Free Education and Building Sustainable Communities

So a free education, sounds nice doesn't it? We've all heard to term used. Some may embrace it, others feel it's a right while other cringe at the term but learning for free just might be a good thing. Now before I go further I have to come clean. In not talking about the kind of education you get in a brick building or on a maze filled campus. I'm not talking about devoting years of your life for a piece of paper that gives you a slight chance for a little higher wage, maybe. I'm talking about something different, very different and yet kind of the same. I'm talking about a community of learning and sharing knowledge. I'm talking about a Free School or as some call it, Free Skool. 

I have written about this in the past and if you've read much of anything I've written you know I talk a lot about building strong communities. Some of those communities can be your neighbors, those living geographically close and those across the world but are friends of the same mindset. Strong communities are vital to sustainable independence. Having others to help, share, enjoy and learn from is a very important aspect of sustainable living sometimes forgotten about. Strong communities of devoted people with a common goal will help each individual gain more independence and further a sustainable lifestyle. So how do free skools fit in? They are the hubs for these communities. They are where we come together to learn, share and build together. 

So what is a free skool? Well there are many different definitions and many people do them differently with different goals and agendas but in my mind they are really a community calendar of events and classes where we come together and share our lives, our knowledge, our wisdom and our experiences. A free skool event can be many different things, maybe a class or a lecture, a group workday, volunteer day, social gathering or many other things that a group might do together. Most, usually have a monthly calendar and people in the group volunteer to teach, coordinate or host an event or class which is open to the public. We are all students and we are all teachers. I tell my children all of the time that learning doesn't stop when you graduate. I believe continually learning and growing is our purpose as a species. 

So if you want to build a strong community. If you want to bring people together that desire a sustainable and even self-sufficient life one of the best ways to get that started is to be involved in a free skool. It spans all religious, political and philosophical lines. It brings people together to simply learn and share. Free skools help you learn from the more experienced and share your wisdom with others. 

They are easy to start, just begin by putting the word out in your community. Maybe gather a few friends. Pick a place, date and subject and start letting everyone you know about it. Social networks are great for spreading the word. Libraries work good for classrooms. As you grow encourage others to be involved to talk about what they know. Soon you'll have a calendar filled with gardening class, kombucha for beginners, kitchen DIY, mechanics, book clubs, philosophy hour, basic plumbing, natural building construction, hooping, yoga, solar cooking and much, much more.

 Be open to what ever someone might have knowledge about. The possibilities are endless. Then one day you'll look around at the many people involved and see so much diversity and yet a strong community of friends. You see a sustainable community isn't just a city block of like minded people or a commune in the countryside. A sustainable community is people coming together, working together and learning together to build a better, more harmonious tomorrow.