Free Educational Topics in Chicago

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  • Increasing Political Polarization and what we can do about it

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

    Every decade, increasing gerrymandering has created more and more "safe seats", which have resulted in more and more extreme legislators on both sides of the aisle - creating a legislature where compromise is impossible, and very little legislative progress ensures. This presentation shows why this happens, and what we can do about it, using the recent example of the Alaska special election, utilizing a nonpartisan primary and a ranked choice voting general election, as an example of how to promote more moderate legislators and a more productive legislature. MORE >

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  • Immigration and our economy

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

    There's a lot of discussion about immigration - legal and otherwise - since our two major parties have very different plans in this area. This presentation focuses on the economic impact of foreign-born workers - whether they are a net positive or a net negative for our economy, how they interact with programs like Social Security, etc. MORE >

    The discussion makes the point that immigrant workers are a critical component of our strong ecomony, and we should welcome them for that reason.
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  • How to Create Resilient Equitable Communities in a COVID-19 World

    Kelwin Harris, Urban Planning, Race, Civic Engagement Speaker

    Our cities face serious threats; growth is uneven; neighborhoods are struggling; and streets are erupting in protest as COVID-19 has made existing inequalities worse. Now more than ever, we must address racial equity and provide strategies for prosperity for the good of everyone. Drawing from his experience as a community leader on the South Side of Chicago and as an urban planner, Kelwin Harris uses an equity lens to discuss multiple facets of systemic racism that persist and offers strategies and interventions for the road ahead. MORE >

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  • Home Energy Savings Presentation

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

    Learn about your energy choices and ways to save money on your utility bills. During this presentation we will go over: Understanding your utility bills, Your energy choices, Energy efficiency programs that can help consumers save energy and money, and Solar options.

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  • Get It, Check It, Know Who Has Seen It

    Chris Heuman, Practice Leader, RISC Management and Consulting, LLC

    The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 or HIPAA is a federal law that sets rules about who can view and receive your Protected Health Information or PHI. This law gives you rights over your health information and when it can be shared. MORE >

    In addition, HIPAA requires your physicians, pharmacists and other health care providers, and your health plan to explain your rights and how your health information can be used or shared. Most of us believe that our medical and other health information is private and should be protected, and we want to know who has this information.

    You will learn about historical information, important terminology, sharing health information with family members and friends, and understand your health information privacy as a consumer.

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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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  • Exploring Careers with a Social Impact

    Matt Kinnich, CEO, Roland, Ruth & Mitchell

    This presentation is for individuals, teams and/or organizations that want to explore careers with a social impact. The presentation is a combination of Matt’s social impact journey and an interactive workshop for participants. Participants will engage in the following: MORE >

    • 1-2 things you hope to get out of today’s presentation
    • Matt’s social impact career journey
    • What are you Passionate about?
    • What are your Strengths?
    • Passions & Strengths – what’s the intersection?
    • How do I explore options & opportunities?
    • Individual/Group questions
    • What actions am I willing to do next?
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  • Don’t Pay the College Sticker Price!

    Joseph Orsolini, President, College Aid Planners, Inc.

    The program will highlight the three key areas of opportunity to reduce the overall cost of a college education. The presentation will focus on strategies to maximize need-based financial aid eligibility, target the right colleges for merit-based financial aid, and exploit tax-saving opportunities.

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  • Demonstrating and Teaching Mental Math Methods

    Cliff Petrak, Retired Teacher, Brother Rice High School

    Learn to master a multitude of little-known, super-shortcut computational methods involving addition, subtraction, fractions, squaring and multiplication. Unfortunately, our country consistently finishes among the bottom third of industrialized countries in the annual mental math competition for students. Learning these strategies and methods will leave your calculator-dependent friends in the dust!

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  • Democracy Under Duress

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

    Right-wing populism is rising in many western nations, but here in the US it is beginning to actually threaten our democracy. This presentation points out why this is happening uniquely here in the US: Because the country is becoming a true multi-racial democracy, a transformation that no other country is undergoing. And the US constitution actually empowers the minority that wishes to stop this transition. MORE >

    We will discuss why this is happening, and what we need to change in our governmental structures to alleviate this attack on our democracy.

    And we must address these very thorny issues, starting now. Because the US will become a multi-racial democracy - or it won't be a democracy any more.

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