This workshop is designed to support Guided Autobiography instructors in extending the impact of their classes by helping participants transform their written stories into meaningful visual keepsakes. Certified GAB Instructors Shelia Merkel and Gonny Gutierrez will be leading this workshop.

About the Course: This two-part online workshop is designed for Guided Autobiography facilitators who want to offer students a simple, inspiring next step beyond written pages.

In Part One, From Story to Structure, instructors will learn an easy, repeatable framework for helping themselves and their students organize life stories, photos, and memories into a cohesive visual narrative. Participants will explore practical ways to simplify the storytelling process without overwhelm and familiarize themselves with Canva.

In Part Two, From Pages to Keepsake, instructors will discover how to turn GAB writings into beautifully designed magazines using the GAB magazine template. The session will also cover ways facilitators can incorporate these offerings into workshops, while preserving the authentic voice and emotional depth that makes GAB so meaningful.

This workshop focuses on helping facilitators:

• Increase student engagement

• Offer meaningful tangible outcomes

• Introduce visual legacy projects with confidence

• Create an additional value-added offering for students

What's Included:

• A professionally designed 24-page GAB Magazine Canva template

• Simple guidance for turning stories into visual keepsakes

• Promotional materials for facilitators, including social media templates, a customizable flyer, and a short GAB class promo video clip

• Practical ideas for integrating magazine projects into GAB workshops and programs

Course Details:Title: GAB to GORGEOUS: A Simple System to Bring GAB Stories to Life

Dates: Thursdays, June 18 and June 25, 2026

Format: Online – Live (Zoom) • 1:00–3:30 PM Eastern (replays available)

Fee: $245 (Two-Part Workshop – 2.5 hours each)

Who is it for? GAB instructors seeking advanced training.

To register: https://templates.lifeazine.com/b/gab-to-gorgeous For more information, contact the Birren Center at info@thebirrencenter.org

Available to Certified GAB Instructors

This course is designed to support our instructors in expanding their teaching portfolios by building skills and confidence in marketing their Guided Autobiography workshops. Sarah White, GAB Trainer and Facilitator, will be leading this class.

About the Course:

This six-part online workshop is designed for GAB instructors who want to feel more confident and intentional in how they promote their Guided Autobiography offerings. Over six weeks, participants will be guided step-by-step to build a personalized six-month Marketing Action Plan using a provided template. With structured support and examples, you’ll develop an Elevator Pitch and create practical marketing materials you can immediately put to use. By the end of the course, you’ll have a clear roadmap so you no longer feel, “I just don’t know where to start” or “I just don’t know what to say.”

Course Details:

Title: Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes

Dates: Thursdays, July 9 — August 13 (6 weeks) • 8:00-10:00 AM Pacific Time

Format: Online workshop via Zoom

Fee: $300

Who is it for? GAB instructors who want to gain more confidence and clarity in marketing their Guided Autobiography workshops

Registration is limited to 10 participants.

Contact Sarah White at whitesarah.cnf@gmail.com to reserve your seat or to learn more.

Available to Certified GAB Instructors

This course is designed to support our instructors in expanding their teaching portfolios with an offering for students interested in family stories, personal history, and genealogy. Heidi Thorsen and Sarah White, GAB Trainers, will be leading this class.

About the Course:

This six-session, 2.5-hour instructor-only course equips Guided Autobiography facilitators to teach family-history writing with depth and skill. Participants will explore how context—era, geography, and culture—shapes family stories, how roles and values move across generations, and how rituals and artifacts reveal identity. The course also provides essential craft tools to help writers bring relatives to life on the page, develop a strong narrative voice, and shape meaningful, resonant stories.

Completion prepares instructors to teach Shaking the Family Tree within their own programs and communities.

Course Details:

Title: Shaking the Family Tree Certification

Dates: Wednesdays, Oct 21 — November 25, 2026 (6 weeks) • 9:00 AM — 11:30 AM Pacific Time

Format: Online certification course

Fee: $450

Who is it for? GAB instructors wishing to teach or incorporate this curriculum into their class offerings

All student handouts and extra teaching resources are included.

A portion of the proceeds supports the Birren Center.

Contact Sarah White and Heidi Thorsen at sarah@thebirrencenter.org or heidi@thebirrencenter.org, to reserve your seat or to learn more.