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Carl Anthony
- Executive Director & Founder, Urban Habitat Program, "A
Living Library
is a great gift to our communities, making tangible the connections
between ecological and cultural diversity. This K-College educational
project provides young people with splendid opportunities for
hands-on learning in the fields of art, life sciences, enivironmental
design, social studies, and technology. It should be made a part
of every school curriculum."
Mike Vasey
- Director of Special Projects, Conservation Biology Program,
San Francisco State University, "As we venture into the new millenium,
humans face a rapidly expanding population of which half already
reside in cities and in which more and more people will call cities
their home in the future. Most cities today surround people in
concrete and disconnect them from their natural heritage. It is
difficult as a result, for the majority of people on the planet
today to relate to themselves as part of nature and to understand
how all species including humans are interdependent and ultimately
reliant upon healthy ecosystems for their survival and quality
of life. The
Living Library Project
gives children and young adults the opportunity to reconnect with
their natural roots and to experience as well as learn about these
important relationships. I support these efforts of A
Living Library
and look upon it as an important ally in my quest to get college
students more engaged in community-based learning and service."
Aris Silzars
- President, International Society for Information Display; Contributing
Editor, Information Display Magazine, "By integrating technology
as part of nature,
A Living Library Project is
providing a great service for all of us by broadening our view
and understanding of interconnected phenomena. A
Living Library
is introducing entirely new and innovative concepts for the application
of display technology in the landscape environment and its integration
into education. We can expect, that in the future A
Living Library
will set an example that stimulates the development of entirely
new electronic display technologies and display application concepts
for implementation into non-traditional environments such as in
bright sunlight and for conformable shapes, such as the projected
'Digital Gateways'. This is a project with potentially far reaching
consequences."
Sara G.
Parker,
Ph.D, Lecturer; former Fellow, Townsend Center for the Humanities,
"A
Living Library
provides a utilitarian program for educators that collapses the
distance between cultural experience and regional diversity. Through
the Life
Frames
model and readily available telecommunications technology, teachers,
students, their families and mentors can share knowledge of their
cultures and locales with other groups around the world. I can't
think of a better way to encourage planetary problem solving and
life-long, community-based learning."
John Ignacio,
EdD.- Principal, James Denman Middle School, "A
Living Library
has benefited James Denman Middle School through both 'big ideas'
and several 'little successes'. The big ideas include the expansion
of the learning 'universe' into the community in a meaningful
way. For example, our students and staff now interact with the
two adjacent schools, the nearby community college and also several
service agencies, such as Friends of the Urban Forest. There have
been scores of 'little' but highly significant successes, particularly
with the students. One example is the habitual truant who watered
the garden started by A
Living Library
throughout even the summer months. Another is the group of neighboring
pre-school and special education elementary students who are voracious
workers in the garden. This is just the beginning as more and
more students, staff, and community are becoming active in our
Living
Library."
Rich Henderson
- Site Manager, San Miguel Child Development Center, "The San
Miguel Child Development Center community, staff, children, and
parents are thrilled to be involved in the planning and implementation
of the OMI
/ Excelsior Living Library & Think Park.
The children have already benefited a great deal by working diligently
in the community garden and next month they will be assisting
the Friends of the Urban Forest and Urban Tree Foundation in planting
trees on the sidewalk and hillside next to the Center. This multigenerational,
ecological endeavor will greatly improve the learning experience
for our young children and their families and make their time
in school much more meaningful, healthy, and enjoyable."
Ted Barone,
Assistant Principal, Balboa High School, "The conceptual construct
of A
Living Library
is outstanding. We at Balboa are intensely interested in the historical,
cultural, and biological/geographical connections inherent in
the idea."
Kimberly
Vail
- age 13, 8th Grade Student, James Denman Middle School, "I think
A
Living Library
is a fun learning experience, not just for our age, but for many
ages. It helps people live longer by doing work to make it look
better and because of all the oxygen from the planls. It helps
people with diseases feel alot better and it also makes you feel
good that you are part of something so beautiful. It looks like
a magic castle."
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