September 21, 2018 Play for Change Invites Team Registration For many, play is something children do. It can however be a powerful connector for children, adults, and communities to interact with one another, make decisions, and solve problems. In partnership with the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative and Philadelphia Playful Learning Landscapes, teams are invited to register for UnConference: Play for Change on Tuesday, October 30 at the Carnegie Museum of Art from 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 25 teams of five to seven individuals from across Southwestern Pennaylvania and West Virginia will convene for this day-long event to think more critically about play. The event will include keynote speakers, lightning talks, hands-on activities, and time for action planning. Registration is now closed. For questions, contact Yu-Ling at conference@tryingtogether.org.
August 14, 2018 UnConference: Being Intentional About Race and Young Children In partnership with The P.R.I.D.E. Program (part of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development within the School of Education) and Frick Pittsburgh, join Trying Together for a day of professional development on Saturday, September 29, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at The Frick Art and Historical Center. Attendees will explore how we as early childhood educators, afterschool providers, and families, can create a positive environment to discuss race with young children. The day will also feature Dr. Erin N. Winkler, professor of African & African Diaspora Studies and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This event is currently sold-out. You may add your name to the waitlist below. Tickets for The P.R.I.D.E. Speaker Series event on Thursday, September 27 with Dr. Winkler are now available. The UnConference series is made possible by:
P.R.I.D.E.-Themed UnConference Trying Together will launch the 2018 UnConference series at the end of September to explore how caregivers can be intentional about race and young children. In partnership with The P.R.I.D.E. Program (part of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development within the School of Education) and Frick Pittsburgh, join Trying Together for a day of professional development on Saturday, September 29, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at The Frick Art and Historical Center. Attendees will explore how we as early childhood educators, afterschool providers, and families, can create a positive environment to discuss race with young children. The day will also feature Dr. Erin N. Winkler, professor of African & African Diaspora Studies and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This event is currently sold-out. Those interested may add their name to the waitlist. In advance of the UnConference, The P.R.I.D.E. Program Speaker Series will welcome Dr. Erin N. Winkler on Thursday, September 27 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at The Frick Art and Historical Center to discuss how adults can be intentional in discussing race with young children. Child care services will be provided by Sweet Dreams Childcare during the event from 5 – 7 p.m. If interested, please indicate during registration. There are limited spots for child care and it is first come, first serve. There is no cost for this service (it is free).
January 9, 2018 UnConference Through the generous support of PNC Grow Up Great, Trying Together is proud to present a series of UnConferences as part of its leadership and professional development courses. <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> About The UnConference is an innovative, hands-on professional development training format where a deeper experience is provided around a particular theme. Local and national speakers are invited to present and participants are encouraged to engage hands-on in the workshops. The day concludes with a roundtable discussion on how to apply these experiences and ideas in the early childhood environment as well as share ideas on how to partner with new colleagues. Would you like to hear about future UnConferences? Sign up to receive emails from us. Past UnConferences 2024 Beyond the Playground: Advancing Racial Equity in Play, October 14 UnConference: Launching School Age Summer Programming, June 6 UnConference: Mental Health in Early Childhood Education, February 19 2023 UnConference: Race Equity in Practice, February 11 2022 UnConference: Creating a Safe Place with Trauma-Informed Care, February 8–18 2021 Exceptional Care with a Team Approach to Inclusion, January 19–29 2020 Virtual UnConference: Caring in a “New Normal”, September 14–23 Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’, May 26 2019 The Business of Child Care, October 19 Young Learner’s Guide to Tech, March 30 2018 P.R.I.D.E. Speaker Series – Reimagining Early Childhood: Being Intentional About Race and Young Children, September 27 Being Intentional about Race and Young Children, September 29 Play for Change, October 30 Destination Moon, November 3 2017 Maker Tots, May 20 (part of Remake Learning Days) Mindfulness, August 10 Get Dirty!, September 22 Friedberg-Segel Early Literacy featuring Hervé Tullet, October 14 2016 An unprecedented six UnConferences were held including: Total Leadership, March 9 Maker Tots, May 14 Children+Arts 2.0 Get Dirty! Fred Rogers—The Friend, Teacher, Advocate Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood 2015 The UnConference: Children+Arts was presented with the Reggio Emilia Pittsburgh Initiative, NAREA and the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh. In addition to a private tour of the “Wonder of Learning” exhibit presented by NAREA, this UnConference explored the importance of arts in early childhood education and highlighted its evolution of innovation through the lens of Reggio Emilia’s philosophy. Keynote speaker was Reggio Emilia expert Jennifer Strange. Workshop presenters included: Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Attack Theatre, Gemini Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Carnegie Museum of Art and the Andy Warhol Museum. 2013 The inaugural UnConference, Game On! was presented in collaboration with the CREATE Lab and Google Pittsburgh. This UnConference focused on how to embrace and appropriately use old and new technology with young children. In addition, Trying Together presented a “hackathon” where app ideas presented by teachers were brought to life through a hackathon team of programmers, designers and teachers. Keynote speaker was Illah Nourbakhsh from CREATE Lab. Workshop presenters included: Google Pittsburgh, TechShop, Dream Flight Adventures at Shaler Elementary, Pittsburgh Center for Creative ReUse, Schell Games, MAYA Design, Education Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, CREATE Lab, MakeShop at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Etcetera Edutainment and Assemble.
