“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” ~ Brad Henry

I still remember teachers and professors who impacted my love of learning.  These men and women loved what they taught and loved sharing it with others.  Their desire was for me to love their favorite topic as much as they did.  I am so thrilled that GEN2050 Alumni can experience learning from people who are good teachers as described in the Brad Henry quote.  Here are three great GEN2050 learning experiences designed to inspire imaginations:

1.   GEN2050 Virtual Reality (VR) Initiative. Ten GEN2050 alumni have signed on to learn virtual reality coding from my husband, David, using the programming language Unity. Here is a brief video of their first session last weekend.

What makes the GEN2050 VR initiative extra exciting is that their first, 3 to 5 minute, VR product will become part of the Florida International University (FIU) Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine NeighborhoodHELP’s Faith and Fitness Project.  The GEN2050 team will work on their project from now through the end of summer camp. Their deliverable is due to the FIU team on August 3. I am really looking forward to experiencing what this GEN2050 VR team creates.

2. Around the Family Table. Master Chefs Donna Caudill and Grace Low ignited GEN2050 students’ imaginations around cooking this past summer during their “Foodie Friday” culinary school modules. Through a seed grant from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, we have been able to expand the Foodie Friday concept into “Around the Family Table.” Once a month, three families come together in the kitchen to create a nutritious, meatless meal under the direction of Chef Donna and Chef Grace. Our focus on meatless meals was inspired by the organization http://www.meatlessmonday.com/Meatless Monday. Their goals align with our desire to teach environmental sustainability and healthy living principles.

Once the meal is prepared, family members present the meal, the ingredients, and the cooking methods before serving the meal and sitting down to eat with their guests.  In February, the families prepared an Italian themed meal. Last week, the theme was Chinese take-out. One of our GEN2050 mentors, Nandzy Marcelin, used her illustrator skills to highlight our evening. I have included two of her illustrations in this article with the photo taken by Deon Gedeon. Amazing!

3. Sustainable Fashion with DesignLab

Beginning in May, GEN2050 students will have the opportunity to begin a summer long module on Sustainable Fashion with DesignLab Miami,. Founder, Angie Cohen, has a passion for teaching young people about creativity and fashion design, incorporating environmental sustainability principles and the latest technologies.

The students will have the opportunity to work with bio-materials, recycled materials, upcycling garments, and 3D and laser printed textiles. We met this week to talk more about this innovative opportunity.

I think I may need to take this class and make some sustainable fashion for myself!

 

(photo credits: Deon Gedeon, Michele Lozano, and Vanessa Charles, video credits: Deon Gedeon,  Illustrations: Nandzy Marcelin. Miami, Florida, March 2017. Dress designed with Publix plastic grocery bags: Gabby Kruzer)