Star Island Corporation statement on 2020 island closure due to Covid19

Star Island and the International Affairs (IA) conference have often been described as a perfect summer vacation and one that keeps people coming back year after year, generation after generation.  Please join us and make IA part of your summer tradition.  Click through the images below for a short description of what you might expect.

WELCOME TO VIRTUAL IA 2020

Below are our offerings for Virtual IA 2020.  You are welcome to join any session you like.  Sessions will be held using the free Zoom online meeting service.  Using Zoom on a computer with a webcam (either a desktop or laptop), rather than through a phone or tablet, will provide the best experience.  If you have never used Zoom before, feel free to join us on Friday, July 24th, to try it out before sessions start on Saturday, July 25.

Each session below has a link to the zoom meeting that will be open at the indicated time.  For meeting security, all zoom meetings will have a password that will be emailed separately to the IA mailing list.  Most sessions will have unlimited participants, no registration required.  For those sessions, there is an optional registration link if you would like automatic reminders and calendar invitations sent to your email address.  Some sessions will have a limited number of spots available to the first number of people to register.  Those sessions have a required registration link below.

If you have any questions about the offerings, technical support, or other issues please send email to VirtualIA2020@gmail.com . Conferees are welcome to create their own events and share with the community through this Google Doc: CONFEREE ORGANIZED EVENTS.

Friday, July 24

12-5pm.  Open access hours for technical support

Committee members Gretchen Donehower and Iyabo Obasanjo available to help anyone who has never used zoom. More…

If you have never used Zoom before, or if you are not sure how to get the most out of participating in a Zoom event, please join us! You are invited to drop into this meeting at any time between 12pm and 5pm and stay for as long as you like. Our hosts, Committee Chair Iyabo Obasanjo and Committee member Gretchen Donehower, will help you learn how to use zoom, check your microphone and speakers, and answer any questions you have about Zoom or the week’s planned events. Our goal is to help you get the most out of Virtual IA 2020.

Saturday, July 25

11am.  Youth Program Morning Circle

We’ll come together for some favorite songs and announcements and then break-out into groups to connect with our leaders and age group friends! Sunscreen and hand washing optional. 😉

4pm.  Virtual Fire & Water

No fire, no water, we just liked the name. More…

IA Committee Chair Iyabo Obasanjo will welcome us all to Virtual IA 2020, and give us an overview of the planned events for the week. We will also be discussing rules of the road for our planned virtual events, including how to ask questions and participate, and good zoom etiquette around microphones and webcams.

5pm.  Happy Hour

Hello you wonderful IAers! More…

We tried yelling today’s spiel, but it seemed this was more likely to reach you. We do greatly wish to be mixing you drinks and sharing good cheer in person—but we won’t let covid get us down! We are looking forward to sharing two virtual Happy Hours with you, complete with the recipe for a special drink each night! You’ll receive the recipe when you register! And don’t fret, unlike at the end of a regular week, we will send recipes for a single drink not a whole jug!

Can’t wait to see you there! 

The Happy Hour Dream Team

Aliza and Lauri

8pm. Chapel

Led by IA Committee Chair Iyabo Obasanjo

Sunday, July 26

9am.  Morning Music

Start your day off with IA musicians: Two of A Kind (David and Jenny Heitler-Klevens)

11am.  Community Meeting/Talk on the Rocks

Joe Watts, the CEO of Star Island Corporation will give us up to date information on how our beloved Island is faring without us this summer.

2pm. COVID-19: Understanding the Disease Impacts

Dr. Daniel Griffin is a physician-scientist, educator, researcher, clinician and author and board certified in Infectious Disease with expertise in Global Health. He practices in New York and is at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. He will provide us with insight on the pandemic from the trenches. This will be a thrilling exposure into COVID-19 pandemic from an expert.

Recording of Talk

4pm.  Workshop: Compassionate Communication: A Source of Hope in Difficult Times

With Ellen and Barry Johnson-Fay. More…

Compassionate Communication helps us have empathy for ourselves so we can be strong enough to have empathy for others. We learn to listen for feelings and needs as a way of establishing a genuine connection with another person, without analyzing, judging, or blaming. It’s a way of reducing conflict and violence in our personal and work relationships, and in the wider community, and deepening our understanding of ourselves and others.This workshop has three meetings in a series, on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Participants are encouraged to attend all three in order.

Monday, July 27

9am.  Morning Music

Start your day off with IA musicians: The Polson Family

11am.  Workshops

Lifelines Senior Women’s Group

Led by Anne Howe and Eleanor Jaffe. A continuation of last year’s community offering. New participants welcome. More…

The corona virus has infected nearly every aspect of our lives as older women. Let’s meet to discuss the effects the virus has had on our lives. New issues have emerged, and old problems may be exacerbated; perhaps some have been eased. Maintaining meaningful connections to those important to us may be more difficult now, including influence and overall social relevance. Let’s share our experiences as we continue to learn from each other and take comfort from our Zoom meetings.

Senior Men’s Group

Drawing from personal experiences, this will be a conversation designed to renew acquaintances, or to meet each other for the first time, in some depth: What brings you to this “place” (broadly defined) at this time in your life? Facilitated by Brad Howe

8pm. Chapel, “Men and Women”

Kenneth Torquil MacLean is a longtime IA Week shoaler and his chapel will focus on our experience of gender.

Recording of Talk

Tuesday, July 28

9am.  Morning Music

Start your day off with IA musicians: Dan and Susan Hotchkiss

Recording of Event

11am.  Multigenerational art project

Led by Wendy Stasolla, (See detailed description for materials to collect in advance.) More…

Join Wendy Stassola for a guided opportunity to tap into your creativity and optimize your quarantining by turning your recycling into real ART! Collect egg cartons, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, berry containers, corks, craft sticks, cardboard scraps,cereal boxes, bottles, etc. Save, save, SAVE! Helpful tools to have available may include: A low-temp glue gun or other quick drying glue (for kids), tempera paint or other, jars and bowls for mixing, Permanent Markers in different colors, scissors and newspaper or other covering to protect your workspace. All ages and abilities encouraged to participate!

4pm.  Compassionate Communication: A Source of Hope in Difficult Times

With Ellen and Barry Johnson-Fay

7:30pm.  Book Discussion

The Yellow House:  A Memoir by Sarah M. Broom, discussion led by Suellen and Nina Peluso More…

We are delighted to host this year’s IA Book Discussion via Zoom. We have chosen The Yellow House: A Memoir by Sarah M. Broom, Grove Press, 2019. “Louisiana native Broom tells the story of her mother’s beloved shotgun house in east New Orleans and the family she raised there. The house was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and Broom writes about the racial and economic inequality that has haunted New Orleans for decades.” – LA Times. Broom has garnered high and wide-spread praise for her debut: Winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction, named a Notable Book of the Year by the NYT Book Review, named one of the “10 Best Books of 2019” by the NYT Book Review, Seattle Times, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Tribune and Slate, and Best Book of 2019 by the Washington Post, NPR’s Book Concierge and Fresh Air, the Guardian, BookPage, and the New York Public Library, and a Best Memoir of the Decade by LitHub. NYTimes Book Review: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/books/review-yellow-house-sarah-broom; and a link to Broom’s short story, first appearing in The New Yorker, 2015: html://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/24/the-yellow-house.

Available in all formats: Kindle, Audiobook, Audio CD, Hardcover and Paperback, 344 pp. Virtual copies may be purchased from independent bookstores via My Must Reads.

We’re quite sure that some of you have already read this important memoir. For those of you who have not, we encourage you to grab a copy in your favorite format and join us all for this timely discussion. ‘See you’ in July.

Wednesday, July 29

9am.  Morning Music

Start your day off with IA musicians

Recording of Event

11am.  Workshops

Lifelines Senior Women’s Group.

Led by Anne Howe and Eleanor Jaffe. A continuation of last year’s community offering. New participants welcome.

Senior Men’s Group

Drawing from personal experiences, this will be a conversation designed to renew acquaintances, or to meet each other for the first time, in some depth: What brings you to this “place” (broadly defined) at this time in your life? Facilitated by Brad Howe

7:30pm. Timely Topic: George Floyd, Systemic Racism and the 8th Principle

Bruce Pollack-Johnson & Paula Cole Jones lead an interactive presentation about systemic racism and the 8^th Principle that has been proposed for UUs to commit to dismantling it. More…

The murder of George Floyd has torn off the rose-colored glasses that made systemic racism invisible to so many Americans. We will start with an interactive presentation about systemic racism and the 8th Principle that has been proposed for UUs to commit to dismantling it in ourselves and our institutions by accountable action. Hear how a couple of dozen congregations have already adopted it individually and are living by it, and find out how you can start working on doing so in your own community.

Thursday, July 30

9am.  Morning Music

Start your day off with IA musicians: Stew and Beth Armstrong

11am Workshops

Narrative Healing: Poetry as Transformation

With Holly Wren-Spaulding and Lisa Weinert. More…

A one hour writing and yoga workshop with gentle movement and guided writing exercises to promote imagination, intuition, and ease. All bodies and abilities welcome. Bring your notebook and writing utensil. Wear comfy clothes. This workshop is offered at no cost but we are donating our time in hopes that you might donate what you can to Star Island.

Senior Men’s Group

Drawing from personal experiences, this will be a conversation designed to renew acquaintances, or to meet each other for the first time, in some depth: What brings you to this “place” (broadly defined) at this time in your life? Facilitated by Brad Howe.

4pm. Compassionate Communication: A Source of Hope in Difficult Times

with Ellen and Barry Johnson-Fay

7pm. Pandemic Talk

Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo, IA Committee Chair and expert in global health, will present on the epidemiology and global population dynamics of Covid19.

Recording of Event

Friday, July 31

9am.  Morning Music

Start your day off with IA musicians

11am.  Youth/Family Chapel

Youth and families (and anyone else) will connect in community to reflect on our summer experiences and Star memories.  Led by Katie Bender, Youth Program Coordinator

4:00pm. Timely Topic: The Double Horseshoe Theory of Class Politics

Ted Ballou invites us to discuss a new interpretation of recent changes in society and its implications for progressive activism.  See the IA Chalkboard for details and links to readings.

5pm.  Happy Hour

Hello you wonderful IAers! More…

We tried yelling today’s spiel, but it seemed this was more likely to reach you. We do greatly wish to be mixing you drinks and sharing good cheer in person—but we won’t let covid get us down! We are looking forward to sharing two virtual Happy Hours with you, complete with the recipe for a special drink each night! You’ll receive the recipe when you register! And don’t fret, unlike at the end of a regular week, we will send recipes for a single drink not a whole jug!

Can’t wait to see you there! 

The Happy Hour Dream Team

Aliza and Lauri

7pm.  Chapel

Rev. Rali Weaver is the minister of the First Church and Parish in Dedham and will speak on the faith-based empowerment of women throughout the world. More…

“When Women Lead with Their Heart.” Drawing from the liberation movement in Central and South America we explore what we might learn from the empowerment of women historically and how faith-based empowerment of women throughout the world may have already started to make a change toward good. Rev. Weaver has been serving our UU faith as a minister since 2003 in congregations from Maine to California. She has been serving as the minister of the First Church and Parish in Dedham since July of 2007. Rali also currently serves as the Denominational Counselor for UU students at Harvard Divinity School and as Hospitality Coordinator for the Mass Bay District of the UUMA as well as various other community boards and groups. Rali married Jennifer Carlson-Pietraszek (a teacher at Noble and Greenough School) on July 4, 2014 at which time she became stepmother (wish mother) to Zoe (now 17) and Lucy (now 16).

Children and teens at IA are enthusiastically welcomed into the Youth Program by friendly faces and engaging children’s staff that help to fill each day with fun and new experiences. The program is filled with cool, age-appropriate activities and interesting topics related to the conference theme.

In 2019 the youth were divided into seven groups:

• Toddlers: 18–36 mos
• Barners: PreK-K
• Larries: K, 1st & 2nd grades
• Brookies: 3rd, 4th & 5th grades
• Newtons: 6th & 7th grades
• Marshlandians: 7th – 9th grades
• Parkers/Seniors: 9th-12th grades

Find out more…

Registration is now open!  For information on prices and how to register see Star Island’s registration page for IA, or go directly to online registration.  The deadline to register for the conference is March 10, 2020.  Please contact the IA registrar Kristin Laverty with any questions at kristin@laverty.org

Information on financial assistance can be found here.