My hurried, crooked, parking alignment, three feet from the curb confirms the rush of my excitement when I arrive to a Thanksgiving party last November hosted by old school friends and their parents. They were outside waiting for me to arrive with wide waves of welcome and a beautiful gift related to a forty-year-old inside joke born from an adolescent incident occurring one summer night when we were much younger.  

Although I will not share historical specifics of our youthful merriment, I can tell you we use the phrase: O Tannenbaum! to memorialize the joke as both salutation and touchstone in many of our current day communications, and at all of our special event interactions. I am fortunate in this world to rely on a steady anchor of an inside joke fitted many summers ago, grounded in friendship, high spirits, and remembrance.  

Last summer, after accepting an invitation from IEA to visit camp Yunasa West, I drove on gorgeous Colorado-in-July twisty creekside roads to tour campgrounds, hang out by the lake with Fellows, break bread with staff, and facilitate an art workshop with campers. 

Several of the remarkable experiences I had at camp include: circles of children and camp counselors and Fellows together in conversation, activity, or easeful silence; children seeking out Fellows to share progress on a project or a thought process; camp counselors welcoming me with an inheritance of being former campers themselves; dialogue with a young camp counselor who made excellent suggestions to help me best serve children in my art workshop; witnessing the simultaneous kindness, precision, and flexibility of Nicole and her IEA team in developing and supporting both the structure and flow of the camp day; being let in on a camp inside joke cryptically called Peach Juice!, which is where I wish to focus for the rest of my writing today. 

Although I do not have permission to share details of Peach Juice! with you, I can tell you it is a mighty, mighty inside camp joke, hatched during an ordinary moment, post Pandemic, from the same muse I suspect served me and my friends well in our O Tannenbaum! youth. Celebrity enough of an inside joke to have its own polished Peach Juice! board game, complete with a Michael Piechowski game character, unveiled this past summer by a bright and industrious camper. I hope the legacy of Peach Juice! has the fortitude and legs to thread through the Yunasa West community for the next forty years and beyond.  

Human happiness within the circumstances of time, space, memory, and shared experience is perhaps one of the best ways to find some meaning in this life. O Tannenbaum! has happened. Peach Juice! has happened. I was there. You were there. I hope everyone has something like Peach Juice! in their lives to hold and carry as a personal and community talisman and (also) amulet in bright times and in dark (as I write, IEA’s Pasadena and nearby areas are on fire). I also wish I could somehow see out ahead to witness these camp friends in adulthood, reuniting for a few birthdays and holidays, arriving and parking in crooked haste in order not to miss a minute together nor the toast to the well-being and bestowal of Peach Juice! 

Thank you, IEA and community of camp Yunasa West 2024, for the wonderful visit this past summer. Keep up your good and virtuous work. Stay safe and take good care. Until we meet again…Peach Juice! 

Catherine Zakoian is a licensed and national board certified counselor based in Boulder, CO. For close to 25 years she has specialized in counseling gifted, profoundly gifted, and twice exceptional (2e) children, adolescents, teens, adults, families, and organizations.

Learn more about her and her practice at: https://catherinezakoian.com/

Sydney tentatively packed up for camp; she really wanted to feel included but didn’t want to get her hopes too high. She had been to summer camp previously but came home feeling less than fulfilled. 

As we entered the Howell Nature Center, all our hesitation and worry about potential disappointment disappeared. We were greeted with warm smiles and handshakes. Unsurprisingly, parents of gifted children are likely to have some, if not many, of the same traits that make our own kids so special and unique. As such, both of us almost instantly felt a sense of peace and belonging when we walked into the lodge. The opening meeting with the fellows felt like a gathering of like-minded people. We both wanted to stay for camp ourselves and learn more! We left Sydney with trust that she would grow as a person and find her people.  

When we returned that final day of her first camp, the energy in the closing ceremony was electric. Sydney’s smile and energy glowed through the room. The beautiful echoes of her laughter coupled with an obvious bond with the campers and fellows was heartwarming to witness. It felt collectively, all the staff, fellows, campers, and parents were a family on that day. A few tears were even shed. As we left, the first words Sydney said were “Mom and Dad, I have to come back next year!”  

Over the course of the following year, she continued to grow her spirit and mind along with her intelligence. She became more at peace with herself. The second summer at Yunasa continued this development. She reconnected with old friends and gained new ones. Again, she glowed when we picked her up. By virtue of the transformative impact and breath of fresh air the camp has provided us, we regularly reference positive things along the line of “this has a Yunasa type of feel.”  

Yunasa, and by extension IEA, have become a byword for good people doing good things.  

To close, a quote from Sydney: “To me, Yunasa is a place that is rather difficult to describe. It’s a place which fosters curiosity, companionship, and spirituality in young minds. I feel quite honored to be among that community – at camp, and at heart.” 

Joel and Molly Parker
Yunasa Parents of Sydney 

PASADENA, CA – 02/20/2024 – The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA), a national nonprofit dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of our nation’s gifted and advanced learners, has announced the upcoming retirement of its president and co-founder, Elizabeth Jones. Jones will remain in her current position until a new president has been hired and will then transition to a senior advisor role to support leadership and the Board of Directors.

Since the nonprofit’s founding in 1998, IEA has become a pillar in the gifted education community as a place focused on the whole gifted child. Now recognized as one of the nation’s leading thought leadership organizations supporting the needs of gifted youth, IEA offers enrichment classes and learning opportunities, teacher trainings, consulting services, support groups, summer camps and scholarships for gifted learners. Over 12,000 students have benefited from the organization’s work.

“As we enter a new quarter century at IEA, the organization is strong and has tremendous promise for the future,” said Elizabeth Jones, president and co-founder, Institute for Educational Advancement. “Building this organization that is filled with heart and a commitment to excellence is what makes us special. I am proud of our accomplishments, am honored to have been a part of the lives of so many gifted students and am grateful for the support of our ever-growing community.” 

Giftedness exists in every demographic of society and is often overlooked and underfunded in many education systems. Jones created IEA to fill that gap and be a resource for families and educators alike. Under her guidance, IEA advocated for gifted education locally and nationally and commissioned the first-ever national survey assessing the American public’s views on gifted education. This research continues to influence national policy and is used by organizations across the U.S. in advocating for gifted youth. IEA operates 

With the support of IEA’s Board of Directors, Advisory board and staff, Morris & Berger, an executive search firm with a specialty practice that reaches across the nonprofit sector, will seek a new president to continue the nonprofit’s mission of meeting the unique needs of gifted children, their families and educators and overseeing the organization’s business needs and fiscally sound operating budget. 

“Since Elizabeth founded IEA, we have stayed true to our mission of serving gifted youth, exponentially growing our flagship programs: our Academy enrichment classes, our Award-winning Yunasa Summer Camp, and our unique Caroline D. Bradley merit-based high school scholarship,” said Byron Lichtenstein, IEA Board Chair. “IEA has served gifted children with passion and dedication. I know, because I am one of those young people. We on the board, our community, and the field of gifted education are indebted to Elizabeth for her engagement and the organization’s success.” 

Qualified candidates are invited to view the position brochure online and apply here: https://www.morrisberger.com/position.php?id=2237.

For more information about IEA’s programs and services, visit www.educationaladvancement.org.

About the Institute for Educational Advancement

The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) is dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of our nation’s gifted and high-potential youth. Central to the mission of IEA is a commitment to the development of the whole child through engaging educational experiences that promote optimal challenge, mentorship, exploration of ideas, and recognition of personal potential. IEA seeks to connect gifted individuals through dynamic and engaging year-round programming. Additionally, IEA supports a diverse community that creates a sense of belonging and affirmation. For more information, visit www.educationaladvancement.org.

Contact

Kat Kirsch

Institute for Educational Advancement

(626) 403-8900 or kkirsch@educationaladvancement.org

This just in: Jack seemed to be dominating in Magic, the Gathering. However, in their second face off, Madeline pulled out a never-before-used defense saving herself in the last moment, and made a huge comeback by playing another card from the new deck Emily gave her just this week. 

In other news, Howell Nature Camp, already a planet-friendly place by its very mission to save and care for injured or vulnerable wildlife, has become even more environmentally conscientious than ever. This summer, camper-led initiatives have spurred trash pickup hikes along the camp’s many trails, and food a new food scraps waste management system. 

Not-to-be-missed artistic offerings of this past July included a soaring a cappella rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides,” stand-up comedy routines managing to be both wacky and actually in good taste, and the most spirited cover of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” since the minions first came on the scene.

What in the world can all these wildly diverse events have in common? Well of course, these news flashes barely scratch the surface of a single week’s worth of Yunasa memories highlighting some of Yunasa campers’ many, and profoundly intense, passions.

Yunasa lets young people be the most concentrated and complete version of themselves, in the full support of a community, or “tribe” as we often call it, of others who appreciate and truly celebrate all the sparkling facets. When I first attended Yunasa about 17 years ago, I immediately went home and told my sister that she should attend as soon as she became old enough.  That was a surprising move only because, although coming from the same parentage and family, the crossover of our major interests is pretty much zero. She wouldn’t be caught dead watching a dance video, while learning a new dance is the thing that has always excited me most. And on the other hand, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a sci-fi novel or ones about sentient robots, and have probably never read a spy series, both of which would probably make my sister ashamed to even admit she knows me.

However, at Yunasa, it’s equally possible to meet a new trusted companion with whom you can finally go in-depth with into your specific passions, or conversely with someone who on the outside, you may have very little in common. They might even come from a totally different generation! Somehow still, when we come together around the campfire to begin and end every camp, you’ll hear the words being sung out, “It’s in every one of us, to be wise, find your heart…” and it’s pretty close to a guarantee that each new and returning camper will have touched some part of that wisdom within themselves during the week. Best of all, they’ll probably have some new skills to help them feel a greater confidence in their ability to reach it again whenever it’s needed throughout the year. 

Participating in Yunasa as a counselor now feels like a yearly dream. The consecutive years of camp are often as different from one another in highlight activities, favorite jokes, or warmest bunk memories as can be, and yet the through line of them all is seeing a place where each year more people reunite with a sense of deep belonging and acceptance for all they are and are growing into. Having a summer camp that brings people from all over the country, and sometimes the world, as part of IEA’s offerings is extraordinarily special. If you are interested in joining us at camp this summer, please apply with the link below to begin your journey of being a part of a special community.

Apply to Yunasa 2023

In addition, if you are interested in contributing, any donation goes a long way toward making what was initially only a dream of the Fellows, now into a living reality. It is the opinion of a 10-year+ Yunasa veteran that the risk of some tears on the last day of camp, when you must bid farewell to friends you may not see for at least another year, is worth the opportunity of finding oneself and richly-cherished connections, which are so great a part of the Yunasa experience. 

Hi! My name is Cassie Kaplan and I am from Indianapolis, Indiana. I am currently a sophomore in college at Southern Methodist University and I am majoring in Biology and Anthropology. I attended Yunasa as a camper for four years in addition to two years as a leadership camper. I have also been a counselor at Yunasa for the past two years. My first year at Yunasa was at age eleven. I was having trouble fitting in at school and on my sports teams because I had different interests and saw the world differently than my classmates or teammates. But once I got to Yunasa, I found people just like me. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who saw the world like I did. 

As a counselor, I have been able to help provide the same space that brought me so much joy and community during my formative years. One of my favorite moments from Yunasa this summer was the variety show, which is an open setting that allows anyone who wants to share one of their passions to do so. Performances range from singing to stand-up comedy to magic tricks. The variety show was one of my favorite activities as a camper, and it continues to be one of my favorite activities as a counselor. 

If these events and the community-feel sound like something you are interested in, I encourage you to apply to Yunasa through the application link below. We are excited to meet you and have you join the Yunasa tribe!

Apply to Yunasa 2023

Being able to return to Yunasa is such a privilege, and it is only through the generous donations given to IEA that I, along with the other counselors, are able to do so. Without the help of donors, this wonderful camp would not be able to continue to provide the home that it has been for me, and many others like me.

Thank you,

Cassie

There will be some slight changes to kick-off Yunasa 2022. We’re excited to share that Yunasa Michigan will be moving to a new more intimate location in July. Building partnerships with organizations who share the same values in supporting our campers’ emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being are important values to IEA and we feel lucky to be able to share this with a new place.

This summer, Yunasa Michigan will be held at Howell Nature Center in Howell, MI. Campers will get to witness some of their key landmarks from their Pleasant Lake, their fun-filled Tree House, to the beautiful greenery that surrounds the site! The Yunasa team has been collaborating and preparing for this upcoming season with the staff at Howell Nature Center and at YMCA Camp Shady Brook, and we are thrilled to connect with teams who are enthusiastic and passionate in serving the needs of our campers.

This is an exciting time for our families whether new or returning. If you’re interested in applying to our Yunasa program, the application is live!

You may find the link to the application here.

Please note that the deadline to submit your camper’s application is March 14, 2022.

If you have any questions regarding the program or application process, please contact the Program Coordinator, Issabela Tulalian at itulalian@educationaladvancement.org.

THE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT ANNOUNCES 29 RECIPIENTS FOR NATIONWIDE HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP

The announcement of the latest class of Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) scholars is always a big deal here at IEA, and 2021 was no different. Last year, we announced 29 selections across the United States.

WHAT GOES INTO SELECTING A CAROLINE D. BRADLEY SCHOLAR?

Of course, interest at the very beginning of the CDB process is very high. Almost one full year ago, Bonnie Raskin gave applicants some additional insight about how a scholar is selected. It is sure to be helpful even to 2022 applicants!

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Our bite-sized alumni interviews proved to be very popular. In 2021, you especially liked our features on Valerie Ding, Caitlin Andrews, Sophia Barron and Scott Greenberg!

CDB CLASS OF ’21 – COLLEGE PLANS

When it came to college application season, our CDB Class of 2021 was incredibly successful. Here’s an accounting of where our talented scholars were headed!

BREATHING TECHNIQUES TO HELP CALM THE OVERACTIVE MIND

For those that needed a little help dealing with the year, our very own Nancy Kane used her professional yoga expertise to give some insight on breathing exercises. 

RESOURCE ROUND-UP: 7 RESOURCES FOR GIFTED GIRLS

We kicked off Women’s History Month last year with this handy post detailing links parents of gifted girls can check out. It’s got everything from essay contests to summer programs and more!

UNDERSTANDING SCREEN TIME AND GAMING FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

A lot of families are, understandably, interested in how video games and screen time can best be fit into their child’s schedule. In this post, we try to add some insight and provide resources for making these decisions.

COMICS FOR LITERACY

Comics are a fun, engaging and deep genre of literature. They’re also ideal for children at all reading levels! Here are some reading recommendations we made last year.

HOW TO FRAME PRAISE FOR CREATIVE YOUTH

There’s a lot of nuance in how you can give a child praise. In this post, we try to convey and expand upon a lesson learned in How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber and Adele King.

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL WELL BEING AMIDST THE PANDEMIC

The pandemic remains top of mind for many of us, and we want the community to know we’re here for support. In this post, we’ve curated a list of resources that might help with coping with the various stresses and uncertainties: podcasts, blogs, books and more. They’re strong resources for all kinds of heightened and tense feelings.

Thanks to everyone for reading our blog in 2021. We’re certain you’ll love what we have in store for the coming year.

Yunasa campers have started their day off with yoga for 20 years. Senior Program Coordinator, Qiao Li, has seen the benefits of yoga firsthand on our gifted campers and how it sets them up for success for the rest of the day. Because gifted children tend to receive stimuli more intensely (Pyne, 2015) it is essential to find ways to connect the mind, body, and spirit to help ground them and give them tools to focus and relax. Li says that practicing yoga for half an hour settles the overactive mind typically found in gifted children and helps campers to welcome the day with a balanced mind and body. She says that sometimes they are so relaxed that they fall asleep in Savasana, corpse pose, the final resting posture of a yoga practice.

Yoga means to join, or to yoke, or to unite. Most yogis agree that through yoga, we can find a union of mind, body, and spirit through pranayama, breath, and the asanas, postures. Through this connection, we can calm the active mind and bring peace to the body. Controlled breathing techniques help signal the nervous system to calm down. The inhale is linked to the sympathetic nervous system or our fight-or-flight response, and the exhale is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, our body’s relaxation system.

Consider practicing this simple breathing technique with your child the next time you like them to slow down.  While sitting in a comfortable position with eyes closed, inhale for 4 seconds and hold at the top for 2 seconds. Then exhale to a count of 6 and hold at the bottom for 2 seconds. Repeat several times and focus on expanding and emptying the belly with the breath. The circular nature of the technique gives the mind something to focus on, and the longer exhale gives the parasympathetic nervous system time to calm down.

Added benefits of breathing techniques are you are giving your body a chance to recuperate and heal. They promote less stress and better digestion. And deeper focused breathing helps to bring more awareness to the present moment.

We would love to hear in the comments how yoga and breathing techniques help support your child’s ability to focus and relax.

After two years of not being together in person, Yunasa and Yunasa West 2021 marked a smooth and graceful transition back to our traditional week-long sleepaway summer camps.

The pandemic has taught us many valuable lessons, and throughout camp, I witnessed many of these great qualities. Campers and staff demonstrated incredible kindness, understanding, and support to one another. We have learned to treasure the beauty in everyday small moments, to pay attention to nature, appreciate what we have and who we love, and to extend a helping hand to those in need. Despite the lack of social interaction during shelter-at-home, it took no time for campers to reconnect and find common interests. They were courteous, respectful, considerate, and kind.

Leading up to camp, IEA took many steps to prepare for a safe and fun week for all participants. Partnering with our host camps – YMCA Camp Shady Brook in Colorado and YMCA Camp Copneconic in Michigan – we thoroughly studied the federal, state, and local health guidelines to make modifications for our residential summer camps. We made thoughtful changes to comply to the “cohorting” guidelines while creating safe opportunities for all campers and staff to connect throughout the week. Additionally, our host camps held themselves to the highest cleaning standard by implementing strict cleaning procedures daily and weekly to ensure that all campers can safely enjoy all camp activities.

Throughout the planning process, IEA kept close and frequent communications with all parents. We made sure that there are no questions left unanswered, and that all families know “what to expect” during this special year.

Though we had a lot of modifications this year, both camps offered a much-needed reunion after all that we have endured. We are able to ran both camps safely and successfully due to a combination of teamwork, leadership, improvisation, and good faith. I especially want to thank all of our parents for their trust in IEA, persistent partnership and understanding throughout this camp season.

I wish everyone a refreshing and joyful start to fall, and look forward to another great camp season in 2022!

Living through a pandemic has not been easy. For gifted children particularly – whose advanced cognitive abilities are often coupled with heightened intensity – It’s been especially challenging to adjust to this “new normal.”

While intellectually understanding the situation we face, a young gifted child may not yet possess the emotional vocabulary to process what’s going on around them. This can cause anxiety, stress, and can seriously affect their overall wellbeing.

At Yunasa Summer Camps for Gifted, campers learn to practice mindfulness to calm their busy mind, and to fully be in the present moment without judgement or fear. As writer Stephanie Tolan shared, “gifted children can spend a lot of time in their minds, mindfulness can help the gifted child to slow down, and focus on their bodies and how they are responding to their environments…”

Practicing mindfulness is learning to be more aware – of the present moment, of one’s bodily sensations, of one’s emotional state. By recognizing that there are other aspects of the self in addition to their mind, gifted children learn to integrate their whole self – the social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual – as they approach decision-making and emotional response with confidence and resiliency.

Practicing mindfulness during the pandemic can be a very important tool for gifted children to weather this storm with their inner strength. IEA has created a monthly Mindfulness Calendar to share with families. To get your February calendar, please visit here.

Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about our Yunasa camps and how we plan to run a safe camp, please visit our program page.