Free Educational Topics in Chicago

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  • Scuba Therapy: The next big thing

    Tinamarie Hernandez, Executive Director, Diveheart

    What is Scuba Therapy? What research has been done around scuba diving and spinal cord injury? autism? PTSD? Chronic pain? How is Diveheart helping to inspire and partner with the medical community to delve more deeply into what scuba diving can do to for people of all abilities.

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  • They Just Don’t Make Good Music Anymore: How to Find New Artists to Love and Get Excited About Music Again

    Meredith Colby, Author

    Join Meredith Colby, author of Money Notes: How to Sing High, Loud, Healthy, and Forever in a fun, interesting, and funny look at how and why we get attached to the music we love. MORE >

    When you hear unfamiliar music in public or social situations, you have to wonder: how can people listen to this stuff? Music used to be so much better than it is now! But still, you probably feel a little bored with listening to the same music you’ve been singing along with since your high school and college days. What’s a person to do?

    Most people believe that their love of music is an emotional decision over which they have not control. You either like something or you don’t, right? But the truth is that music, like any art form, can be disassembled into its component parts; each of those parts holding a kind of power that a listener is attracted to or repelled by.

    In this 45 minute presentation, you’ll learn:
    • How and when you’re listening to music makes all the difference!
    • Your understanding of the history of music types affects how you hear them.
    • How your physiology can influence your taste in music.
    • Why music used to be more important to you, and how to reignite the flame.

    Finding your musical “hot buttons”, along with being a confident visitor to YouTube, are key to discovering artists you never knew you loved. Join Meredith for the hour that will leave you with an appetite for something new, and the recipe for enjoying it.

    An engaging speaker and an expert in her field, Meredith leaves her audiences both informed and empowered.

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  • Leadership: How To Bring Results By Leading Your Team

    Robb Thompson, President & Founder, Progressive Life

    There are many people and organizations that crave leadership with their teams inside their organization, but they don't want to utilize the people that know how to take them from nothing to a point of success. MORE >

    We show you how to lead a healthy environment, how to have right relationships inside your company, how to build a team, how to stay positive, and how to get results.

    All companies want results. We will show you how to unlock ideas and open new doors of productivity.

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  • A Face Lift for Your Voice: Tips & Tricks for Keeping Your Voice Sounding as Young as You Feel

    Meredith Colby, Author

    Meredith Colby, author of Money Notes: How to Sing High, Loud, Healthy, and Forever shows you how to preserve, and even regain, the youthful sound of your voice. MORE >

    Our speaking voices are something we take for granted; until something goes wrong. They’re part of our self-image, so we want them to project our “real self” to the world. When we begin to realize that our speaking voices “sound old”, or that we can’t sing the way we used to, most of us simply give in to the aging process. But that doesn’t feel good - it feels like a loss when we notice those changes in our voices that we associate with age.

    Some of the physical elements of an aging voice are unavoidable, but not all! Meredith educates her audiences about the voice - how and why it works so well for us - and shares simple exercises and principles that people can work into their everyday lives and habits. Over time, those who apply what they’ve learned experience their voices as stronger and more resilient, taking joy in a voice that positively reflects how they feel about themselves.

    You’ll learn:
    • How the sound of your voice effects how others see you, and how you see yourself!
    • What the aging process does to the voice.
    • What happens to the voice after menopause?
    • How a minute a day is enough to implement powerful tools to strengthen the voice!
    • How to feel good about your singing again!

    An engaging speaker and an expert in her field, Meredith leaves her audiences both informed and empowered.

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  • Bringing Green Energy to Your Home

    Sarah Moskowitz, Managing Director of Outreach, Citizens Utility Board (CUB)

    Wouldn’t it be great to do your part to save the environment, and save money at the same time? Here in Illinois, it’s possible--thanks to a number of statewide policies that CUB fought long and hard for. In this talk, I’ll give you the lowdown on how you can use renewable energy and become more efficient at home every day. MORE >

    CUB is a non-profit, statewide utility watchdog organization created in 1983 to work for lower gas, electric and telephone rates. CUB has been on your side for 30 years—blocking utility rate hikes, winning consumer refunds and helping to pass important consumer protection laws. Our outreach team has spoken at hundreds of community meetings across Illinois and would love to come to yours!

    Please note that depending on my availability, another one of our trained outreach staff may take my place as speaker at your meeting, but I can let you know for sure when you contact me.

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  • GMOs: Deciphering Fact from Fiction

    Paul and Donna Jeschke, Farmers, Illinois Farm Families

    Ask most consumers their opinion about GMOs and their answers will likely range from concern to avoiding them at all costs. In this session, a local Illinois farmer will answer some of the questions being asked about GMOs today including: Are they safe for human consumption? Do they cause cancer and allergies? What crops and foods are currently being modified? Are farmers forced to grow GMOs by large companies? MORE >

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  • Positive Psychology: A Fascinating Perspective on Achieving our Best

    Michael Bromberg, M.A., Speaker, Actor, Writer, Realtor

    Much of psychology looks at what is wrong with the world: research for disorders will examine those that have the disorder. What if we looked at those that don't have the disorder and ask, "What are they doing right?" This fascinating field looks at how we can improve ourselves by examining those of us who are above average, so that we can help those that are going through the rough patches of life. MORE >

    The field gives compelling, scientific proof on how we should change our mindset to promote self-improvement, overcoming disorder, and achieving our goals. Every time I have given this presentation I have people coming up to me requesting more info as it makes us expand our way of thinking psychologically! This is appropriate for all ages.
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  • Organizing Your Home or Office

    Vicki Burger, Professional Organizer, Productivity Coach and Entrepreneur, SPIFF

    Organization is essential for building and sustaining a great life. Clutter is chaos and if you have physical clutter, your likely have mental clutter as well. In this workshop we will have fun designing YOUR "organizing makeover". We will review a simple process for classifying, sorting and reducing your "stuff". MORE >

    Next we will consider how to determine the ideal organizing system to support the way your work. Finally, we will help you determine the best ways to motivate you to make time to maintain your system and continually evaluate and improve it.

    Organizing is not a "one size fits all" process. Each of us work, at home and in our professions, in different ways and our systems for organizing need to reflect these differences to be effective and sustainable. Throughout this workshop many of my useful "tips of the organizing trade" will be shared.

    I love to integrate stories and humor into my presentations to engage audiences. I look forward to talking with you to discuss how this workshop can be customized for your group.

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  • An Oral History of the Studebaker Corporation

    Robert W. Starinsky, Management Consultant, Tradewinds Group, Incorporated

    In this enlightening and educational one-hour presentation, you’ll hear about the colorful history of the Studebaker Corporation. Beginning as a wagon-maker in 1850’s, they were the only manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles to successfully transition in the early 1900’s into manufacturing horseless carriages. Studebaker automobile and truck manufacturing survived into the mid-1960s. Your driver for this trip down memory lane will be Studebaker affectionario and historian Bob Starinsky. MORE >

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  • On the Trail of the Ancient Ones

    Terry Poppleton

    Join Terry as he takes you on a journey to another place and another time. The place is the Four Corners region of the U.S. and the time is a thousand years ago. On this journey we will visit such storied places as Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Hovenweep. Discover how this remarkable culture flourished, changed, and survived in the challenging environment of the American Southwest. MORE >

    During the presentation, he will answer the following questions:

    Who were the Anasazi “Ancient Ones”?
    Why was their culture remarkable?
    How did this culture change?
    Why did they leave the Four Corners area?

    The presentation takes approximately 30-45 minutes. I will need a computer projector and screen.

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