Stories

Building a Community of Creativity in Colorado

A group of third, fourth and fifth graders tentatively enter an activity room at the Institute of Science & Technology in Cherry Creek, Colorado. The room is a blank slate with bare white tables, white walls and a projector at the ready. Beth Cohen, a STEM teacher and Imagination Chapter leader, excitedly welcomes the children into the new Cherry Creek Imagination Chapter. The children’s parents are present for this first meeting and to kick off their time together, Cohen projects the short film Caine’s Arcade onto the screen. This is the film that inspired a worldwide movement of creativity, the launch of the Imagination Foundation and the 30 pilot Imagination Chapters now running across the globe.

Location: Denver, Colorado  ·   Category:

The Global Cardboard Challenge Goes Home(schooled)

Stepping into the Roman household is like walking into a whirlwind of creativity. Eleven-year-old Jojo Roman is meticulously putting together his latest cardboard creation, while his four siblings play with his cardboard bubble-gum machine and fend off make-believe bad guys with cardboard swords and shields. Their mom Jessi is putting the finishing touches on a hand-crafted necklace from jewelry line influenced by superheroes and retro video games.

Location: Athens, Georgia  ·   Category:

Creative Play Transforms East Baltimore

Less than three years ago, the Oliver neighborhood of East Baltimore looked almost post-apocalyptic. Vacant row houses with burnt-out roofs and boarded windows lined entire blocks, and mounds of trash sat in empty and overgrown lots where kids once gathered to play. Most signs of life were at dimly lit liquor stores or in dark alleys where cocaine and heroin were bought and sold.

Location: East Baltimore, Maryland  ·   Category: