IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

As we are repeatedly told how divided and polarized our society has become, we may feel discouraged from trying to bridge those divides. This presentation is an antidote to that discouragement, providing practical tips for productive dialogue in divided communities. Drawing on his book Together We Decide, Craig Freshley emphasizes the importance of open-mindedness, inclusivity and cooperation as he shares inspirational stories and teaches practical skills for getting along and moving forward together.

Craig Freshley is a professional facilitator, author and public speaker who is passionately committed to peacemaking and draws on his experience with consensus decision-making to promote healing in our world. In 2019, he received the American Civic Collaboration Award for creating and facilitating Make Shift Coffee Houses, community gatherings that provided a space where individuals from diverse political backgrounds could come together to engage in dialogue and understand each other’s perspectives.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

Paul Linet is the Founder and CEO of 3i Housing of Maine, a non-profit organization working to promote Independent community based living options for adults (of all ages) with disabilities through Innovative, Affordable Housing and Integrated Support Services.

Since its establishment as a non-profit in 2020, 3i HoME has been pursuing unique models that leverage smart-home assistive technology with person-centered enhanced care coordination. Paul will be detailing the 3i HoME totally accessible housing developments occurring in southern and western Maine and the potential for replication in the L/A area.

Following a lengthy career in business and law, Paul Linet, founded 3i HoME drawing on 25 years of family caregiving advocacy, as well as regulatory and legislative experience at the state and federal level.  The 3i HoME team is creating supportive/accessible housing, thereby addressing the needs of thousands of Maine citizens dealing with the shortage of direct care workers, nursing home closures and the needless institutionalization of older adults and adults with disabilities. 

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

A mosque made out of chain link fencing. A gasoline pump that morphs into a man committing suicide. A jet fighter emerging threateningly from the ceiling of a beautiful mosque. Works like these demonstrate the wonderful creativity of Saudi conceptual artists and reveal fascinating insights into a country known primarily for its fundamentalist form of Islam and its oppression of women.

Loring Danforth is a retired professor of anthropology at Bates College. In 2012 he spent a month in Saudi Arabia with a group of Bates students, an experience chronicled in his book Crossing the Kingdom: Portraits of Saudi Arabia. In 2016 he co-curated an exhibition of contemporary Saudi art at the Bates College Museum of Art.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

This one-hour program provides an overview of the history of immigration in Maine. Yearning to Breathe Free begins with the arrival of the Europeans to what would become Maine and moves through the subsequent waves of French-Canadian, Irish, Swedish, Lebanese, Armenian, Chinese, and East Asian immigrants. Not all immigration to Maine was voluntary, however, and the presentation discusses the importation of African slaves into the state. Yearning To Breathe Free takes a deep look at the tension between the state’s need for labor and its recruitment of immigrants to fill that need and the suspicion, discrimination, prejudice and hatred that accompanied immigration. The program ends with a discussion of contemporary immigration to Maine, noting that, in contrast to earlier times, most immigrants coming into the state today are coming as refugees.

Alex Magnaud is an educator for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC). She has a Bachelor’s in Educational Studies from Colgate University and a Master’s in Childhood and Special Education from the College of Saint Rose and has worked as an educator in a variety of roles and settings. In her role with the HHRC, Alex does educational programming for students, educators and community members throughout the state. 

(Thanks to the Holocaust and Human Rights Center for generously making this presentation available to us.)