, worked on leadership development programs, and led member internship programs.  Her favorite part of her work is encouraging healthcare worker union members to understand and harness their collective political power to increase public funding for healthcare, resulting in better quality care for their patients, and also a living wage for themselves.

Gatherings are open to the public and cost $5-10 (sliding scale). No one will be turned away for inability to pay.

Light refreshments are provided.

And mark your calendars for the rest of the PTC Winter Line-up:

PTC Lab - Topic TBD - February 27
Presented by students from the Experiential Learning Design Class for Intercultural Communication at the UPenn Graduate School of Education

David Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle - A Model for Training Design - March 27

Facilitator:  Sarvelia Peralta-Duran

Location: International House Philadelphia