Friday, November 10, 2023
Breakout Session Block 6
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Ballroom Foyer – Wellness
Forest Bathing: Build Community Connectivity
Reduce stress and increase connectivity! Explore how to create a safe space for mindful dialogue by incorporating elements of forest bathing into your interpretive programs. Presented by Monique Thompson
Salon A (Live Streamed) – Programs
Contested Heritage: Resistance & Power
Social Justice
Join our conference session to deepen your knowledge of contested heritage sites, explore resistance and power in interpretation, and generate meaningful interpretive ideas.
Presented by Lotte Lent, Ryan Lindsay, Ackesha Patrick, & Scott Winfrey
Salon B – Programs
Break OUT! Escape Rooms Revisited
Innovative Interpretive Techniques
Break free from boring and lure new visitors to your site with an exciting Escape Room. Learn how to support the mission of your site with relevant puzzles and a unique experience. Presented by Megan Froemling & Ruth Dultz
Salon C – JEDAI
JEDAI: A Collaborative Tangram Puzzle
Innovative Interpretive Techniques
Fusing together an ancient East Asian dissection puzzle with history, math, and design thinking, an innovative interpretation technique is born to advance the JEDAI discussion.
Presented by Larisa Castille
Ouachita – Leadership
Interpretive Planning: No Need To Be Boring!
Innovative Interpretive Techniques
Visually Engaging? Inspirational? Approachable? Does that describe your interpretive master plan? It could. Join us to learn about interdisciplinary approaches to planning.
Presented by Kelley Mlicki & Kyrie Kellett
Conway – Media/Technology
Sign Modification For Inclusive Storytelling
Discover a project that transforms outdated signage into inclusive storytelling in a cost-effective way and join a discussion on how to apply it to your own site.
Presented by Andres Vasquez, Elizabeth Villano, & Cassie Anderson
Harris Brake – Programs
Engage Visitors In The Total Solar Eclipse
Community Outreach
Exploring our Sun and its interactions with Earth is possible through NASA missions, projects, resources, and partnerships. Join NASA and NPS for this engaging panel discussion.
Presented by Crystal White, Andrea Jones, Heather Mortimer, Caela Barry & Ashley Waymouth
White Oak – Programs
Mobile Living History Museum Strategies
Living History
This session will provide a "toolbox" of strategies that can significantly assist the Historical Interpreter in reaching their audience.
Presented by Trevor Timothy Steinbach
Breakout Session Block 7
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Salon A (Live Streamed) – Programs
Flip The Script: Engage Youth Community Ideas
Attracting/Engaging Students and Young Professionals
Tap into the power of the public! Learn strategies for listening to the needs and interests of youth in your community to develop mutually beneficial projects. Presented by Alyssa Cornell
Salon B – JEDAI
Indigenous Voices
Indigenous Representation
Learn about findings in current research related to Indigenous story stewardship and explore what it can mean for site programming and interpretation.
Presented by Carol Fitzsimmons and Ajena Rogers
Salon C – Leadership
Developing The Leader In You!
Leadership is important as a frontline interpreter and critical for advancing in the profession. This session will seek to give participants a vision of how they can begin their leadership journey.
Presented by Philip Smartt
Arkansas Ball. (Live Streamed) – JEDAI
Tribal Relations In State Parks: An Overview
Indigenous Representation
We will explore the challenges and opportunities of incorporating tribal perspectives and cultural knowledge into active and passive interpretation that can be applied at your site
Presented by Kyle D. Bernis & Angelina Stancampiano
Ouachita – Leadership
How To Be Clear, Concise, And Compelling
Difficult Communication Tips
Learn to develop and deliver a clear, concise, and compelling message to your team, board, community, or prospects.
Presented by Deborah W. Ostreicher
Conway – JEDAI
Universal Design For Meaningful Inclusion
Wellness
Universal Design enables all interpretation programs to be inclusive and equitable.
Presented by Amber Sausen
Harris Brake – Sustainability
Summer Camp: Sustainability And Stewardship
Camp is supposed to be fun, but you can get so much more from the experience! Learn how to teach worthwhile pursuits which encourage stewardship and promote sustainability.
Presented by Angel Ray
White Oak – Programs
Marvelous Messiers: Expand Your Star Programs
Go beyond star stories and planets in your astronomy programs! Discover how Messier objects can enhance your programs and help your visitors connect to the night sky.
Presented by Katie Raney & Lisa Jeane Reznicek
Breakout Session Block 8
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Salon A (Live Streamed) – Programs
The 5 Ws Of Mission Based Dialogue
Difficult Communication Tips
Mission-Based Dialogue aims to deepen communication during impromptu conversations with audiences to gain mutual understanding. Discover the who, what, where, when, and why of MBD. Presented by Yvette M. Mendez
Salon B – JEDAI
Parks: Bridges To Dismantle The Racial Divide
Social Justice
Interpreting images, individual stories & perspectives, uncover approaches to BUILD BRIDGES & dismantle the invisible racial divide by using neighborhood parks to engage community.
Presented by Gelene Strecker-Sayer
Salon C – Management/Operations
Nature Center Issues & Solutions Roundtable
Community Outreach
Join NAI’s Nature Center Directors & Administrators in an informative and collaborative discussion about issues, trends, and problem solving at nature centers and visitor centers.
Presented by Jill Snyder, Pat Silovsky, Jamie Krupka, & Sarah Sandoval
Arkansas Ball. (Live Streamed) – Programs
Fact-Checking Your Zoo & Aquarium Factoids
JEDAI
Current interpretive media at zoological facilities regularly perpetuates factoids and errors. Incorporating fact-checking into resource creation is necessary to ensure accuracy.
Presented by Rachel Garner
Ouachita – Management/Operations
State Park Interpreter Forum
Join this forum to discover how various state park interpreters are navigating the challenges we all face and solutions you may be able to apply at your park.
Presented by Rob Barrett & Tara Humphreys
Chicot – Programs
National Park Service
Presented by _____
Harris Brake – JEDAI
Bringing Camp To Those Who Need It Most
Social Justice
Join us to learn some strategies to recruit and engage underserved community members into your summer camps, giving them much-needed positive experiences outdoors.
Presented by Nicole L. Hindman
White Oak – JEDAI
Creating A Diverse Youth Pipeline
Attracting/Engaging Students and Young Professionals
High school juniors and seniors in the Cincinnati Zoo’s Zoo Academy are encouraged to find their interpretive voice, build empathy for nature, and collaborate with mentors.
Presented by Sarah Navarro & Mayra Trujillo
Breakout Session Block 9
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Salon A (Live Streamed) – JEDAI
Beyond the ADA
Community Outreach
Sites that aren't accessible miss connecting with up to 13% of audiences. Learn how the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas is increasing accessibility & connection beyond the ADA.
Presented by AJ Chlebnik
Salon B – Wellness
The Infernal Emotions
Let's address the hidden value of interpreters' emotions such as fear, anger, guilt, and despair, so we can learn to better care for our missions, communities, and ourselves. Presented by S. Marisol Asselta
Salon C – JEDAI
How to Bring Pride to the Parks
Community Outreach
Learn how to introduce LGBT programming to your organization safely and effectively by following along on the journey to bring Pride to the Cleveland Metroparks.
Presented by Kelsey Rogers
Arkansas Ball. (Live Streamed) – JEDAI
Heritage & The Human Spirit: Inquiry that Heals
Difficult Communication Tips
Respectful inquiry can heal relationships. Interpretation can restore the human spirit. The 4-truth lens is a tool to facilitate these outcomes for difficult & contested heritage.
Presented by Theresa G. Coble, Bob Stanton, Christin Cid, Lisa Overholser, Laura Westhoff, & Keith Miller
Quachita – Programs
Urban Sketching: Real-time Interpretation
Innovative Interpretive Techniques
Urban Sketchers tell stories via drawing, an act that requires realtime interpretation. Get inspired to empower visitors to become your site’s newest interpreters.
Presented by Amber Sausen
Conway – JEDAI/Wellness
Let's Make Interpretation Trauma Informed
Wellness
Neglect, abuse, or transgenerational trauma can make interpretation triggering for many. Let's figure out how to make interpretation feel safe, inviting, and exciting for everyone.
Presented by Robert J. Hanna
Harris Brake – Programs
The Objective View
Innovative Interpretive Techniques
Objective writing may seem simple enough. But sites that host school groups or seek grants need a broader range of options to draw on. Come prepared to hone your objective writing.
Presented by Bob Carter
White Oak – Programs
St. Louis Box Turtle Project
Reconnecting People to the Outdoors
Learn how the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine connects guests with conservation research through the hands-on experiences of the St. Louis Box Turtle Project.
Presented by Grace Anne Connolly