What a few of our SHP volunteers learned from volunteering at imaginationLAB Norwood

1. 7 Valuable Lessons from
Imagination LAB Norwood
SHP LEADING DESIGN

2. 1. Power of Positivity
“The biggest thing I learned from
Imagination LAB was the power of
positivity. Once the students realize
the volunteers are encouraging and
supportive of not only their successes,
but their failures – which ultimately
facilitate learning and lead to more
innovative solutions – it is amazing to
see the creations they are able to
build and the enthusiasm in which they
go about creating them.”
- Mike Benkert

3. 2. Jump In
“The kids would always leap
into whatever project we
placed in front of them, never
pausing to plan (which, as an
architect, I am inclined
toward). Sometimes this
would lead to great failures,
but failure soon leads to
discovery!”
- Jeff Parker

4. 3. The Reward is the Activity
“It was great working with the
kids! I think the main insight I took
from it was that it was really
great to see them want to build
and create things seemingly for
the sake of building and creating.
The fact that the reward WAS the
activity for them is something I
believe is certainly noteworthy.”
- Ryan Hanzlick

5. 4. Imagination is Limitless
“As adults we often times restrict ourselves
from completely using our imagination,
because we have to be realistic. However,
children have their own way to problem
solve because they do not restrict their
imagination. It is so rewarding to see a
child who thought that it would be
impossible to work through a problem to
open their imagination up and come up
with a solution on their own.”
- Ashley Weneck

6. 5. Teamwork
“While working with the iLAB
group, I was most invigorated
by the teamwork the students
all exhibited. They were very
eager to share successes with
each other and help one
another understand how they
got their ideas to ‘work!’”
- Jody Watson

7. 6. Begin with “Can”
“So often we begin a task of discovery
with limits. As I watched and interacted
with iLAB, it is remarkable to see their
minds at work, creating and
discovering materials, gravity and each
other. It reminds me to look at my own
processes of living and to insert
opportunities for discovery, to not begin
every project in the same way in the
same order. Eliminate the ruts in simple
daily moments and the whole world
changes in perspective.”
- Ed Melvin

8. 7. Determined Problem Solving
“It was inspiring to see how
determined a child will become
when they are given the
opportunity and set their mind to
their wildest ideas. I've also
learned that a guiding hand is
always appreciated, but one
should never ‘give all the answers.’
It is amazing to see the solutions
that a fresh young mind will
create.”
- Brian Oldiges