Friday, September 8th 2023
6:00pm-9:00pm
Please mark your calendars for Fort Collins Museum of Discovery’s first fundraising event since 2019. This exciting community event will culminate the 10-year Anniversary celebration of the museum while also seeding our vision to inspire inquisitive thinkers and encourage responsible stewardship of the future. Sponsor opportunities are available through July 15. Tickets are on sale now!
Click here to learn more and get your ticket!
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As of 2/25 registration has reached capacity.
Thank you for the interest!
Sunday, February 26, 2023 | 2:00-5:00 PM* program starts right at 2
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
408 Mason Court
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
Typical libraries offer print books and digital eBooks for check out, but the Human Library® allows participants – or Readers – to borrow a human Book and engage in conversations about their unique stories, particularly their experiences in Fort Collins regarding their identity/identities. The Human Library program creates a safe and non-judgmental environment for curious and often taboo conversations that will challenge prejudices and promote understanding of differences. The program encourages all participants to “unjudge” a human Book by its cover.
As a Reader, you will have the opportunity to check out four human Books, community volunteers who have been subjected to bias, stereotyping, or intolerance due to their lifestyle, race, beliefs, disability, etc. For example, a Reader may wish to converse with a Book who identifies as gay, Black, body artist, wheelchair user, etc. and explore their experiences in our community. The hope is that everyone, Readers and Books, gain new understandings that advance acceptance and inclusion among diverse groups.
Please join us for the Human Library – a safe and non-judgmental forum for people to engage in difficult conversations and gain a deeper understanding of diverse human experiences.
There is no charge for this program. For more information about the Human Library, please visit www.humanlibrary.org.
The Human Library program is sponsored by the City of Fort Collins Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, and the Poudre River Public Library District. This program is presented as part of the 2023 Fort Collins BookFest.
“Siendo yo en Fort Collins”
Las bibliotecas tradicionales ofrecen libros, tanto impresos como electrónicos, pero la Biblioteca Humana® permite a sus participantes, o lectores, tomar prestado un libro humano para entablar conversaciones sobre sus historias, particularmente sus experiencias en Fort Collins con respecto a su identidad. El programa de la Biblioteca Humana crea un entorno seguro y sin prejuicios para mantener conversaciones curiosas y, a menudo, tabú que desafiarán los prejuicios y promoverán la comprensión de las diferencias. El programa alienta a todos los participantes a “desjuzgar” un libro humano.
Como lector tendrá la oportunidad de consultar cuatro libros humanos, voluntarios de la comunidad que han sido objeto de prejuicios, estereotipos o intolerancia debido a su estilo de vida, raza, creencias, discapacidad, etc. Por ejemplo, un lector puede conversar con un libro que se identifique como gay, negro, artista del cuerpo, usuario de silla de ruedas, etc. y explorar sus experiencias en nuestra comunidad. El objetivo es que todos, tanto lectores como libros, obtengan nuevos conocimientos que promuevan la aceptación y la inclusión entre diversos grupos.
Acompáñenos en la Biblioteca Humana: un foro seguro y sin prejuicios para que las personas participen en conversaciones difíciles y obtengan una comprensión más profunda de las diversas experiencias humanas.
Domingo, 26 de febrero de 2023
2:00-5:00 PM
Museo del Descubrimiento de Fort Collins
408 Mason Court
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
Admisión gratuita. Para registrarse, haga clic aquí
Para obtener más información sobre la Biblioteca Humana, visite www.humanlibrary.org.
La Biblioteca Humana está patrocinada por la Oficina de Equidad e Inclusión de la ciudad de Fort Collins, el Museo del Descubrimiento de Fort Collins y el Distrito Bibliotecario Público Poudre River. Se presenta como parte del Festival del Libro de Fort Collins 2023.
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Post written by Jenny Hannifin, Archive Assistant
Back in May 2020 we posted a blog called “The Neuroscience of Discovery.” Based on observations from The Brain in Context (by J.D. Moreno and J. Schulkin), that blog highlighted – in scientific terms – how our brains are wired for discovery and exploration.
Turns out that our brains are also wired for cooperation and empathy. Here are a few excerpts from the book:
So, what does this mean to you and me?
It means that humans evolved through expression of social behaviors, and through the integration of those behaviors within the very functioning of our brain.
It means that adapting socially, and being good at interacting with others, is at the heart of our evolution as a species.
It means that “although we may think of ourselves as individuals, the truth is that we are designed to work together, revealing our evolutionary drive toward social cooperation and our neurodevelopmental proclivity toward shared decision-making.” (Moreno and Schulkin p 199)
It means that we are wired to cooperate, and to work at understanding each other.
(If you want to learn more about recent developments in neuroscience, here’s a link to The Brain in Context: A Pragmatic Guide to Neuroscience by Jonathan D. Moreno and Jay Schulkin)
Post written by Alex Ballou, Marketing Assistant.
It’s #NationalBeerDay and there is no better place to celebrate this holiday than our home – Fort Collins, Colorado!
History of National Beer Day
National Beer Day is celebrated annually on April 7. This day marks the signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act. The signing of this act led to the 18th Amendment being repealed, with ratification of the 21st Amendment to the constitution. This enactment took the first step toward ending the prohibition. Beer drinkers rejoiced as they were able to purchase beer again for the first time in 13 years!
Beer is now the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Following water and tea, it is the third most popular drink overall. This was not a “sour” move to make!
Fun fact: April 6, the day before National Beer Day, is also known as, New Beer’s Eve.
Local Beer History
Fort Collins is sometimes referred to as the “Napa Valley of Beer.” Although alcohol arrived with the first settlers in Fort Collins, prohibition hindered the growth of the industry until 1969.
In 1980, the large beer company, Anheuser Busch, made a bid to open a brewery in the city. It took 8 years to get the city on board for the first brewery in Fort Collins. The plant began construction in 1988. In 1990, Doug Odell opened Odell Brewery Co. Soon after, New Belgium opened in 1991. Other breweries opened soon after these leaders in the industry. Fort Collins was one of the first to latch onto the craft beer movement. By 2010, a new generation of breweries, like Funkwerks & Equinox Brewing, emerged. According to Visit Fort Collins, the city is now home to over 20 local craft breweries!
The craft beer industry, with its emphasis on local breweries, plays a vital role in the communities economy and culture, this goes hand in hand with the outdoor recreation that is popular in Colorado.
How YOU can celebrate!
Celebrate today with a pint of your favorite local brew. Even if you are stuck at home, no worries! You can order beer from your favorite breweries in Fort Collins (please check the preferred brewery website for updated hours and delivery options).
Cheers! ?
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Love is in the air, and humans aren’t the only romantics in the world. Today we’re looking at the courtship rituals of the animal kingdom!
Do you know what your love language is? Is it words of affirmation like a sweet letter, quality time like a romantic night in, receiving gifts of flowers and jewelry, acts of service, or physical touch like a hug or a cuddle? Humans have different ways of showing affection, and so do animals. But instead of things like poetry, romantic getaways, and chocolates, animals have their own unique love languages. Which animal love language do you relate the most with?
The Singer
Much like the romantic poet, some animals like to shout their love from the rooftops. Frogs, birds, crickets, and even whales use their songs to attract mates, constantly trying to out-do their competition with the loudest and most attractive voice. Frogs even have regional dialects – members of the same species may have different croaks if they have originated from different places where their local songs are slightly different. And in places where there are several different species of frogs all singing at once – like in Florida, where the invasive Cuban tree frog has been introduced into the territory of native American green tree frogs – the frogs will purposefully alter their croaks to differentiate between species and avoid confusion.
The Dancer
But maybe you’re more of a visual person. There are plenty of animals whose main courtship rituals involve elaborate dances and displays of beautiful fur and feathers. But some animals forget the flashy outfits and just focus on their moves. Hirtodrosophila mycetophaga is a species of australian fly which performs mating displays on shelf mushrooms. The males wave their wings around and perform a dance – but only on lighter-colored fungi, as these mushrooms act as a better backdrop for their performances. On darker fungi, they blend in too well, and females pass them by!
The Show-off
Not to be outdone, some animals go all in, with song, dance and color! Take the peacock spider: while you may be familiar with this small jumping spider’s namesake and its colorful plumage, this arachnid goes a step further and incorporates sound and movement into its mating display.
While displaying their brightly-colored abdomen, they wave their legs in an elaborate dance and create deep rumbling vibrations while they perform. The males who put the most effort into their displays, including both the dancing and vibrating, are more likely to get the girl.
The Collector
Some animals speak the love language of gift-giving. Native to New Guinea and Australia, bowerbirds build elaborate ‘bowers’ from nature to attract mates. First, the male Bowerbird gathers sticks and arranges them into an upright structure, often in the shape of an arch or an avenue. Then, he populates his bower with brightly-colored objects. These can be shells, flowers, even pieces of plastic and metal that he finds. Some bowerbirds even have favorite colors, and will collect only pieces that fit into their preferred color scheme! When she’s ready to find a mate, the female bowerbird tours the bowers of all the local males, and chooses the bird with the best crib to be her mate.
The True Romantic
But maybe you’re a real classical romantic. You want long walks on the beach, hand-holding, and slow-dancing. Don’t worry. Not everything is about flashy displays. Some animals like to take it slow, and build up deep bonds with their mates. Seahorses have an elaborate courtship process, with each step of the ritual being repeated again and again, often over the course of days. First, they meet and change colors, brightening in turns at each other. Then they grab hold of the same anchor-point and spin around each other in an elaborate dance with many distinct moves and steps, including leaning away, pointing, quivering and spinning. Finally, they end their dance by floating up through the water column together. While they might only be fish, seahorses are quite the romantics – they mate for life, and their specialized tails, used to anchor themselves to coral and seaweed, also allow them to “hold hands” with their significant other.
Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at FCMoD!
Post written by Willow Sedam, Live Animal Husbandry Team Member
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What is an #ArchivesHashtagParty you ask? That’s a great question! This article from the New York Times, The Record Keepers’ Rave, helps explain just that. Started by The National Archives and Records Administration of the United States, participating archives, museums, and libraries tune in to share a treasure trove of photos, stories, collections, and more.
For #ArchivesBlackEducation, the museum shared the following on Twitter (@focomod) of our local history from the Archive & Collections at FCMoD.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Thanks for tuning in! We’ll share next month’s #ArchivesHashtagParty content with you back here on the blog.
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This activity is recommended for ages 3-7.
Happiness, fear, frustration… let’s get to know our emotions! Make your own paper plate emotion face and see how our faces help convey how we are feeling.
Supplies:
Instructions:
Each mind matters. Taking care of our mental health is important to all of us – everywhere and always. Learn more by visiting FCMoD’s special exhibition Mental Health: Mind Matters, open through January 10th.
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Post written by Brian Ferrans, Manager with Behavioral Health Strategy and Implementation Community Impact Team Health District of Northern Larimer County
Let’s talk about addiction. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. One in 10 of our neighbors lives with drug and/or alcohol addiction in Larimer County. It’s not a choice — it’s a disease that changes the brain, and it can happen to anyone. Understanding how substances re-wire our brains is essential in helping us to get rid of negative stigma and stereotypes about those experiencing an addiction, which can encourage more people to seek out treatment. Watch our 5-minute video to learn more about how addiction changes the brain.
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Written by Carl Nassar, President of Heart Centered Counseling
Therapy saved my life. That wouldn’t come as a surprise to you if video footage of my childhood was available for you to view.
The screen would zoom in on a boy whose constant companion was loneliness. A boy whose imaginary friend Bucky tried valiantly, but without success, to fill the relational void. You’d discover a boy attending a religious elementary school promoting the fear of God over the love of God, and a fear of the world rather than a love for it.
In therapy, I came to understand how my past was shaping my future (Freud called it “the transference of everyday life,” and Berne labeled it “replaying your life script”). I learned how my scared-ness was trampling over my vitality (Perlz called it the “dilemma of secondary Gestalts”). I learned what it looked like to open my heart, first to my own pain, as something to go through (and not around), and then to the world, as a way to lean in (instead of leaning out).
I loved therapy. It helped me to reclaim my excitement and energy for life. It also gave me my voice. That love grew into a professional desire to become a therapist myself. I wanted to help good people realize that they no longer needed to simply get by in this life, but rather to discover and learn to thrive. I wanted to help others work through the traumas (of childhood and later life) to become the people they’re meant to be—to find their voice in the world and to use it to express all of who they are, in its endless unfolding.
After 20 years in the field, I’m more convinced than ever that the popular song from 1965 speaks a profound truth, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love…” and, while not in the song, I might add a line about therapy being a beautiful way to discover that love within ourselves.
I’m more convinced now than ever that each of us can become the hope we long to see in the world. I believe this so much that I created a video series called “What if a Therapist Reported the News?” It’s my way of helping people break free from the paralysis of waiting for the news to change, and instead encouraging each one of us to find the courage—in how we live our everyday lives—to take the small steps that allow us to create the news we’re waiting for.
As we come to the end of our time together in this blog post, I want to share my gratitude for you…not only for taking the time to read this, but for each small act of courage—each small step toward kindness—you show in your everyday life. Because one final lesson therapy taught me was that each us matter far more than we image, and each small act adds up to create a new world, even if we don’t see its dawning quite yet.
Carl Nassar is known differently to different people. To some, he’s a professional counselor offering a safe space to reclaim hope and tenderness. To others he’s the president of Heart Centered Counseling, supporting a team of 250 providers that together provide access to a counseling and psychiatric care throughout Colorado (www.heartcenteredcounselors.com). And to those who find his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW3MmwKez76a51rQRp17qwQ/), Carl offers a thoughtful and inspiring answer to the question What if a Therapist Reported the News?
To stay informed on the latest Mental Health: Mind Matters programs and experiences, visit the Mind Matters webpage and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Don’t forget to tag us in your experiences when you visit the museum to help us #MakeItOk.
We look forward to welcoming you to FCMoD to experience this amazing exhibit!
Continue ReadingThe Mental Health: Mind Matters special exhibition opens the door to greater understanding, conversations, and empathy toward the challenges of mental health. It’s just one way our community can come together to reduce the stigma and #MakeItOK to talk about mental health.
It’s okay to ask for help. There are many resources available here in our community to support you or anyone you know who might be struggling with their mental health.
FCMoD is grateful to be working directly with these community partners on programming and community outreach:
Alliance for Suicide Prevention – We prevent suicide in Larimer County through training and education, providing outreach, and offering support.
Colorado State University – Child Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center – The Child Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center provides resilience-based trauma assessments and offers recommendations that focus on helping youth and families recognize, understand, and value their own strengths in responding to and healing from trauma.
Early Childhood Council of Larimer County – Leap Coalition – Strengthening and connecting our systems so that all young children in Larimer County, Colorado will be supported in their social development and emotional wellbeing in a culturally responsive manner.
Foundations Counseling – Foundations Counseling provides a proven, collaborative approach to counseling in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor, Colorado. We offer caring, expert assistance in an environment built around personal respect and dignity. Throughout Northern Colorado our experienced therapists rely on time-tested and proven techniques to help you find your way.
Health District of Northern Larimer County – The Health District of Northern Larimer County is a public agency that has been meeting local healthcare needs since 1960. Today, we provided residents of northern Larimer County with dental, mental health and preventive health services. The Connections program offers answers, offers and support to individuals and families looking for help with mental health or substance abuse concerns. CAYAC (Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Connections) is a service of Connections that helps young people (up to age 24) with the early identification, assessment/testing, and treatment of mental health and substance abuse concerns. Connections also offers regular classes and trainings to the public, often at no cost.
Lifestance Health – Lifestance Health (formerly Heart Centered Counseling) provides caring support for the people of Colorado. We counsel people to get them through the hard times, through the broken hearts, and through the painful emotions. We are a growing team of 300+ counselors who provide a comprehensive therapy practice.
Larimer County Behavioral Health Services – Through a publicly approved .25% Sales and Use tax, Behavioral Health Services responsibly invests in community-driven work to increase access to behavioral health services and improves outcomes for all Larimer County residents.
Music Minds Matter – We are committed to supporting the brain health and mental wellness of music communities everywhere.
Poudre School District – Counseling Department – School counselors are vital members of every school’s education team. Currently, 80 professional school counselors serve students in 39 schools in Poudre School District, assisting kindergarten-12th grade students in academic success, college and career readiness, and social/emotional development.
SummitStone Health Partners – For more than 60 years, SummitStone Health Partners has been transforming lives through recovery, renewal and respect by providing unsurpassed behavioral health prevention, intervention and treatment services in Larimer County. SummitStone provides more than 50 services dedicated to treating mental health and addiction disorders for people of all ages.
Additional community resources highlighted within the exhibit or during programming:
Carl Nassar, President of Heart Centered Counseling, reports on: “What if a therapist reported the news?”
Support for people experiencing homelessness is available through Homeward Alliance and the Murphy Center for Hope
Healing and support for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color is being convened by the BIPOC Alliance
Colorado Spirit COVID-19 Support Program – Larimer County
Colorado Spirit COVID-19 Support Program – Weld County
North Range Behavioral Health – At North Range Behavioral Health, we believe that everyone deserves high-quality treatment that leads to recovery. North Range Behavioral Health provides compassionate, comprehensive care for people who face mental health and addiction challenges. This organization is located in Weld County, and is also a provider of Colorado Crisis Services.
QPR Gatekeeper Training – The QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. You can find local trainings on the website – SummitStone Health Partners provides monthly trainings that are also posted on the FCMoD calendar!
Colorado-National Collaborative for Suicide Prevention
Recordings of FCMoD’s Discovery Live mental health expert panels and events are available on YouTube
We will continue adding resources to this post as they are shared by our community partners.
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