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| Presenter Nan Kari (far right corner) and her Crossing Borders Leadership Team. |
During PLA, LFF hosted a luncheon at the Minneapolis Public Library where collaborative learning in community settings was the focus. Keynote presenter Nan Kari, a Fellow of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute for Public Policy and a co-founder of the Jane Adams School for Democracy in St Paul, discussed varied approaches to collaborative learning.
Kari emphasized the value of civic engagement as a means of promoting community engagement and shared identity in neighborhoods or institutions with residents of different ages, cultural backgrounds and linguistic traditions. Fifty participants engaged in a lively dialogue with Kari about different forms of learning and engagement, including examples of successful activities in their own libraries.
Kari has worked with residents of nursing homes, schools and community centers to help design learning circles and other forms of participatory learning. The Jane Adams School is situated in West St. Paul, a diverse community with families from Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as long-time Minnesotans. One of the learning circles at the School has designed a special project called Crossing Borders, a project to help members learn about one another’s traditions and background. Crossing Borders activities have included visits to a Somali mall, Investigations of wedding clothes in different cultures, and intercultural food.
“Libraries Supporting Civic Engagement across the Lifespan” was moderated by former LFF President Diantha D. Schull, who discussed collaborative learning as part of a continuum of civic engagement activities, ranging from voting and mentoring to working with community non-profits. Fifty participants, including state library staff, library directors, Lifelong Access Fellows and front line librarians from across the country, engaged in a lively dialogue with Kari about different forms of learning and engagement, including examples of successful activities in their own libraries.
For more information on the Crossing Borders project see http://miyo.casefoundation.org/crossing-borders
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