Workshops & Presentations
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High Hopes - a Motivational Presentation
If you can throw and catch, you can learn to juggle in less than an hour. Great for the workplace, schools, conferences and conventions.
Key Benefits of Juggling...
- gets people laughing and laughing is therapeutic
- helps promote team building as each member encourages and applauds the progress of others
- removes stress through relaxed concentration
- helps the realization that perceived barriers can be broken down
into easily-managed steps
- provides diversion therapy
- it's fun!
Good to Know:
- We can accommodate up to 25
people per class
- We bring all the equipment
- Recommended for age 12 to adult
- Class space should be carpeted, tiled, or grassy, and shady or cool. (Not suitable on concrete or asphalt)
- Regular ceiling height is suitable. (high ceilings are not necessary)
Credits:
- Art Soup - Brantford Board of Education
- Brock University - Homecoming Weekend
- BRAVA volunteer conference - Assumption College
- Conestoga College - Kitchener
- Debra Brown Circus School (Brantford)
- Royal St. George College (Toronto)
- Sacred Heart School - Paris
Endorsements for Learn to Juggle classes
Learn to Stiltwalk (a class for entertainers)
Stilt Walking– Is it for you?
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How do you get started?
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What kind of stilts should you use?
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How tall should the stilts be?
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Working on stilts safely.
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Which costume tricks will be the most effective?
Good to know:
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We can bring small (one foot high) stilts to try with a partner or groups of three
Credits:
- Clowns Canada Convention (St. Catharines, London)
- Royal St. George College
- YMCA (Burlington, Hamilton, Waterdown)
- It's simple, it's impressive, it's colourful
- It makes a great paradability skill.
- Poi takes minutes to learn and can take years to master.
- Suitable for ages 7 and up (adults too)
- This requires a fairly spacious room to have a class in. This takes up a bit of room
- We provide enough supplies for a class of 25 people
- Or we can give you instructions and each participant can make a simple set of POI for themselves. (great for schools and clubs and camps)
Credits:
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Clowns Canada Convention (London, Ontario)
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Debra Brown Circus School (Brantford)
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Myrtleville House Summer Camp (Brantford)
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Victory International Church (Hamilton)
A Motivational Presentation:
How can you stay motivated and achieve you dreams? It took two and one half years of training, two pairs of stilts, five attempts and a spirited team with a “Never say die” attitude to achieve the dream of a world record for tallest stilt walker. Learn the universal steps to achieving your dreams – tall or small. This is an entertaining, motivating and inspiring presentation with a practical outcome.
Credits:
- Brant Community Health Care System - Teen Volunteer Program
- Brant Tourism Awareness Week - Arlington Hotel, (Paris)
- Canadian Society of Orthopaedic Technologists Convention
- Christian Clown Conference, (Burlington)
- Doug Henning Magic Wand Club - IBM Ring 49 - (Hamilton)
- Grand Erie Council of Home & School Associations (Brantford)
- McInnes House - Annual General Meeting (Brantford)
- Mohawk College - Tourism Class (Hamilton)
- Ontario Association of Community Development Corporations Convention
- The Southern Ontario Spring Clown Conference (Brantford)
- The Sprucedale Youth Centre, Ministry of Correctional Services (Simcoe)
- Stanley Park School, (Kitchener0
- Victorian Order of Nurses, Annual General Meeting - Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk
- World Clown Association Convention - (Orlando, Florida)
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- Check out Katie's workshops for Entertainers at: Workshops
- The "Smart Marketing" series
- Business Toolkit
- Getting started...
- Volunteering the right way
- Face Painting
- and more....
Endorsements - Learn to Juggle
- Mrs. K. Thielking, Grade 5/6 teacher, Mt. Pleasant School
- Dear Doug,
Now that the busyness of the last few weeks of school is over, I have time to write and thank you for the great workshop on "Learning to Juggle" in which my students participated as part of the Art Soup program.
I was amazed at how interested and willing to try my students were--and even more amazed that I was able to do some simple juggling myself. We went back to school in the afternoon and made beanbags so that each one of us could continue to practice. We even had one student show off his skills to a visitor to our class.
Thank you again for helping to motivate my students to try something new and exciting.
Good luck in your future endeavors in sharing your skill and knowledge so well with others.
Sincerely,
Mrs. K. Thielking
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- Dave Levac, Principal, Sacred Heart School
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To Whom It May Concern:
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Dear Sirs/Madams:
Re: "Juggle to Success"
I am writing to let you in on a opportunity that will make your school the talk of the neighborhood!
Sacred Heart School was fortunate enough to experience, first hand, the effects of Mr. Doug Hunt's (a. k. a. "Doug the Great') workshop "Juggle to Success.'
Doug's workshop includes; taking up to 30 students through the skills of juggling, mental and physical co-ordination, positive thinking and good self-esteem.
Watching our students go through his noon hour workshops, I was able to observe many benefits to the school community.
Some of the students had never been the centre of positive attention before. Some were not athletic, some were not academic and still some had low self-esteem. That changed as the weeks went on!
All workshop participants are now teaching their classmates and others juggling. They are doing positive things on the playground.
They put on a demonstration at our monthly assembly. They were a hit!
Each and every time a positive activity happens in the school we are a better school community.
These workshops do just that! Thank you "Doug the Great'!
Respectfully,
Dave Levac, Principal
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- Herb Ruiss & Gord Hope, Goldmine Developments
- Thanks for the great job with the juggling workshop! DSA at Conestoga College is really pleased!
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Dear Katie and Doug,
Thank you for so willingly coming to Stanley Park School to share your experiences with our students.
The dream that you realized encourages all of us to take the steps that we need to take to make things happen!
Your lives and that of your community are better for the experience that you have had and that you share!
Sincerely,
Jane McVeigh & Jon Lencz (Vice Principals - Stanley Park School, Kitchener)
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Mary Ann Blunt, Treasurer, Grand Erie Council of Home & School Associations
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Jane Steward, PC, MP, Brant
Dear Doug and Katie;
As a Member of Parliament for the riding of Brant, please let me offer my congratulations to the both of you on having accomplished the goal of your three-year journey.
You must be so proud, not only to have your stilt walk recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, but, to have been able to affect the lives of so many here in Brant. Your unwavering enthusiasm and spirit of dedication is inspiring.
Doug and Katie, you have achieved so much. The time and energy you have devoted to Participation House over the past several years is truly impressive.
Please accept my best wishes for continued success.
Kindest personal regards,
Jane
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Honey Cornfoot, Sprucedale Youth Centre, Ministry of Correctional Services
Doug and Katie Hunt presented "High Hopes - the ups and downs of breaking a world record, and how you can achieve your dreams" to the students at Sprucedale Youth Centre. Sprucedale Youth Centre is a maximum security Young Offender facility with a capacity to hold 90 males between 16-18 years old - a tough audience to engage! Doug and Katie held their attention as they led them through their journey to achieve a world record for tallest stilt walker.
Making effective use of slides and commentary, Doug and Katie illustrated to the kids how important it is to have a dream; develop a realistic plan to make it come true; then make it happen in spite of setbacks along the way. Interwoven with goal setting their achievement provides fine illustrations of teamwork; perseverance; and dedication.
Doug also provided some fascinating technical information about the construction of the world record stilts and gave us a demonstration using his tailor-made parade walking stilts. High Hopes is a wacky, fun and inspiring way to motivate and inform an audience!
Honey Cornfoot, Volunteer Coordinator
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Terry Parrett, Columnist for Laugh Makers Journal
Dear Doug and Katie;
I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your wonderful presentation, "High Hopes." As someone who is self-employed, I found many of the concepts and ideas particularly applicable and useful. Your integration of Doug's attempt at breaking the World Record, with the various techniques of goal-setting and overcoming obstacles was truly inspirational, and obviously hit a nerve with a great deal of the audience. AT the luncheon after your presentation, the energy from the lecture was still present in the conversation around our table. as I'm sure it was with many of the participants.
I believe your program would be very well-received for business and professional groups as well as school and youth organizations. It clearly demonstrates the power we have to overcome obstacles, and the importance of following a written plan of goals. The handout you provided was very helpful in crystallizing the most important parts of the lecture. I am currently using quite a few of those ideas in my own work - I'll keep you apprised of my progress. Again, thank you for sharing, and I look forward to seeing you both again!
Sincerely
Terry Parrett
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Wendy Warwick, Chairperson, Southern Ontarion Spring Clown Conference
To Whom It May Concern;
The weekend of April 23-25th this year, Brant Clown Alley hosted it's 5th annual clown conference. We were very fortunate to have two of our own Alley members, Doug and Katie Hunt, as part of our group of guest lecturers.
As I'm sure you are aware, in September 1998, Doug broke the World Stilt Walking record right here in Brantford. This record breaking event was the culmination of many years of hard work and team effort.
Since breaking the record, and receiving official confirmation from Guinness, Doug and Katie have put together a very impressive presentation. By way of a lecture and slide show, Doug and Katie take their audience through their entire journey. From the concept of going for a world's record through to the point where they reached this goal, you get a real feel for what they went through.
Both Doug and Katie are quite comfortable speaking in front of an audience, and their easy going style makes the whole experience quite enjoyable. They work together as a team. Not only do they bring their full story to the listener, they also bring home the point that any goal is attainable! It is a very positive, uplifting and inspiring lecture.
It is my opinion that Doug and Katie would make an excellent addition to any conference, as they can offer a package of workshops. Katie is an accomplished face painter who has lectured in the past at our conference on this topic. She also writes a column for Laugh Makers Variety Arts Magazine. As well as being the 'world's tallest short guy', Doug is also an extremely talented juggler and magician. I highly recommend them both!
Sincerely
Wendy Warwick
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A few endorsements from the Southern Ontario Spring Clown Conference:
What a wonderful and positive couple! Your inspiration is phenomenal. Lois “Sophie” Mordue (Norwich, ON)
A great change of pace. I can walk away knowing my goals are more achievable. Michael “Twister” Picard (Cambridge, ON)
Terrific presentation—Gives one a desire to go after whatever they want and know you can achieve it, if you really want to. Marie “Patches” Smith (Woodstock, ON)
Terrific presentation! Both entertaining and inspiring! Donna “Donder” Harrison (Mississauga, ON)
This is an incredible success story. Thank you for sharing—you are an awesome family. Jan “Amethyst” Perrin (Woodstock, ON)
Thanks for your influence on us! Louise “Sody Krackers” Rutledge (Brantford, ON)
The clearly outlined steps and actual stories about your goals were most helpful. Grayson Sherritt (Caistor Centre, ON)
It was great that you reinforced thinking big, taking action, and surrounding yourself with successful people. Gary “Herbie” Eves (Brantford, ON)