Innovation Symposium

The magic that you know as the IS experience has happened once again…and you should take much of the credit for that.  Because of the foundations you built–with our friends in England and with the 2010 participants–we were once again welcomed enthusiastically and with much love.  This year’s group got the royal treatment from the Ratcliffs (lunch in the oldest pub in the City of London), from Mark Paterson (two extra hours of his time plus a chat over dinner at the Pier House in Charlestown), from Brendan/Lorraine/Elsie at the Gulls (many of this year’s group now own Royal Navy gear), from Kevin Browning at Alexander Fleming’s (extra time and a tour on his day off), from our friends at Harlaxton (the super-secret tunnel-and-bell-tower tour with Ziggy, a fun service activity planting flowers for a wedding courtesy of Cynthia Marke, gardener Andrew Potter, and Dr. Kingsley’s staff, and a send-off by Doug, Lawrence, Cynthia, Tony, Lesley, Clive, and members of the UE faculty…who wish you were all their students), from Karin the only coach driver we’ve ever had in Cornwall (a CD, a piskie charm, and calendar of Cornwall, along with a fabulous new middle-of-nowhere pub for lunch and the scenic animal tour of Bodmin Moor, plus her calm reassurances that she didn’t mind a bit when we held her over three hours beyond her scheduled time despite a treacherous fog rolling into all of southwestern England), and from dear darling wonderful Kathleen (more kindnesses than can be listed, but a fabulous boat trip to Greenwich and our mandatory dinner at Sally Clarke’s are included).

Because of you, we had new friends lined up everywhere, including the most generous Walter Gill, Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Carmen (another of the Ratcliffs’ charities), and Jeff Sloan, innovator deluxe and a friend of Kathleen’s who created Startup Nation.  The staff at Harlaxton had signed up months ago to do our coach driving to Lincoln and Isaac Newton’s; Ziggy already had the tour on request as well.  Doug and Lawrence were delighted to meet us at the station, and Margaret was pleased to give our Manor tour once again (she loves saying “ko-KO-mo”).  In Cornwall, Brendan took time off work to be with us at the Gulls, and Lorraine and Elsie once again gave us run of the house so that we could have a pizza party and class.  Even the staff at Caffe Concerto welcomed us like old friends. 

You did that.  You made that happen because of who you are and how you treated those who offered you  gifts, insights, and lessons.  You made that happen because you let those people know how much you value their efforts and kindnesses.  You made that happen because you were (and are) decent people who acted with respect and appreciation.  You made me proud, and you have encouraged me to continue this program.  Every time I get a little tired, I remember the long-term importance of what we are doing and how it carries on well past the three weeks we share in England.  Thank you for the valuable gifts you gave to IS 2010.  It may take them a little while to understand completely, but they’ll get it.   Well done, you.

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Jamie Oliver has made a positive impact on both England and America. As we came upon his restaurant, we soon found out why he has succeeded. The restaurant is based on the idea of teaching people that need a chance in life how to cook, and now for the first time ever how to serve.

The restaurant 15 is situated in a less glamorous part of London. This was done to entice more business to the neighborhood. I expected the restaurant to be located in a ritzier location in London. We sat down to breakfast, and I soon found out just how effective this plan was.

 Bacon in England is thicker than American bacon. I find it tastes good, but I did not expect to experience bacon quite like the bacon some of us had for breakfast. The bacon was grilled. I have not thought to grill bacon, but I am sure I will want to try it when I get back to the states.

Jamie Oliver not only put his social skills to use but his talent for cooking as well. This combination attracts people to this less attractive side of London, and satisfies their craving. I was very impressed that Jamie Oliver is able to have this program running in England while he is revolutionizing children’s school food in America. Of course, he is able to do this because he has structured these programs so well.

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Our initial project proposals were due today, and we presented them to our group.  Just to show you how wonderful our group is and the change that we are going to have I am going to share with you what each person’s project is going to be.  You will see how innovation comes in all sorts of packages.  Each of us have something very special to offer our communities.  I hope you are as proud of our group as I am when you see what is to come with the development of these projects.

In the order presented in this morning’s discussion:

Megan:  “Let There Be Light”.  Implement a legacy program for the terminally ill (population base in development).  Provide opportunity for patient to have a sense of purpose through sharing their past knowledge/experiences as well as a gift for the families that will be left behind.

Greg:  A Health and Wellness Center at IU Kokomo.  While this has been attempted by administration over the past few years, it has not been able to get off the ground.  Greg’s plan is to try and utilize a location on campus that is not being used and start small and grow it from there.  He states his world has opened up through education broadening his mind and he would like to pay it forward to help IU Kokomo get this vision achieved.

Brandie:  Arts summer camp for underprivileged children.  Single parents and low income families do not have the means to provide extra curricular opportunities for their children.  Through this camp children will be able to build their self esteem by gaining artistic skills in a setting that the family otherwise could not afford. 

Ann (aka Nurse Ann as we have two Anns):  Ophthalmology referral program for patients with complicated ocular needs at the Trinity Free Health Clinic.  Trinity Free Health Clinic is the only clinic in Hamilton County currently providing free optical services and glasses to the underserved population.  There is not a network of Ophthalmologists in place at this time, and it is greatly needed.  Additionally, create an RX program for patients that need expensive optical prescription medications for the interim while the patient advocate helps them set up pharmaceutical assistance through other resources.

Geny:  Literacy Program for teenage youth in Rossville.  Studies show that teenage boys and girls who have good reading skills are less likely to engage in sexual activities at a young age.  By establishing this program and creating partnerships in the community she is hopeful to help reduce the increasing teen pregnancy rate in this community.

Anne (the prettier Anne):  Establish an education program with alternative learning for students that are struggling in school through the means of travel.  She would like to create a network with programs already established in Indianapolis and implement them in her own community in Kokomo, Indiana.  Her belief is that not all children learn best in the structure of a traditional classroom setting, and therefore this alternative learning will provide another means to gain confidence and knowledge.

Norma:  Establish assistance for Hispanic families that have children of preschool age in Logansport, Indiana.  This assistance is to provide education with a strong focus on overcoming language barriers.  Her program is unique in that there will also be an emphasis on educating parents as well as the children on the importance of learning English to enable children the greatest opportunities once they start kindergarten.  She intends to establish networks with Reading Railroad, and colleges to help foster this program.

Nicole:  ”SANDY”:  Sports and Nutrition Developed Young.  Establish a sports and nutrition facility to combat obesity.  Her intention is to start with a food service program and grow it into sports recreation programs.  Joining the two together will help combat obesity in today’s youth.  She states that studies show this generation will be the first that will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. 

Toni:  Assist with improving/maintaining the health and well-being of domestic animals in underprivileged homes.  Some options include a ”Meals on Wheals” program for animals, education components and co-op with another program that is currently addressing similar aspects.  Her belief is that underprivileged families deserve to have the companionship of pets and this assistance will help enable them to do so.

Justin:  Elimination of Illiteracy in Tipton County with a focus on the adults in Tipton County that can’t read or have difficulty doing so for various reasons (e.g. vision impairment).  Additionally, he would like his program to supply adults with their own books, and audio books for those with visual ailments.  His belief is that through improved reading skills the adults will be able to build confidence and develop critical thinking skills.

I AM SO PROUD OF OUR GROUP!!!! 

While these programs are at the beginning phases and may go through adjustments and changes, we are off to a great start!

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Today brought us an interesting opportunity that no previous Innovation Symposium group has been able to experience.  We volunteered to assist Andrew Potter, Harlaxton’s Head Gardener (yes, that’s really his name), in potting several plants and sprucing up the Conservatory for a wedding tomorrow.  Though the students have been exhausted by what they consider to be Karla’s force-march across Britain (a good argument for more P.E. in schools or perhaps a commendation for little old gray-haired English teachers who can still walk the walk), they participated willingly.  When Andrew opened the large boxes of small plants–each plant wrapped in newspaper and bound with a rubber band–they converged like ants on sugar and set to work.  It was fun to watch them sort out the duties and move with the precision of a team–exactly what they are becoming.  They didn’t even shy away from setting up the gazebo.  Let me tell you what this indicates about this group:

1.  They are willing to serve.  We saw that on Day 1 when Nurse Ann, only three days post-graduation, raced across three lanes of very busy London traffic to aid a cyclist hit by a car on Westminster Bridge.  We saw that when Cast-iron Greg (ask him about the octupi occupying his seafood pasta) hoisted cases onto the train–not just for our group.  We saw it when Norma offered her translation abilities in the hotel in London so that some travelers from Spain could get the help they needed from the concierge.  We see it again and again and again in each of these IS members.

2.  They take initiative.  Now that these students are getting their “England legs” and are beginning to feel comfortable in their temporary home, they are stepping up.  We saw that early with Megan’s pre-departure creation of small itinerary booklets, personalized for each of us.  We saw it from Brandie’s observant action when she noticed that a currency exhanger was charging the group an excessive service fee–and the negotiations began.  We saw that in the band (Nicole, Justin, Toni, Anne, and Geny) that braved Sainsbury’s to buy groceries for the rest of the crew so that the others could rest.  We see it in so many daily actions from everyone in the group.

3.  They care about how they are representing themselves, the university, and the IS.  These folks have passion for making the world a better place, and they want to do that in all of the right ways.  They are also representing our two previous IS groups well; just as with those two groups, everyone wants to spend more time with them, and everyone is glad they came to England.  They have the Watling glasses from John and the Royal Navy gear from Brendan to prove it!

I got to say hello to tomorrow’s bride.  She was so pleased that our group was helping to pot the flowers that will be part of her wedding photos.  She very quickly added, “We also have some American friends coming to the ceremony tomorrow,” clarifying that she had already established a connection between our students, her friends, and in essence all things American, and that the connection left an extremely positive impression on her.  As John and Marsha Rae Ratcliff remind us, it’s all about establishing relationships and making those connections.  Indeed.  These students are on their way!

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