Workshops
We are pleased to announce our first series of public workshops, to be held January to June 2010! Registration is requested, but not required, to catherine.gregory@uconn.edu or 860-486-0358. NOTE: CHANGE OF LOCATION FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH!
Refreshments will be provided each month by CafeLive Willimantic!
==========================
January 7, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
From Eco-Systems to Social-Systems: A Systems Approach to Sustainability
Phoebe Godfrey
Explore a systems approach to the complex issue of sustainability, including similarities and differences between biological and social systems. We’ll seek new, sustainable and democratic models for our own communities and places of learning. Emphasis will be placed on ways in which the process of transforming our existing systems into sustainable ones can begin with our own daily practices and the ways in which we engage with each other. All are welcome — bring ideas and energy.
==========================
February 4, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Democratic Models of Education
Cory Maly
Notions of democratic education come in many different forms, some which aim to increase participation in traditional models of schooling, without addressing issues of power; some that promote the autonomy of children and foster equality, without engaging with society at large for social change; while still others seek to engage students in the community, but do not necessarily respect the autonomy of the child. These three, among many examples, all raise issues of what it means to live and be educated in a democratic society, how we might reconcile these competing democratic desires to enliven and invigorate our communities through education, and what a vigorous and critical, democratic education might look like.
Cory Maley is a Ph.D. student in the NEAG School of Education at the University of Connecticut, whose interests lie in democratizing education in ways that are empowering to both students and teachers. He is currently focused on the work of democratic free schools and the development of democratic classroom practices, and is affiliated with the Wrench in the Works collective in Willimantic.
==========================
March 4, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Nonviolent Struggles for Democracy in Honduras and Iran
Joanne Sheehan
The headlines only tell part of the story of people’s struggle for democracy in Honduras and Iran. In both countries, people took to the streets to nonviolently protest what they consider to be illegitimate governments. In both cases, they faced violence and repression on the part of the government. In this workshop, we will explore how resistance and community building is being organized in Honduras and Iran and what is needed for a successful nonviolent revolution to take place. It will also address how these situations affect us, and what we can do to support grassroots efforts.
Joanne Sheehan has worked with War Resisters International and War Resisters League for more than 30 years.
==========================
April 1, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Growing a Co-operative Economy
Erbin Crowell
In the midst of a global economic crisis, people are again looking for an alternative to business as usual — one that puts people and community before profit — and are rediscovering the “co-operative.” We will explore the origins of the co-op as a response to the challenges of the industrial revolution, and explore successful co-operative economies, such as Mondragón in northern Spain and the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. From food co-ops to farmer co-ops, worker co-ops to credit unions, housing co-ops to healthcare co-ops, co-operatives have enabled people to have more control over their lives and build more sustainable economies. And today, more than 800 million people around the world are members of co-operatives, including an estimated 1 in 4 Americans.
Erbin Crowell works with the Cooperative Fund of New England and the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops. For more than a decade, he was a member of the worker co-operative and fair-trade organization, Equal Exchange, and is currently a member of three credit unions and five food co-ops, including the Willimantic Food Co-op. He recently received his Master of Management: Co-operatives & Credit Unions from St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, and serves on the board of the National Cooperative Business Association.
==========================
May 6, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“Hip Hop is our life
Hip Hop is resistance”
Spiritchild
The purpose of this workshop is:
- To express the importance of hip hop (art) in today’s movement.
- To re-imagine.
- To create.
- To reflect, inspire and ignite.
- To design creative alternatives through artistic exploration.
Includes:
- Hip Hop 101
- Connection with social struggles of black, brown & oppressed movements for liberation.
- Performances
Creations/Activities:
- Autonomous Cipher (freestyle session)
- Group Design (the shared creation - collective project).
Spiritchild Rhythmic Poet of Mental Notes. Lead of The Hip Hop Fusion Band Mental Notes (Xspiritmental Hip Hop Fusion Band). Founder & Chair of Movement In Motion Artist & Activist Collective. Creative Consultant for Eyes Infinite Films. Community Freedom Academic Movement (2007-2008) instructor for hip hop music production and songwriting as well as artist development for TMA in Harlem, Community Social Justice HS in the Bronx, Summer Camp @ The Point in the South Bronx Mentor for Youth Advocate Programs (2004-2005) Creator & Facilitor of Hip Hop A Political Science I.C.E. After School Program 2005 Event Coordinator, Promoter Hip Hop Activist Organizer, Researcher for J.U.i.C.E. New York Chapter, an L.A.-based, after-school program.
==========================
June 3, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Dialogue to Change: How Public Engagement is Being Used to Address Disparate Outcomes in Community Life
Carolyne Abdullah
In this workshop, you will:
- Hear stories of how communities across the country have built multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalitions to address a range of public problems.
- Discover how dialogue and deliberation can complement other community change processes.
- Experience a mock “dialogue circle.”
In addition, you will learn how Everyday Democracy works with communities, including:
- Why engaging the entire community matters.
- The importance of “framing” the issue and what that means for who shows up.
- Why multiple perspectives in the dialogue matters.
- Why thinking about “action” before the dialogues start is important.
- Why measuring for success is critical for turning ideas into measurable change.
It is expected that you will gain an appreciation for deliberative dialogue practices and understand when it may be most effective as a means to creating and sustaining community change.
Carolyne Miller Abdullah provides technical assistance to neighborhoods and communities that are seeking to find democratic ways of addressing local political and social issues. As a program director, she also advises nonprofits, governmental agencies, business organizations and media in strategies to increase citizen involvement in local problem solving. Prior to her work with Everyday Democracy, Carolyne worked for the federal government as a program analyst, budget analyst and management analyst. Consciously aware of the negative images portrayed on television of African American males, she designed an after-school program targeted to African American youth, with special emphasis on African American males, entitled the Self-Esteem Educational (SEE) Program for African Americans. The program was instituted in a Montgomery County, Maryland, elementary school and used in a Montgomery County Housing Development. Carolyne holds a degree in political science from Alcorn State University, a Masters of Political Science from Iowa State University, and a Masters of Public Administration from Penn State University. She is currently completing her dissertation for her doctorate in Political Science (Public Policy) from the University of Connecticut.
==========================
Pingback from Creative Community Building - University of Connecticut
Time: 30 December 2009, 10:46 am
[…] Workshops […]