FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Luminari Contact: Sheila Hyland sheila@luminari.org
412-877-1888
PITTSBURGH, May 18, 2020–Luminari, now in its 11th year, has had to cancel its in-person summer camps for 2020 due to the coronavirus. By retooling its innovative programs to offer an online format, the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit will be able to continue its mission of broadening minds, inspiring innovation and promoting community engagement. The virtual experience will be free and on-demand to all teens regardless of socioeconomic background or geographic location. Camps will begin on June 8th.
“It is vital to our missions that we all stay socially connected and mentally stimulated,” said Luminari founder and President Hilda Pang Fu. “Luminari will continue to be a force for positive change in re-imagining education, with new technology as our partner. Moving forward, we will be able to provide education that is more global, with less geographic and time-zone constraints.”
Luminari is producing a series of 12 short, fun and educational videos with activities and skill builders similar to what teens would find in each of its four in-person camps. I Want to be an Ambassador! explores the powerful world of everyday and global diplomacy and leadership. Speak & Tell! offers teens tips to increase their confidence and master public-speaking skills. Teen Writer! invigorates creative-writing skills through prompts and inspiring exercises. Camp Delicious! includes cooking and gardening demonstrations. All online camps will have a takeaway or project that teens can work on in the comfort of their homes. They will also have access to downloadable online resources.
Longtime camp director and Emmy-ward winning writer/producer Gina Catanzarite will serve as the supervising producer for this series of videos. Catanzarite has received specific training for creating, delivering and teaching educational online content. Videos will feature Pittsburgh broadcasters Michelle Wright, Michael Bartley, Sally Wiggin and Andrew Stockey; chefs Roger Levine and Edwin Smith; World Affairs Council educator Kathleen Newell; Global Minds Initiative program director Suad Yusuf; Chinese language educator Mandi Fong; and Barbara Johnson, YWCA’s director of the Center for Race and Gender Equity.
For more information call 412-877-1888.
####
MISSION | Luminari is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit founded to foster activities that broaden minds, inspire innovations and promote community engagement
