Free Educational Topics in Chicago

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3: Browse for a topic, Click the orange request button, Fill out the contact form.
Now the speaker will contact you in the next few days to coordinate details.

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  Decarbonizing Your Home

  Ivonne Rychwa, Director of Outreach, Citizens Utility Board (CUB)

  CUB will dive into ways renters and homeowners can access energy efficiency and cost-saving programs and appliances. During this presentation, you will receive information on: Building Decarbonization, The benefits of building electrification, New tax credits and rebates for home energy improvements available through the Inflation Reduction Act, Alternatives to gas appliances, and Free programs designed to save you energy and money
  MORE >

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  The New Women: From Gibson Girls to Flappers in the early 1900s

  Mark McGarvie, J.D., Ph.D.,, Retired Professor of History and Law, College of William and Mary

  In the early days of the 20th century, New Women caused a media sensation in newspapers and magazines by threatening standards of sexual propriety, living alone while single, pursuing careers, and engaging in politics even before given the right to vote. These college-educated young women in their 20s forced a reconsideration of sexual roles in America that contributed to women's suffrage and the free expression existing several years later in the flapper movement. MORE >

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  The Shifting Balance: Supreme Court Rulings and Their Impact on American Democracy

  Ed Spire, Co-lead, Restore our Democracy Project, NWSOFA-Indivisible

  The US Supreme Court is not just ensuring the laws are applied properly, and that they are constitutional, but the court is enacting policies they think are useful for our country - whether they are based on our constitution or not. MORE >

  Presidential Immunity and Accountability: One of the most consequential rulings was the Court's decision on presidential immunity. In a 6-3 judgment, the Court ruled that former President Donald Trump could be tried for actions taken as a candidate, but not for those taken while in office.

  Federal Regulatory Authority: In another significant ruling, the Court limited the regulatory authority of federal agencies. By overturning a precedent that had guided federal regulations for decades, the Court has made it easier for regulations to be challenged in court.

  Gun Control and the Second Amendment: The Supreme Court also made headlines with its decision to send several gun control cases back to lower courts for reconsideration. This move followed a major ruling that expanded Second Amendment rights, allowing for broader interpretations of gun ownership and use.

  Implications for American Democracy: These rulings collectively reflect a shift towards a more conservative interpretation of the law. The impact on American democracy is profound; will undoubtedly shape the future of American democracy for years to come.

  This presentation details the problems that SCOTUS is causing for our nation, and discusses what we can do about it.

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  Targeting Colleges for Affordability

  Joseph Orsolini, President, College Aid Planners, Inc.

  The presentation will focus on strategies to target colleges for merit-based financial aid. Armed with this understanding and knowledge of the college aid process, a college education may become more affordable.

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  Rethinking the Colonizing of North America

  Mark McGarvie, J.D., Ph.D.,, Retired Professor of History and Law, College of William and Mary

  European colonialism recently has been presented, both popularly and scholastically, as an evil that decimated native populations, destroyed native cultures, precipitated extensive wars, and caused irreparable environmental harm. Avoiding judgment in favor of understanding, Professor McGarvie will develop the context for European discovery of the New World in the intellectual, technological, political, and cultural contexts of both the Native Americans and the European explorers in the 16th - 18th centuries. MORE >

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  Get it SOLD with Home Staging

  GraceAnn Simoni, President & Premier Home Stager, Staging Redesign Group Inc.

  Selling your home now or in the future. When you’re ready to put you house on the market will you know where to start? Do you think the Realtor will do everything for you? Does the thought of getting your home ready for the buyer’s critical eye scare you? Are you willing to take a price reduction rather than investing a little into the house? MORE >

  Staging a home results in fewer days on the market and a higher selling price. Be one step ahead of the competition. Learn how to stage your home today! Get it ready now before even calling the Realtor!

  What can be done to get your house ready for little or no money?
  From the curb to the back door!
  What home Staging is and what it is not.
  What are buyers in this market looking for in their new home?
  How to shorten the time on the market and get the best offers.

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  Start Early, Start Smart: How to Choose a Motivating College Major

  Georgia Koch, Community Outreach Coordinator, Career Vision

  Is it possible for students to identify potential college majors and career directions while still in high school? You bet! Students and parents will learn what they need to know before choosing a college, and how identifying a college major and career direction can build a student's motivation and confidence while reducing college expenses. MORE >

  Receive information and resources to guide your student and take the stress out of making these important decisions. This program is for parents and students of high school and college age.

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  Rising Economic Inequality: how much, why it happens, why it matters, and what we can do about it.

  Ed Spire, Co-lead, Restore our Democracy Project, NWSOFA-Indivisible

  Economic inequality has been rising in the US for decades, damaging our economy and society in the process. This presentation will discuss how high it has become, why it happens, how it damages our country, and what we can do about it.

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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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  Not Another Workshop: What School Leaders Actually Need

  Susan Close, LCPC, LMHC, Owner | Psychotherapist, Susan Close Psychotherapy & Wellness

  School leaders are often asked to attend one more training, one more initiative, one more workshop—while already running on empty. This is different. A restorative, practical experience designed to help school leaders exhale, reconnect with themselves, and leave feeling lighter than they arrived. Through reflection, nervous system reset tools, meaningful connection, and realistic strategies for boundaries and sustainability, participants receive what they rarely get: support. MORE >

  No endless slides. No performative participation. No added burden. Just something genuinely helpful.

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