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FORZA VITALE!
April 22, 2010
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Mark Your Calendar For a Very
Special Event!
By David Cannon, Cathy Dorner and
Laura Pilkington
Do you have a
2013 calendar yet? Probably not, but, these dates will make the effort of
finding one worth it!
On July
31 - August 3, 2013 the 27th International Montessori Congress, "Guided by
Nature," will be hosted right here in Portland, Oregon! This is the first International
Montessori Congress in the USA in more than 40 years.
Why Portland,
you ask? As a result of the efforts of a volunteer Steering Committee, and
staff at the Montessori Institute Northwest(MINW), the Association Montessori Internationale(AMI) has designated Portland
as the site of this event! Due to
the difficulty encountered in setting up a separate 501(c)3 for the Congress,
MINW will house the organization of the Congress, but the Congress itself will
be run and organized by volunteers, Montessorians and non-Montessorians alike,
from all over Oregon, the United States, and the world.
During his
visit to Portland this past March, AMI's President, André Roberfroid, informed our community
that this International Congress is not
primarily an AMI event, but an event for the entire Montessori world, and
more. Roberfroid emphasized that
this is "not a conference, not a refresher course, not a lineup of speakers,"
but something to be experienced with the senses and the emotions as well as the
mind. Montessori organizations of
all types, and other groups with positive agendas to advance the cause of the
child, will be invited to participate in the planning and execution of the
Congress. A Congress done well will
be transformative for the Montessori movement, as well as the community who
hosts it.
On March 15,
2010 Megan Tyne of AMI gave a presentation at MINW about her experience organizing
the International Congress in Sydney, Australia and she also provided an
historical perspective about Congresses in general. Since many of us in the Montessori community have never been
to a Congress and may not know much about them, the following is a brief
summary of Megan's informative presentation.
Since the
first Congress in 1929, in Helsingør, Denmark,the Association Montessori Internationale, (founded at that event
by Maria Montessori), has offered 26 subsequent Congresses around the world,
with one being held approximately every four years. Congresses provide an open venue for the worldwide
Montessori community and their prime purpose is to raise awareness and
understanding of the principles and practice of Montessori education and to provide
inspiration to all who come. Participants in Congresses have an opportunity to
exchanges ideas and reflect on the global implications of Montessori.
Congresses are open to all Montessori practices, parents, and anyone interested
in the Montessori movement.
Each Congress
is, by design, intended to cause movement and action in the international
community; evoking the constant evolution of the Montessori movement by
building on the intentions and accomplishments of the proceeding Congress. Themes from past Congresses include:
Reflective Practice and Spontaneous Living; Champion the Cause of All Children;
Education as an Aid to Life; and Maria Montessori: Explicit and Implicit in the
20th Century.
Those
attending the March meeting at MINW viewed slides of the 2005 Congress, hosted
in Sydney, Australia, and the 2009 Congress, hosted in Chanai, India. Attendees saw music performances,
children singing, national and international exhibits, field trips, and a lot
of celebration. When you come to
the 2013 Congress, be sure to bring your dancing shoes!
Because it is
estimated that there will be at least 1300 participants for the conference at
the Oregon Convention Center over the four-day course of the 2013 Congress, it
is clear that the Congress will require not dozens of volunteers, but hundreds. In addition to having conference room and
dining space reserved at the Convention Center for the actual Congress exhibits,
a hotel block is being reserved at the downtown Hilton and Executive Tower for
Congress attendees to stay at while in Portland. These reservations have been made possible by a grant from
Travel Portland.
The Congress
will be a great opportunity to show the world some of the wonders of our
beautiful Pacific Northwest region. It is quite an honor for our city, state and region to host this major
international event. YOU are needed
and wanted to make this a successful event. Until there is a separate email account for the Congress,
please email Jennifer Davidson (jennifer@montessori-nw.org) with
your interest!
Once the
organizational structure of the Congress becomes a bit more solidified, you
will be contacted with more detailed information about your important role in
making the Congress a success.
The OMABoard
hopes that all our members will take an active role in the development of the
Congress over the years, months and weeks to come.
In the
meantime, mark your calendar, July 31 - August 3, 2013, International Montessori Congress,
"Guided by Nature," and be thinking about how you'd like to become
involved!
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About the authors:
Cathy Dorner and David Cannon are Montessorians currently serving on OMA's Board of
Directors.
Laura Pilkington is on staff at Montessori Institute Northwest. |
Reprinted by permission of the author.
Oregon Montessori Association
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Brought to you by the Oregon Montessori Association.
The Oregon Montessori Association is a group of schools and individuals who support vibrant Montessori education in Oregon and Southwest Washington...and beyond.
Visit www.oregonmontessori.org
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