Alumni Spotlight: Chris Younce
Chris Younce received a Bachelor’s Degree from Goddard College for his thesis work on Evolutionary Theory. Chris grew up in the Midwest, first in Ann Arbor, MI where his mother earned her JD then later in Oxford, OH. It was in Ohio at one of his mother’s art workshops that he first noticed how different one student’s learning style was from another. At the time, he was attending a private school whose hands-on approach to learning helped him stay connected to his studies.
At 13, Chris had his first Goddard experience. His mother had to renew her teaching license and found the program at Goddard suited her life better than anywhere else. She took him to visit the campus where he came into contact with some amazing people. Later after high school and a stint washing dishes, he decided it was his time to experience Goddard in earnest.
Chris’s experience was indeed very Goddardian as he estimates he changed his focus six times from film to the psychology of sport to art to Buddhism and then looked at autism spectrum disorder before he began exploring the origins of consciousness. He dedicated the book which was spawned by this process, Cognitive Liberty, to the school. Its focus very much pays homage to the multi-disciplinary approach as it links the fields of psychology, biology and ecology.
Currently, Chris works as a case manager for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He advocates for a person-centered approach which allows individuals to claim as much agency as they care to. He is also an active and proud member of the Vermont Beekeepers Association where his work in mycology has led him to champion a mushrooms for bees campaign as certain species of mushroom seem to mitigate colony collapse disorder.
Recommendations:
- Accepted (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/
- Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Terence McKenna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna
- Paul Stamets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Stamets
- Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival: https://www.hudsonvalleywinefest.com/
Keep up with Chris:
Buy Cognitive Liberty at bookshop.org or anywhere you get books. Support Chris’s favorite independent bookstores:
- Bear Pond Books, Montpelier: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/
- Bridgeside Books, Waterbury: https://www.bridgesidebooks.com/
- Phoenix Books, multiple VT locations: https://www.phoenixbooks.biz/
Follow Chris on Instagram: @harmonic_homesteading
Sam & Amanda’s Projects:
Pre-order Sam’s novel Edenville on Amazon, bookshop.org or anywhere you buy books. Support Sam’s favorite independent bookstores:
- Oblong Books, Millerton & Rhinebeck: https://www.oblongbooks.com/
- Inquiring Minds, Saugerties & New Paltz: https://www.inquiringbooks.com/
Mark your calendars for the inaugural TLAN Virtual Salon on April 22, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. (ET)/2:00 p.m. (PT)! The Transformative Language Arts Network (TLAN) virtual salon will feature presenters who are active members of TLAN. Each presenter will have 5-7 minutes to present their written, spoken, or sung work followed by a brief period of audience response.
- Join or renew your TLAN membership: https://www.tlanetwork.org/Membership
- If you are a TLAN member and would like to present, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/MiP1ZKM3eMLEmUyc7.
Support the Goddard Staff Union in their current strike:
- Read the press release on the strike: Goddard Staff Union votes no confidence in Dan Hocoy : to strike.pdf
- Sign the petition in solidarity: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/for-a-just-democratic-goddard-college
- If you’re local to Vermont, join the picket in the upper lot.
- Email the board and Dan Hocoy to tell them you support the staff in utilizing their rights to bargain for fair wages and dignity.
- Follow @goddardalumni on Facebook and Instagram for continuing updates.
- Sign up for the Goddard Alumni website and newsletter: https://goddardalumni.com/signup/
