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Why
did we begin this project?
Early
adolescence is a life stage in which children typically experience
great changes, both emotionally and physically. Seeking independence,
they look to establish their own values and are often heavily influenced
by peers. Social and ethical conflicts are often at the heart of
their concerns, yet many elementary and middle schools do not or
cannot provide a vehicle for exploring these issues within the formal
academic curriculum. Talk It Out Kids gives preteens an exciting
outlet for discussing conflict and exploring solutions with guidance
from their teachers and on-air professionals.
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Who
are we?
Education
and media professionals produce Talk It Out Kids.
- Jeff
Loeb, Executive Producer/Host, comes to the project
with twenty years of experience in teaching and media production.
In his thirteen years with the Newton, MA public schools, he developed
a full Media Literacy curriculum for sixth, seventh and eighth
graders. Jeff has co-produced and hosted three years of satellite-fed
interactive programming at the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational
Telecommunications (MCET). He has also co-authored two books based
on audio interviews with children, one on siblings, the other
on summer camping, published by Little, Brown and Company. In
the past three years, with a growing interest in multicultural
affairs, Jeff has served as a teacher of English as a second language
in local adult education programs and tutored children in English.
In the public radio arena, Jeff worked for WGBH-FM in Boston as
a producer for the Spider's Web radio broadcast on National
Public Radio. In addition, he co-produced over thirty features
for All Things Considered on NPR and has numerous soundtracks
for educational and corporate productions. In 1992, he produced
his first "schools on air" program, Radio Vision,
on WADN-AM in Concord, MA. Loeb is manager of Musictracks Audio,
an audio production facility based in Maynard, MA where Talk It
Out Kids’s drama segments and music are produced.
- William
Riley, Producer/Writer, holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication
from Emerson College. He is the owner of Riley Productions, which
specializes in production of media for the medical marketplace.
He has over twenty years of experience writing, producing and
directing television, radio, video and interactive media for the
broadcast, educational and heath care markets in the United States
and abroad. He has worked previously as the managing producer
and director of the production department of Tufts New England
Medical Center and as a writer/producer for the Armed Forces Radio
Network where he produced a daily news and commentary program,
as well as radio specials. Bill is currently freelancing as a
health and science media producer.
- Kathleen
Madaus, Co-Host, holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from
Smith College School of Social Work. She has extensive experience
with children and adolescents in individual and family settings.
She has worked for the Massachusetts Department of Social Services
and South Shore Mental Health as a child clinician, working with
children, families, and crisis work. Since 1993 she has worked
at the Quest Program at the South Shore Educational Collaborative
as a therapist and child crisis team clinician. The Quest Program
serves children grades K through 8 with behavioral and/or emotional
difficulties. She sees children and families, runs groups and
provides teacher consultation. She has also supervised social
work students for the past eight years.
-
Veda Reilley, Director of Project Development, has produced
media for over twenty years, with the bulk of her work focusing
on educational media and projects for social service agencies.
During her tenure as staff producer for the Massachusetts Corporation
for Educational Telecommunications (MCET), she worked closely
with educators to create hundreds of live, interactive, national
satellite television programs with accompanying curriculum guides
for K-12 students, as well as professional development series
for teachers. As series producer for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics, Veda worked with educators and scientists to
create television workshop series with accompanying curricula
and web sites for the Annenberg/CPB satellite network. Her work
has garnered recognition from serveral educational groups and
video festivals. Recently, Veda served as Artist-in-Residence,
working with middle school students on a theme-based video project.
- Nancy
Matesanz, Curriculum Development and Program Review
Coordinator, holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education and a B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University
of North Carolina. She has more than twenty years experience teaching
health care professionals in varied settings, including interactive
workshops on collaborative learning, facilitating discussions,
and using questions effectively. During ten years at the Institute
of Health Professions at Massachusetts General Hospital, she:
taught a course on teaching skills and team taught seminars for
International Scholars; consulted with faculty on course design
and learning activities; and developed curriculum and materials
for the International Scholars and Preceptorship Programs. Nancy
has extensive experience working with elementary school teachers—five
years as a school system PT and nine years as a classroom volunteer
working with children, primarily on language arts, while doubling
as the Volunteer Coordinator for many of those years.
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How
are we funded?
Since
1999 we have received support and funding from the following foundations:
The
Baldwin Foundation
Cambridge Mustard Seed (Fleet Bank)
The Greeley Foundation
The Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation
Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities
Mifflin Memorial Fund
Monster.com
Orchard Foundation
TJX Foundation
Talking Information Center*
Tomfohrde Foundation
*The
Talking Information Center provides air time and technical
support for Talk It Out Kids. TIC and its affiliates provide a radio
reading service (news, public affairs, etc.) for over18,000 sight
handicapped listeners in Massachusetts. Since the fall of 2003 TIC
has webcast it's programming world wide through the Internet.
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How
are we governed?
The
Van Go Project, a non-profit, educational corporation based in Massachusetts,
is governed by a Board of Directors (see list below) who bring a
broad range of skills and interests in teaching, curriculum development,
media, and drama production. We also consult with a group of advisors
on a regular basis.
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The
Van Go Project Board of Directors:
Jeff
Loeb (president)
Executive Director
The Van Go Project, Inc.
Maynard, MA
Dick Dougherty, PhD (treasurer)
Dougherty Management Associates, Inc.
Lexington, MA
William
Riley (clerk)
Health and Science Media Producer
Boston, MA
Ron
Bersani
Executive Director
Talking Information Center
Marshfield, MA
Claire
Goddu
Teacher, Fausey Elementary School
West Springfield, MA
Barbara
Lipski
Librarian/Media Specialist
Central Park East II Elementary School
New York, NY
Dr.
MaryAnne Pollett
Principal, Montefiore School
Chicago, IL
Veda
C. Reilley
Educational Media Producer
Boston, MA
Dr.
Robert Swartz
Director, National
Center for Teaching Thinking
Newton, MA
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Talk It Out Kids, The Van Go Project, Inc.
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