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Awaken to the Heartbeat
Rebekah Benner
Make a joyful noise!! Connect to the heart of the Mother Earth through the drum! Learn the basics of hand-drumming and drum circle facilitation. Rhythms from many cultures will be shared. Shamanic drum journey, trance drumming, drum chant & song will also be explored. For the new and the experienced drummer. PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING THEIR OWN “TALL” PEDESTAL TYPE DRUM; i.e. DJEMBE, ASHIKO, DOUMBEK, THAT CAN BE HELD BETWEEN THE KNEES AND PLAYED WITH BOTH HANDS.
Rebekah is an Ethical metalsmith, wife, mother and Amma to 4 grandchildren. An Interfaith Minister, she is an on-call chaplain for the Cleveland VA, and Akron area hospitals for the Earth-Centered spiritual community. She thanks the gods for placing the drum into her hands and is thankful for the places she’s gone and people she’s met through the heartbeat of the Mother.
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Rock’s Most Wanted – The Greatest One-Hit Wonders of Rock and Roll
Bill Brauning
The history of Rock and Roll is laced with those groups and performers who were known as One-Hit Wonders. They received major acclaim in many cases and then disappeared not to be heard of again. Who were they, how did they rise to stardom, where did they go? The class will hear and see these heroes of Rock.
Bill has been a musician for over forty years and has served as an educator and adjunct teacher for University of Akron, Cuyahoga Community College and Case Western Reserve University.
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Cultivating the Creativity Garden through The Artist’s Way
Dawn Corley & Margaret McConnell
You may have heard of The Artist’s Way, the creativity-enhancing series of books by Julia Cameron; you may have written Morning Pages and done the exercises in the chapters. Have you, however, explored her writings in a group setting, complete with simple crafts designed to cut through the inner critic? In this workshop, modeled on one offered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, Dawn Corley and Margaret McConnell will offer the highlights of Cameron’s principles in a supportive, enlightening, and fun manner. No prior knowledge of The Artist’s Way is required.
Dawn Corley, a member and Worship Leader of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron is a writer, calligrapher, and long-time journaler who has done extensive reading of Cameron’s works. She, along with Margaret McConnell, facilitated an Artist’s Way group for two years at UUCA. Margaret is a meditation leader at the UU Church of Akron who crafts poetry and creates mandalas to express the inner journey.
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Discovering Your Money Demons
Sharon Delgadillo
Why does that green piece of paper cause us such anxiety! We will examine our cultural and familial messages we carry about money; find our “true purpose” for money and review how our current relationship with the almighty buck is working for us and find some ways to improve it.
Sharon Delgadillo is a Money Coach and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wayne County.
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Yes, You Can Create! Expressive Collage Workshop for Everyone
Denise Deschenes
Do you want to be creative but don’t know how to start? Do you feel that in order to create art it takes special training that you don’t have or don’t have time for? Or are you simply looking for a way to play? Collage may be just what you are looking for. Expressive collage can range from a few minutes of play, to a means of self-expression, to mindful creativity, to a sophisticated art form. Join us in making collages and spend a few hours experiencing what it feels like to create without pressure.
Denise began experimenting with expressive collage in a biweekly collage group at the First UU Church in Columbus, OH. She has no training in art, but has found collage to be a wonderfully creative outlet as well as relaxing fun. Her collages have been displayed in several art shows at church, a collage published in the fall 2014 issue of Chalice and at the Ohio State University Staff Art Show where she won an award in 2013.
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Cultivating Resilience
Cindy Franz
We all “just want to be happy,” but the reality is that life throws us curve ball after curve ball. If our goal is happiness, we will fail much of the time. This workshop will focus on the goal of resilience instead: How can we stay motivated, curious and optimistic even in the face of life’s challenges? Resilience is defined as the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune. Decades of research show that resilience can be cultivated and increased. In this seminar, participants will learn strategies and practice techniques that help to build mental, emotional, social, and physical resilience.
Cindy Frantz is a psychology professor at Oberlin College. Instead of buying a sports car, Cindy has chosen to channel her mid-life crisis angst into increasing her own resilience. She would love some company.
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My Improvised Life: Comedy as a UU Philosophy
Mike Frye
Teamwork, listening, sacrifice, and support are all vital ingredients to building a working community, but are also vital to comedy! In this workshop we will learn the fundamentals of long form improvisational comedy, and discuss how these techniques can be applied both on and off the stage.
Mike Frye has been an improv comedian for over five years and has received training at iO Chicago and from other professionals. He believes that improv has made him a better (and weirder) person.
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Walking Towards Trouble
Laura Howe & Laura Conkle
Last year at General Assembly 2014 in Providence, RI, Sister Simone Campbell invited UU’s to reflect on “…the journey of faith as walking towards trouble.” As we bend the arc of history toward justice and create beloved community, UU’s do indeed walk towards trouble. Explore practical leadership skills and activities that promote and support success. Curiosity, challenges and excitement for the possibilities in the walk towards trouble are welcome! We will focus on common challenges to UU leaders in our congregations of all sizes and shapes. Ultimately, our work requires many of the same skills regardless of our context.
Both Laura Howe and Laura Conkle have been involved in UU Leadership development. Both serve on the Ohio Meadville District Board of Trustees. Laura Conkle lives in Pittsburgh and Laura Howe lives in central Ohio.
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Size: The Other Diversity
Deb Lemire
As UU’s we pride ourselves on how readily we welcome diversity…. of gender, race, culture, theology. We accommodate, without judgment, for physical disability. Yet are we welcoming to people whose body is larger than our defined “normal?” As a larger person do you experience discrimination based on your size? This workshop explores size as the other diversity and how those of us that live in larger bodies can embrace our inherent worth and dignity through the Health at Every Size model.
Deb Lemire is a member of the UU Church of Akron. She has served as President of the Associate for Size Diversity and Health and currently serves on their public policy committee. Deb has presented on size and health and the impact of stigma in both seminar settings and theatrical with her one woman performance piece,” For Beauty’s Sake.”
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Reading the Earth of Oberlin and Beyond
Jamie Martin-Hayden
During this workshop we will investigate the surprising variety of geology around Oberlin. Join us on our field trips to a Berea Sandstone quarry, Cascade Park in Elyria, the rock gardens and mineral exhibit in Carnegie, the Lewis Environmental Center and the glacial moraine exposed at the Oberlin Arboretum. This workshop will involve a moderate amount of walking, at most a mile round trip.
Jamie developed a love of geology as a teenage tour guide in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Currently, Jamie enjoys learning the stories hidden within the glacial deposits and the sedimentary rocks beneath much of the Midwest. Jamie has been teaching geology at the University of Toledo since 1994.
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Making Our Lives Magical
Andrew Nash
We will learn how to perform magic tricks in several styles, ranging from the David Copperfield-esque stunning feats of illusion to the street magic of David Blaine, to the comedic routines of birthday performers.
Andrew is owner and operator of Magic on the Run for over 3 years, and has been performing magic for all sorts of audiences, from young children to adults.
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Exploring the Architectural Treasures of Oberlin College
Raymond Schinhofen
Now that Summer Institute is happening at Oberlin College, learn more about the significant architecture located all around the campus and that spans over 125 years of design excellence. Focusing on notable architects and their works (among them Cass Gilbert, Frank Lloyd Wright and his concept of the Usonian house, modernist Minoru Yamasaki, post-modernist Robert Venturi as well as others), this workshop will provide an in-depth exploration of Oberlin’s amazing architectural history, including visuals, lectures, discussions, and a walking tour that includes the Frank Lloyd Wright house.
A graduate of Carnegie Mellon (then Carnegie Institute of Technology), Ray Schinhofen has been practicing architecture in Pittsburgh for forty years. He has always been deeply fascinated by the history of architecture and has been the recipient of many awards in historical restoration. For the last few years he has been teaching courses for Osher Institute of Lifelong Learning at Carnegie Mellon. He is a long-time member of the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh.
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Kosha Yoga — Journal toward Wholeness
Lisa Thiel
We are complex beings of 5 koshas or layers that, although distinct, impact one another. They are sometimes referred to as the “lampshades over our light,” or guideposts that can help us orient to where we are in our practice. We will travel layer by layer, taking 1 of these koshas each day both in discussion & in practice – physical, breath/prana, mental/emotional, wisdom, & bliss. We will explore ways we can live more wholly both “on” and, perhaps more importantly, “off the mat.” All levels welcome.
Lisa Thiel is a 500 level Therapeutic Yoga and Meditation teacher through Brahmrishi Yoga, & a certified Yoga for Cancer (Y4C) teacher. These styles are meditative practices with a playful sense of exploration aimed at cultivating awareness and working on one’s own healing and wholeness. Lisa’s classes focus on empowering students to work with their therapeutic edge, creating variations to meet individual needs, synchronizing breath & movement, core stability, and subtle somatics work to integrate the various levels of our experiences.
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Ten Buddhist Meditations
Shih Ying-Fa
The core of Buddhism is the practice of meditation. Ven. Shih Ying-Fa will instruct participants in 10 styles of Buddhist meditation including Breath Mindfulness, Zen Koans, Visualization, Meditative Walking, Recitation, Traditional Buddhist Chanting and the Meditation on Loving-Kindness. If sitting close to the floor is not an option for some, chairs will be provided.
Ven. Shih Ying-Fa is the Abbot of CloudWater Zendo, the Zen Center of Cleveland. He was the SI Theme Speaker in 2007 and has conducted numerous workshops at subsequent Summer Institutes.
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GET “F.L.Y.” IN FIVE MONTHS (* Fitter, Leaner, Younger)
Christa Champion
Would you like to regain your youthful daily energy levels? Do you want to feel better, move more easily, and get rid of some of those nagging aches and pains you’ve been carrying around lately? Wouldn’t it be nice to touch your toes again? If you need some motivation to get up off the couch and get active, then this workshop is for you! We will: 1. Review the science behind the powerful anti-aging effects of exercise. 2. Learn basic nutritional information to improve your everyday eating habits for better long-term health. 3. Practice simple and functional body-weight exercises that will improve your posture, strengthen your movements, and increase your flexibility while simultaneously reducing joint pain.
Christa Champion is an athlete, an educator, and a life-long learner. For twenty-plus years she was a basketball coach, tennis coach, and physical educator at the collegiate and scholastic levels; among her current pursuits, she occasionally works as a private health and fitness consultant. Champion holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise and Sport Studies from Smith College.
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Coming of Age 2.0
Tiffany Grinstead
Many of us did not have the opportunity to grow up as Unitarian Universalists. While our youth go through a year-long experience to write their faith statements and share them with their congregations, we may have never had that opportunity. This class will focus on conversations and journaling built around the topics covered in a typical coming of age class. By the end of the week you will have the opportunity to write and share a faith statement with the class. Together we’ll prove it’s never too late to come of age.
Tiffany Grinstead was not raised Unitarian Universalist, although she wishes she had been. As a former Coming of Age teacher and mentor she’s always wished she had a time machine to go back and have her turn at this UU right of passage.
