Free-school in Eugene potential
My girlfriend and I have a pretty clear idea of what we'd like to accomplish in Eugene, Oregon. Unemployment out here is rampant, adding to an already swollen population of street youth who find security in homeless services out here. Most have formed cliques that are sort of like gangs but are made up of dysfunctional teens or teens from dysfunctional families. Several stratas of dispossessed generations can not be allowed to build up behind the burgeoning solidarity of our own, which has had to reinvent its values in order to maintain its security, while also taking risks to live fulfilled. Jeanette and I seek to fulfill our goals in activism by setting up a free school.
We're still seeking a suitable local connection for a space that will not weigh its bias against the potential student. The essence would be participatory, allowing willful and curious youth (those most determined amongst them) to ask for discussion and attention on whatever interests them most. We will provide what we can by way of literature at first, but we may have to throw in together for texts and study materials.
Picnic style, we'd share a light lunch and suggest a theme. If another theme is more enthusiastically put forth, we either share what we know of relevance or commit volunteers to do research and create a short presentation the following week.
It will just be a weekly meeting to get a lot of youth with no resources of their own more interested in works that relate to their own struggles and/or works that put their circumstances in a more revolutionary context. Not the big "NO!" that is anarchism, but ideas that they can express in the positive vein of activism, which would give those in town who are better off a good reason to consider their own apathy or disdain of these fiercely independent homeless kids. Only a decade their senior, we are brainstorming for ways to make this a dynamic and nearly poetic introduction of Generation X/0 to their potential
We're still seeking a suitable local connection for a space that will not weigh its bias against the potential student. The essence would be participatory, allowing willful and curious youth (those most determined amongst them) to ask for discussion and attention on whatever interests them most. We will provide what we can by way of literature at first, but we may have to throw in together for texts and study materials.
Picnic style, we'd share a light lunch and suggest a theme. If another theme is more enthusiastically put forth, we either share what we know of relevance or commit volunteers to do research and create a short presentation the following week.
It will just be a weekly meeting to get a lot of youth with no resources of their own more interested in works that relate to their own struggles and/or works that put their circumstances in a more revolutionary context. Not the big "NO!" that is anarchism, but ideas that they can express in the positive vein of activism, which would give those in town who are better off a good reason to consider their own apathy or disdain of these fiercely independent homeless kids. Only a decade their senior, we are brainstorming for ways to make this a dynamic and nearly poetic introduction of Generation X/0 to their potential
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alex Algebra on -
Cool. There's a free school up here in Portland, but it's sort of off and on active, it seems. Google it, they have a website with info. You might be able to get advice from them. I think they work with other local non-profits.
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Permalink Reply by Jedidiah on -
There's some good advice. The lady and I are currently discussing the material we'd share, the benefit of an eat-in social gathering, and the participatory structure of the meetings. As for its organization and support, you're might gonna hafta give me the name of the school (free school grammar at its finest). I'll be sure to tap into it, and for that matter, tell me what your experience (and/or just offhand knowledge) is of the school. Be my first Fight with Tools friend too. There aren't many members in the Northwest I don't think.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Algebra on
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Cool. I haven't actually attended anything there, but here's a link:
http://portland.freeskool.org/
There's also this place, kind of an un-school homeschool free school thing? Not sure. http://www.villagefreeschool.org/
And another, I think for younger kids (I just found these 2 googling): http://www.familyfreeschool.com/
And yeah, not much going on here in the ol' NW :/ I'm in denver right now at the WFW101 workshop though, so I'm hoping to bring back some good energy and skills!
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Permalink Reply by Alex Algebra on
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Hey,
Talked to some of the people that do the Denver free school. I already forgot their names, but they said you can contact them if you have any questions. I grabbed a brochure but my suitcase exploded when I got home, so IDK what happened to it, but you can probably google to find it. They're a lot more active than the one here...
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Permalink Reply by Jedidiah on
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Found it! Totally great link. So far I've just been visiting this info-shop full of skid kids and sharing literature, poetry and the like. It's an equal voice gathering, so I just share what I can. Hopefully something more comprehensive can be built up, but I'm enjoying the beginning and some of the discussion so far. Before any bigger program, I'll study that reference you gave (found it) and others. Will try to contact some of them once I've built up the experiential language to create a productive dialogue with them. Thanks again, Alex.
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