Online 

Note:  This class will be recorded.

You will leave this short masterclass with the 5 top things you could be doing to have more energy and sustainably release weight using plant nutrition.

October 17, 2023

9 am - 10:30 am

Alanna is a naturopath specializing in plant nutrition, phytotherapy, Bach flower elixirs, and massage.  She studied naturopathy at ENA MNC in France and is a certified raw vegan coach. She has been plant-based for 32 years.

Online

Do you want to write a story, start your memoir, work on a novel, publish an essay, or just play around with words and see what happens? If so, this workshop is for you. In this supportive writing group, we’ll explore strategies for generating ideas, getting words on paper, revising, and polishing them.

Wednesdays with 9 sessions

October 18

November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

December 6, 13, 20

10 am - 11:30 am

Michelle Navarre Cleary led her first writing workshop in 1994. Since then, she has worked primarily with adults who returned to school to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Her own writing includes academic articles, essays, and opinion pieces.

Online 

This is a discussion group held on the first and third Fridays of each month covering local, national, and world news. The discussion provides an opportunity to share your observations and opinions on the news and to learn from other participants. Articles of interest are distributed among the group by email in the week prior to each meeting, and topics to discuss are selected by the group at the beginning of each meeting.

Paul Mullin is the facilitator for this discussion group.

Starts at 10 am.

October 20

November 3, 17

December 1, 15

January 5, 19

February 2 

Online

Please join us for a monthly Zoom get-together for coffee, conversation, and crafts.  Settle in with your favorite craft, bring your coffee, tea, or beverage, and visit with Gold LEAF friends.  Crafts are not essential, and guys are welcome! The goal is to get together and spend an hour or more talking with friends.

2nd Monday of the month, 10 a.m.

November 13, 2023

December 11, 2023

January 8, 2024

February 12, 2024

Online 

The Book Discussion Group continues a long Gold LEAF tradition and will meet three times during the Fall/Winter Term to discuss works of fiction and non-fiction.  Our sessions are open and casual, but also stimulating and informative - we learn from each other. This term, each book has been chosen and will be facilitated, by a member of the group.

The group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month except December 

November 14: Call Me American: A Memoir by Abdi Nor Iftin

January 9: Small Great Things: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

February 13: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster 

Each of the three facilitators has participated in this book group previously. Both newcomers and past participants are encouraged to join us for this Fall/Winter Term.

Online

Learn to laugh at nothing at all and gain all the benefits that laughter has to offer. Previous experience is not necessary as the yoga portion includes deep and slow breaths along with some stretches – no yoga poses.

Playful laughter fuels positive energy, creativity, and connection. It can boost immune functions; increase pain tolerance; release 'feel good hormones' that can change our mood to promote social bonding and positive emotions.

Laughter Yoga is a practice anyone can do at any time. In this Zoom class, exercises can all be done while seated. Please come with the ability to "think outside the box"

Thursday, November 30, 2023

1 pm - 2:30 pm

Denise has been a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader since 2011. She has led Laughter Yoga sessions in Falmouth, Portland, and Peaks Island for a variety of ages, from school-age children to those in the 55+ age group. She currently leads a monthly Laughter Yoga session for those with Parkinson's Disease and their care partners.

Marcia has been a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader since 2010. She has led Laughter Yoga sessions in Brunswick and Lewiston.  She attends many Zoom Laughter Yoga sessions in the United States and Canada and has also been to Zoom sessions in South America, Uruguay, India, and Australia. She currently co-leads a monthly Laughter Yoga session for those with Parkinson's Disease and their care partners.

Online

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) refers to a growing world of sophisticated computer programs that “learn” from data in order to make decisions. Many of these AI systems are invisible to the public, yet the results of the decisions they make (or help humans make) have a huge impact on modern life.

"For many of us, AI primarily impacts the way we do things online: it controls whose updates we read on Facebook, which products we select on Amazon, and which movies we watch on Netflix. However, AI is increasingly being used to make decisions in more serious areas of life like hiring (E.g., deciding whose resume gets reviewed by a human and whose gets skipped), education (E.g., assigning grades based on past performance), and even law enforcement (E.g., helping a judge decide who gets bail).

Because of how important AI is in our lives, we should understand how it works so that we can control it together! The goal of this 5-week learning circle course is to introduce the basics of AI, discuss some of the social and ethical dimensions of the use of AI in modern life, and empower individuals to engage with how AI is used and governed." This learning circle was developed by the Center for Responsible AI (R/AI) at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU), and the Queens Public Library (QPL).

Tuesdays,  January 16, 23, 30,  February 6, 20

Michelle and Chip are a retired couple living in New Vineyard. Before retiring, Michelle was a professor and academic administrator who focused on transforming higher education institutions to better serve adult learners. She has worked with Peer-to-Peer University to develop credit-bearing learning circles for those considering a return to higher education. After earning an MBA and a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Chip combined technology with learning sciences to build training and development systems.