Free Skool Marks Two Years of Learning Outside the System

Grassroots project has grown to include hundreds of classes and continues to blur the line between teachers and students

Santa Cruz, CA, February 1st, 2007: Two years ago this spring, Free Skool Santa Cruz started as an idea between friends. It was a resuscitation of an old idea: interactive and informal learning in a non-institutional, non-hierarchical setting outside of the monetary economy. In other words, friends sharing what they know with others in an informal skill-sharing network. And in two years, Free Skool has offered over 260 different classes on everything from DIY-philosophy such as bike repair and knitting to more academic subjects such as local and radical history.

In fact, looking at the quarterly-produced Free Skool calendar -- with classes offered almost every single day -- it is nearly impossible to easily summarize the breadth of the subjects offered. "History of the Future" falls next to "Don't Die! Wild Foods." " Polynesian Star Navigation" cozies up to "Surveillance Camera Walking Tour" on the Free Skool calendar. More mainstay classes -- language, yoga, cooking, and art. -- also round out the schedule.

As much as possible, Free Skool works to blur the line between teachers, students, and organizers. Teachers make most of the arrangements for their classes including subject, material, timing, and location. Classes are informal, egalitarian, and are held in homes, social spaces, and parks. "We are all students and we are all teachers here," says the Free Skool website. And once a quarter, students, teachers, organizers, and community members all pitch in to put on the Free Skool Community Picnic.

Organizers view Free Skool as an intrinsically radical project. It is not only a framework in which students and teachers can share what they know, but a direct challenge to institutional control and the commodification of learning. It is a completely grassroots effort, with no outside funding or support, a bunch of individuals working collectively and autonomously to make it happen.

New Free Skool teachers are always welcome. The deadline to submit new classes for the upcoming Spring Quarter is February 10th.

Spring Quarter runs March 1st to May 31st. Calendars for the new quarter will be available mid-February on-line and at most cafes, bookstores, and community centers in Santa Cruz and beyond. The Free Skool Santa Cruz website, which offers the current calendar, class reviews, and discussion, is at http://santacruz.freeskool.org