Day 2: Learn Something

In this hour, you will be given a number of prompts, images, and quotations that will allow you to relax and let your creative self come out to breathe and write. You may choose to escape the present and draft some fiction, or reflect on the present and explore your inner landscape. If you want to try on stream-of-consciousness, fantasy, science fiction, personal essay, or memoir, you will have the space to do so. Every participant will have the opportunity to share out.

The current COVID-19 pandemic might have you asking questions about viruses: Where do they come from? How can we combat them? Will there be more in the future? In this workshop, you will learn about RNA viruses such as HIV, MERS, SARS, and SARS-CoV-2. Our time together will be divided into two sections: 1) the history and science behind HIV and 2) the history and science behind coronaviruses. You will learn everything from where these viruses come from to the science of how these viruses infect and affect humans. We will also have a discussion at the end of the workshop to go over what is currently being done to combat the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as well as important lessons that should be remembered for the future. We will end with a short Q&A about anything that was not covered.

Mindfulness is often characterized as long periods of passive sitting and navel gazing. Not true! It can be physically active! Stretching, walking, dancing, doing art, listening to music, or simply getting up to notice what’s around you can all be done mindfully. In this workshop you will be led in a series of engaging fun activities that help keep you in the present moment, cultivating a sense of calm and centeredness. As a bonus, Ellierose will share highlights of her Mindful Passion Project.

We’ll spend some time focusing on our breath in preparation for a 30-minute workout. Post-workout, we’ll down-regulate as a way to transition into the next part of your day. You’ll need comfortable clothes, a space in which you can move and work out, and a positive mindset.

Find out more here!

How often do you ask someone how they're doing and really mean it? How often are you prepared to dive into the deep, emotional conversations? How often do you need someone to check in with you? At Crisis Text Line, we ask people who they're doing all day, every day—almost 3,500 times a day, to be exact. Crisis Text Line is the tech company and mental health organization that provides free, 24/7 crisis support via text message. To date, we've processed 130 million messages from people in crisis. And we've learned a lot along the way, building AI algorithms to help reach texters in crisis faster, creating dashboards that tell us in real-time what's causing emotional pain, and—most importantly—identifying how to ask the right questions to help people in crisis. This talk will dive into the data of what we've learned about the state of mental health across the country and will conclude with ways you can lead with kindness and empathy in your own community.

During this interactive session, we will begin by reading one or two classic short stories. Then we will discuss them, exploring how and why the author is able to tell such a compelling story in such a short space. Passionate readers, as well as those who wished they read more, are encouraged to join!

For my capstone project in HCI, I will be leading a lesson on film and how film contributes to our understanding of humanity and our modern day society. To begin the lesson, we will watch an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which we will then use to guide our discussions surrounding a variety of topics, including fake news, nationalism, and climate change. My goal for this session is for every participant to come out armed with a new mindset that will allow them to have a greater appreciation for film, but also some tools that they can use in the future to extract meaning from any cultural text they encounter.

In this workshop, we will be analyzing the school-to-prison pipeline from its historical roots to different ways education and criminal justice activists are dismantling the system. We will also be hearing from a local San Rafael City Schools principal! By looking through infographics and political art, hearing stories of students' experiences, and an interactive activity, this workshop encourages the MA community to rethink their definitions and thoughts on "drop-outs," incarcerated youth, and the educational system as a whole

Have you ever wondered about math and its application to real-life decision making? Are you going outside right now, and what logic is making up that decision? What's the answer to the prisoner's dilemma? I'm focusing on all that and more for my festival of learning workshop!

Have you ever wanted to be a Youtuber? Well here is my story of failing at that. We will dive into the logistical side of vlogging, content creation, and other vlogging related things. We will spend the first half of the time discussing how to prepare and structure your days ahead of time, and the last half discussing what good content looks like.

Ever wondered about the chemistry of baking bread? How are chemistry concepts used to make ice cream? How does hand sanitizer work? Curious what electroplating is all about? Come and see what your fellow sophomores have been up to by watching their videos and listening to their podcasts. This interactive learning experience is open to anyone in the MA community.

Sustainable development calls for economically prosperous societies that are socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and well-governed. How can we apply these ideas of sustainable development to our own lives and our future? Join the juniors from the International Relations class as they lead activities designed to question the ethics of traditional foreign aid; consider the importance of life under the sea; examine the role of inequality, particularly regarding housing, in Marin; evaluate the effectiveness of the millennium development villages to reimagine future endeavors; or imagine the future of air pollution after Covid-19. After a brief introduction to sustainable development, you will join a breakout group to dig into the complexities of one of these issues and consider the ways we can all contribute to furthering sustainable development both locally and globally. You will leave this session with a better understanding of some of the actions necessary to better our world!

Go is a popular board game originating from ancient China. It is renowned for its simple rules that lead to incredibly complex strategies. It's easy to learn, but terribly difficult to master. If you've ever been curious about the game, come and join me and I'll teach everyone the basics of how to play. Hopefully, there will be plenty of time for attendants to try their hand at playing each other online or spectating.

Have you ever been fascinated by electronics but intimidated by concepts like voltage, current, capacitors, inductors, or resistors? Would you like a little more intuition on electrical circuits to finally ace that EECS test? This workshop will teach you how to translate simple (yet seemingly incomprehensible) electrical systems into analogous physical systems with understandable, everyday components: masses, springs, and frictions. It will probably help if you have taken or plan to take an EECS class, but we’ll be starting from the very basics for interested newcomers.

Chances are if you have ever heard of DEVO, the image you conjure might be of five guys in black spandex knicker suits wearing flower pot hats urging you to just “Whip It.” But if that is your understanding of this band -- or worse yet, if you have never heard of DEVO -- you are missing out on one of the most interesting cultural/artistic presences of the last century. Created in the aftermath of the Kent State massacre -- in which band founder Gerald Casale was standing next to one of his colleagues in the Kent State chapter of Students for a Democratic Society who was killed by the National Guard -- DEVO created fantastic music and art -- including essentially inventing the music video -- that was part satire, part dada-ist, and all dedicated to portraying the “de-evolution” of humanity in the dawn of the postmodern age. Come join us to learn more about this essential American band/art collective and the movement they inspired through discussions of interviews, music videos and more -- and learn how we are more DEVO than ever these days. This is going to be a fun one -- don’t miss out!

Curious what the TLP is all about? Join us for an hour of conversation with members of the inaugural cohort as they discuss their experience in the course this year -- and offer advice and answer questions about all things TLP for the incoming cohort, some of whom will be continuing to explore Migration and the Refugee Crisis and others will be piloting a new offering on Data Science and Smart Cities. Come see what the TLP is all about!

During this session we will focus on what the Youth Grants Board is and who the YGB team members are. We will cover our process and how we decide who gets the grant and who doesn't. Lastly, we will give some examples of past projects we have funded and hopefully have time for a Q&A!