Timing: The Summer Free School will take place July 30th and 31st, right in the middle of the growing season so that participants can benefit from seeing the UBC Farm’s academic, community, and field-based programming in full swing. This also means that the farm will be able to provide us with much of the produce used to feed participants. Although we do suggest attending both days, participants may opt to attend for only one day if they wish. Each day will begin at 9am and come to a close at 5pm.
Workshops: There will be a maximum of 30 workshops offered, ranging from 1.5-3 hours each in length, with multiple workshops being offered at the same time. Everybody who signs up to attend will be invited to offer a workshop of their choice, of which 30 will be selected to ensure variety. There will be no restrictions on what topics will be offered or teaching formats used, with a mix of hands-on/experiential, and theoretical workshops encouraged. In earlier Free Schools, topics have ranged from architecture to ice-cream making, organic farming to strategies for organizing social movements, and photojournalism to playing the banjo! As you may have gathered, diversity is key, and our goal is that everyone has something to be jazzed about. In addition to workshops, participants will also be given the chance to host conversations on topics they are passionate about.Please consider hosting a workshop- Free School is only as good as the participants make it!
Participants: Over the two days up to 200 people will join in on what has lovingly been dubbed ‘the festival of learning’ by some of the organizers, with a cap of 100 people per day. In the spirit of intergenerational learning, all ages will be welcomed and integrated into the activities.
Social Time: Generous breaks, meal times and opportunities to just hang out and build community are an important aspect of the Free School. Snacks will be served, using local ingredients when possible, and will be provided at no extra charge. There will be plenty of time for chats, spontaneous games, and impromptu jam sessions for those who bring along an instrument.
In short: Good food, good company, good times… and a medley of new knowledge!
Summer Free School 