TDI 2022 CampDoc Registration is Now Open for Business!
Early bird pricing is available until April 1, 2022.
June 19 - 25 and/or June 26 - July 2, 2022 at Northern Vermont University. We are excited to be back in person and to see you again!
To register, please first read the CampDoc Registration Letter, which has some helpful information in it. Also have your child(ren)read through the TDI 2022 Brochure, and mark up the Strand Grids with their first, second, and third choices. You can then use these grids to easily share this information with us when you register at app.campdoc.com/register/tdi.
Partial scholarships are available. Register now so you can be assured your children will get the strands they want! If you have any issues with registering on CampDoc, contact Lucy Bogue at lucy@tdivermont.org.
Talent Development Institute On-Campus Teen Leadership Program Selected to Receive a 2021 Summer Matters for All Grant!
Colchester, VT—Talent Development Institute’s (TDI’s) on-campus Teen Leadership program was recently selected to receive $20,000 in funding from the Summer Matters for All Grant program. According to Governor Phil Scott, the Summer Matters for All Grant Program will award up to $3.85 million to programs in 13 counties with the goal of expanding access to summer enrichment opportunities for K-12 youth this summer.
The TDI Leadership Program happened June 19-25, 2021, on the campus of Northern Vermont University, in the heart of the beautiful Green Mountains. The goals of the Leadership Program included guiding our teens to learn about themselves, leadership, ethics, teaching, and living as a responsible citizen in the world. Participants took traditional Leadership classes in the morning, and then they were involved in an assortment of learning, assisting, and teaching scenarios in the afternoons. Evenings allowed for teens to engage with each other, teach each other, lead discussions with each other, play and laugh together, and relax as needed.
Ordinarily, the TDI Leadership Program runs concurrently with TDI Summer Camp, which is a summer camp/academic program for advanced, creative, and gifted students entering grades 4-9, during two weeks each summer. Currently in its 24th year, TDI offers classes of many types—from science to language to arts to tech to humanities—which are designed to be engaging and fun, and to nurture students' creativity and their love of learning.
This year, TDI for campers happened virtually; however, this grant allowed for the Leadership Program to happen in person, and enabled TDI to more easily weather the impact of COVID-19 by helping to cover a substantial amount of this year’s program costs. Another impact of lowering costs was that it allowed for reduced tuition for the families of teens that attended the Leadership program in-person for the summer of 2021.
In addition, “one of the successes of the program has been to ensure the vitality of the Leadership Program for future years,” says co-director Lucy Bogue. “We had teens from 15 different Vermont towns, plus two from out-of-state. We had a wonderful and joyous week on campus. It has been healing to be together in what has become a favorite place for most of us. There have been many conversations of all sorts--silly, deep, robust. There have been fun and meaningful activities of many kinds, as well as
friendships renewed and newly formed. Energy and spirits have been high, and we have marveled at the resiliency of us all. We really needed this after the social isolation many of us have felt this past year.”
Governor Scott has put an emphasis on helping Vermont kids recover from the pandemic and the isolation it caused, including creating opportunities for them to safely reconnect with their peers and their communities. The purpose of the grant program is to increase access to summer enrichment opportunities for K-12 youth statewide during Summer 2021. This was a highly competitive process with 188 proposals submitting $7,427,584 in requests, which far exceeded available funds.
The grants, funded by federal dollars secured by Senator Bernie Sanders and administered by Vermont Afterschool, were awarded to a variety of programs, including summer camps, libraries, municipalities, teen centers, non-profit social services organizations and more, to expand the number of weeks and slots, as well as to increase affordability and accessibility of summer programs. These offerings will supplement school-based programs, as districts in Vermont received separate federal funds to support summer learning and afterschool programs.
“Summer is the perfect opportunity to help kids reconnect and recharge. We are incredibly grateful to our state leaders and policymakers for their commitment to the development of the Summer Matters for All Grant Program,” said Holly Morehouse, Executive Director of Vermont Afterschool. “With this funding, communities and youth serving organizations across the state will be able to create a great summer for Vermont children and youth that will help them make new memories and emerge from the pandemic strong, resilient, and hopeful.”
For more information on TDI’s programming, you can visit www.tdivermont.org. The Talent Development Institute is under the umbrella of the Green Mountain Center for Gifted Education, and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, with the mission of affirming, educating, and supporting Vermont's gifted and talented youth and their families.
TDI@Home 2020 Info--Half Day Options Available!
Hello! Please find our TDI@Home 2020 information here, and our strand grid here. We are offering half day as well as full day virtual options for participation during the same two weeks as our regularly scheduled TDI, so hopefully there is a good fit for each camper. Registration will be open beginning this weekend. Until then, take a look and see if your kids get excited about some of our wonderful online offerings. Our staff has done an amazing job of creating engaging strands--we hope you and your children agree!
Wondering about TDI 2020? We are, too!
Hello!
We thought by now (April 16, 2020) we might be able to make some decisions about what version of TDI we will be implementing this year. However, we recently learned that NVU has postponed making a final decision about their summer programs until May 4th. We’ve been told that "if the State says we can open again, we will be opening again," and that "it is a matter of when the State says for sure we can." So there is still hope!
Meanwhile, there are at least 4 possible scenarios that could unfold:
- Plan A, which is our regularly scheduled two weeks of TDI, June 21-July 4th.
- Plan B, which is our contingency plan for a one-week TDI, August 2-8, which would happen only if Plan A cannot happen.
- If Plan A and Plan B are both prohibited, we would consider Plan C, which is to cancel TDI completely.
- If NVU is allowed to run daytime, but not overnight, programming (which is what UVM has just announced they are planning to do this summer), we would consider Plan D, which could be some combination of an in-person weekend day or two at NVU campus and online connection for campers.
For anyone wondering whether or not (because things are so unpredictable right now) to register their child, we are currently allowing registration with no deposit necessary. So there is no financial risk involved. Please go ahead and register, as this gives us some important information on the numbers of campers we may have for each scenario, and the interests (based on strand choices) of those campers. Please register for August Plan B as well, if you want your child to attend Plan B (in the event that Plan A is not able to happen). In all cases, just ignore (for now) any notices about tuition balance due. We hope to see you this summer! Thanks!
2020 March 28th Event-- Our third annual Joys and Challenges of Brilliance: Helping Your Gifted Child Shine!
Joys and Challenges of Brilliance: Helping Your Gifted Child Shine!, Vermont Commons School, South Burlington, Saturday March 28, 2020, 12:45-5 pm. There will be activities for kids (Creature Creations and Imaginary Lands) while parents attend educational sessions and network with other parents and professionals.
Special guest speaker: Patricia Schuler, PhD, The Mind-Heart Connection: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the Anxiety Issues of their Gifted Child. Other topics for breakout sessions include Support and Challenge Your Gifted Child, Perfectionism and Anxiety, and Foster Friendships and Community Connections for Your Gifted Child.
Cost before March 11th is $25 per adult individual (co-parent may attend for free), $10 per child (grades K-9) for Activity Room and Middle School Meet-Up Room. Price increases after March 11th. Click here for 2020 Joys and Challenges flyer for more detailed information and registration form. Contact Lucy Bogue at lucy@tdivermont.orgwith questions.
March Family Event
| The Joys and Challenges of Brilliance: Helping Your Gifted Child Shine! Co-sponsored by Talent Development Institute (TDI), Davis Studio and Community School, and Vermont Commons School We hope you will join us for the second annual March event for families of gifted children! This year the conference will be held at the Vermont Commons School in South Burlington. We have activities for children ages five and up, including a Middle School Meet-up Room. We welcomeyour children to this conference. They may enjoy and benefit from the opportunity to spend time with other gifted students. What: An educational and networking program for gifted children and their parents. Where: Vermont Commons School, 75 Green Mountain Drive, South Burlington, VT, 05403. Parking available. When: Saturday, March 23, 2019 from 1:00-5:00pm. Check-in begins at 12:45 pm. Cost: $25 per adult individual (co-parent may attend for free). $10 per child (grades K-6) for Activity Rooms, and $10 per child (grades 6-9) for Middle School Meet-Up Room. After March 11th, cost increases to $30 peradult and $15 per child, if there is room. Limited scholarships available. Contact us. Registration: Registration form, click Find Out More below. Form needs to be filled out, signed, and sent in with payment. Deadline for registration is March 11, 2019. Register early; space is limited! Contact: lucy@tdivermont.org |
| Find Out More |
Good read on Twice Exceptional!
Here https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/05/09/608509143/why-so-many-gifted-yet-struggling-students-are-hidden-in-plain-sight is a great NPR interview with Scott Barry Kaufman, author of Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulities. He believes, as do I and many other gifted specialists, that disabilities and giftedness can mask each other. He has some new insights to offer about the importance of creating a holistic and humanitarian approach of looking at the whole student, so that we never limit anyone based on what we think their potential is. Also take a look at the TEDx Talk mentioned in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih5caeD06ms. It’s worth it!