London Free School / Callout for workshops.

The next London Free School will be held 6-7 March.

This free school is organised around issues of gender oppression and emancipation, but in a very particular way. We are open to all manner of workshops, discussions, seminars, etc. which aren’t specifically about feminism or gender, however, whatever the workshop (origami, stoic philosophy, language lessons) there would be an engagement with how gender figures into what is being learned.

This calls for interesting facilitation, and could be done in many different ways – it’s up to you.
Although we want the workshops to end with a kind of debrief wherein participants review the gender politics at play in the experience.
The idea is to get a wide range of people coming, including some that have not been in feminist spaces before, and integrate these issues into more general activities.

The workshops can be way to directly engage with how gender oppression affects what is possible, not possible, and how this still matters. The intention is to upset the traditional ways abilities, skills and access to conventional power are tied to “male”, while emotional labour, and certain abilities are tied to “female”.  Enough, let’s have a free school!

So if you’re up for it, please contact us with a short description of what you have in mind.

you can:

- publish a comment on this blog

- send an email to deschooling_society at lists.riseup.net

- come to one of our next meeting. The next meetings will be on Thursday 28th Jan 7pm(195 Mare st in Hackney) and Thursday 11th Feb.

Deadline for workshops proposal is Feb. 11.

Contact:
deschooling_society at lists.riseup.net
to join our infoline text “freeschool” to 07905774037

Call Out for the next FreeSchool Weekender

The London FreeSchool collective has decided to organise another week-end of skillsharing (we thought about 5-7th March 2010).
This will be the fifth London FreeSchool event since september 2008. We had tons of workshops, hosted in many different social centres scattered around london and lots of very diverse people doing and attending workshops!

The collective started discussing the next FreeSchool weekender, and had some very interesting and ambitious ideas.
Mainly we would like the next FreeSchool weekender to have a focus on feminism/gender/anti-sexism.
But at the same time, one of our main aim would be to get a wide range of people coming, including some that have not been before in feminist spaces or haven’t had access to it. Basically we would like to use the FreeSchool format to get everyone to think about feminism and anti-sexism issues in the Freeschool context.
But also, more generally, we would like to create a space where people could feel safe and free to raise issues (sexism, racism…) or to ask for help if they felt oppressed/threatened. This would probably mean having a safer space policy for the whole event. It would also mean trying not only to have a strong emphasis on sexism but a sort of general background throughout the week-end about systems of oppression, and make it open for racism, able-ism, age-ism, classism and other issues to be brought up.

We are then trying to reach out people around us to organise this event and make it successful!
This is the very beginning and we would like you to come and help shape this next FreeSchool weekender!

The next meeting will be on Thursday the 14th of January at 8pm, 195 Mare Street in Hackney (bring some warm clothing!).

You are all invited to come and bring ideas and suggestions!

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Only for your information, here are some ideas we had but that obviously need more diScussion/critics:
- having regular workshops that we would have during a regular freeSchool event but with a feminist angle/gender issues emphasis (for example: housing with specific discussion on women’s housing situation…),
- feminism/gender/sexism related workshops,
- maybe some non-mixed sessions/workshops for “highly gendered” topics (bike fixing, electricity, plumbing, IT…) where some of us felt that it would be much more empowering for women to be in a non mixed environment,
- empasizing the questionning of genders,
- a small debrief at the end of each workshop (maybe with questions like: did you feel you had enough space to express yourself during the workshop? have you noticed any oppressive behavior/language during the workshop?),
- a daily debrief (during dinner) open to everyone and with at least the facilitators of the day’s workshops.

London FreeSchool Meetup

Tuesday 15th December

19:00 @ 195 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 3QE

The London FreeSchool has organised various workshops and discussions in social centres across London with the aim of promoting free community organised skill-sharing. In June the group occupied 165 Commercial Street and held a weekend of workshops relating to Squatting, Housing & Gentrification. This will be the first meeting since then to discuss the successfulness of previous freeschool events and to plan for future skill-sharing festivities in the new year.

If you would like to be involved but can’t make this meeting drop us a line;

deschooling_society…at..lists.riseup.net (replace …at… with the @ sign)

London FreeSchool building is now Non Commercial House

The freeschool weekender on housing, squatting and gentrification has been and gone. It was a great success and it has left a beautiful building just waiting for another project to begin. So we call on all those interested in starting up a space to come and get involved…

On Sunday 21st June, as an ending to the freeschool event a discussion was had on what should happen to the building. People expressed an interest incontinuing occupying in order to create a space that complemented the pre-existing projects in East London. With LARC, rampART, freedom, ASS and Belgrade Road all within close proximity we felt a giant free shop would be a nice idea. The building suits it with huge shop windows. Within such close proximity to the centre of finance a daytime space that promotes community without consumerism seems like a pleasant idea. A strong focus could be on attracting a crowd that wouldn’t generally go into squats and social centres by possibly making a space drug free (including alcohol and smoke) and having more family friendly activities. A free bicycle workshop will bring in peddlers by off the street and into the space (or the yard at least….) Regular workshops, infonights, cafes and a food coop were amongst other things discussed.

Bring items you no longer require that are clogging up your home. Take stuff you need that someone else has abandoned. Come along to get help fixing your bicycle or just for the food / film…

We live in a society of over consumption and waste. Non Commercial House aims to offer an alternative based upon cooperation, mutual respect and sustainable living. It is not only about objects but about sharing! We hope to have various workshops and discussions taking place over the coming weeks.

Children are very welcome within the space.. we are hoping to have a kids section of the free shop with free toys / clothes and hold family friendly events.

The ground floor is wheelchair accessible. However, the only toilet in the building is on the top floor and not.

Items can be dropped off anytime; knock on the door or leave them out front.

This is a non-profit, non-hierarchical space open to all and your input is valued so drop by some time to get involved and let us know what your ideas / thoughts are.

We hope to see you soon!

Non Commercial House
165 Commercial Street

Location of London FreeSchool Announced

The building can be found at 161 Commercial Street, E1 2DA, near the Shoreditch High Street junction. Nearest tube station Liverpool Street. Buses 8, 26, 35, 42, 47, 48, 67, 78, 135, 149, 242, 344, 388.

Come by anytime from 10am Friday 19th June.. see below for more info…

Free School Weekender Schedule so far

Check it out regularly, very likely to be modified and also some new stuff will be added! Work on the building (e.g. plumbing, electricity, building stuff…) will run as a continuous skillshare throughout the weekend. so drop by whenever you can and get involved

FREE SCHOOL SLEEP OVER — participants in the free school can crash at the space. Visit the space and speak to organisers to make arrangements.

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Friday 19th June

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• 10am  onwards working on the building; cleaning/fixing/decorating
• 10am – 4pm the beginnings of plumbing; getting water to the bathroom, fitting a toilet and a sink
• 10am – 4pm electricity; assessing the current situation, making a plan and sorting out lighting
• 4-6pm Welcoming tour
• 6-7.30pm Claiming Housing Benefits
• 6-7.30pm Tenant’s rights
• 7:30-8:30 dinner
• 8.30-10pm The law is an ASS (squatting laws)

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Saturday 20th June

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• 10am onwards working on the building; cleaning/fixing /decorating…
• 10am – 1pm work on the electricity around the space, fitting lights and sockets
• 1-3:30pm work on the basement; tidying, decorating, building tables and generally making it nice
• 12:30-1pm Art and Activism
• 1-2pm Candle Making from candle leftovers
• 1-2.30pm Rant session on the property bubble
• 2-3.30pm Housing Coop
• 3-4.30pm DCH Council Flat Occupation
• 3:30-7pm continue plumbing / electricity and sorting out a cinema space
• 4:30-6pm dealing with the police / bailiffs / owners / electricity company
• 5-6.30pm Tenants Rights
• 7-8pm Dinner
• 8pm onwards: Movies!!

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Sunday 21st June

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• 10am onwards working on the building; cleaning/fixing up/decorating
• 1-2:30pm Anarchy, Gender and Living Space
• 2-3:30pm Squatting in Amsterdam, renters struggle & housing market
• 3-4.30pm Save Queens Market campaign
• 5-6.30pm Squats stories
• 6pm onwards Cafe with Belgrade Road Social Centre
• 8-9pm Planning session for squats + autonomous days of actions

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Other workshops to be confirmed…

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• the history of squatting
• dealing with police/bailiffs/owner/electricity company etc.
• mobile sound systems

June FreeSchool WeekEnder! 19-21 June

Special theme on housing, squatting and gentrification

A weekend of workshops, discussions and skillsharing to promote free, community organised learning

The London FreeSchool is planning another event for late June which will be completely free and open to all willing to respect the ideals of the freeschool and each other. In order for this to be successful we need a timetable and for that we need you! So, if there’s something you always wanted to learn, a skill you are willing to share or a topic for discussion you think is important we would love to hear from you.. drop us a line:
deschooling_society [at] lists [dot] riseup [dot] net.

This session will have a special theme: housing, squatting and gentrification.

We already have some confirmed workshops:

- a talk from someone involved in “Save Queens Market” campaign on Saturday 20th afternoon. http://www.friendsofqueensmarket.org.uk/index2.html
- Claiming housing benefit –  Friday evening
- DCH occupying council flats –  Saturday afternoon
- Housing co-ops
- Planning session for squats and autonomous days of action
- practical skill sharing on electricity, plumbing…
- open discussion on resisting eviction

And some other workshops that we hope will be confirmed. Plenty more coming!

- law and history of squatting
- mobile sound system/DJ Freeze – Cat and James to contact Mike
- Feminism and housing
- setting up a PA

London FreeSchool aims to confront the hierarchy and inequality that dominates learning. It stems from a belief that the control and institutionalisation of education is wrong and as communities we need to reclaim knowledge in order to develop self reliance. It is a collectively run project open to all, in fact we are actively seeking new bodies who want to get involved and help organise similar events to this. If you are up for this then please get in contact (deschooling_society [at] lists [dot] riseup [dot] net).

Check the website http://londonfreeschool.wordpress.com from now onwards for more information on what is planned for the weekend. We hope to have all the descriptions for workshops up as soon as possible and the full timetable will be posted later.

Sign up to our newsletter at https://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/londonfreeschool for irregular updates on upcoming events in London.

TIMETABLE for the last FreeSchool Weekender!

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Friday 20th February 2009 at rampART, 15-17 rampart street, E1 2LA

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4-6pm Clothes Making

4-6pm Drumming Workshop

4:30-6pm Getting rid of ‘Education’

6pm Radical Theory Reading Group

9-10pm Dissident Island Broadcast

10pm-2am Benefit Party for rampART

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Saturday 21st Febraury 2009 at the Culture Centre, 2a Belgrade Road, Dalston, Hackney, N16 8DJ

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Ground Floor

14:00–15:30 Theory and Practise 1

16:00–17:30 Theory and Practise 2

18:00-19:00 Samba Dancing

19:00-20:00 Music Workshop

20:00-late Jam Session/Open Mike

First Floor

16:00-18:00 1st Round-Table-Samosa-Making Discussion on Rethinking Ecology
(see http://www.londoncriticalecologyforum.wordpress.com)

18:00-19:00 Here We Are! A Map for Autonomous Spaces

19:00-late Café

Second Floor

13:00-15:00 Life Drawing

15:00-16:00 English as Foreign Language and French (separate classes)

16:00-17:00 Portugese and Arabic (Separate classes)

17:00-18:00 Bellydancing

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Sunday 22nd February 2009 at the Library House, 52 Knatchbull Road, Camberwell, SE5

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1-3pm Basic Internet Security & Encryption for Beginners

1-3pm Pinhole Photography

3-5pm Flour and Water

3-5pm Knitting

3-5pm Spanish

FreeSchool Weekender!

20th – 22nd February!

A weekend of free workshops and discussions to promote community organised skill-sharing.

The London FreeSchool is planning an event for mid February which will be completely free and open to all willing to respect the ideals of the freeschool and of each other. Topics for workshops already planned are as follows;

Theory & Practice 1 and 2

Very Basic Internet Security & Encryption for Beginners

Flour & Water

Clothes Making (please get in contact if you can get hold of any spare sewing machines for this!)

The Radical Theory Reading Group

Pinhole Photography

Deschooling Society

Drumming

Knitting

Here we are! A map for autonomous spaces

Capoeira

Languages – Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian and Portuguese

Food & Environmentalism

And there’s still room for more so if there is something you always wanted to learn, a skill you are willing to share or a topic for discussion you think is important we would love to hear from you.. drop us a line: deschooling_society [at] lists [dot] riseup [dot] net. The deadline for the weekender is 11^th February to allow enough time to finalise and publicise the timetable.

If you would like to get involved in organising or helping out at this or similar events, please get in contact via the email above. Alternatively you could come along to our next meeting which will be held from 7pm on Tuesday 10^th February at rampART Social Centre in Whitechapel. See http://www.rampart.co.nr for directions.

Keep checking this website from now onwards for more information on what is planned for the weekend. We hope to have all the descriptions for workshops up as soon as possible and the full timetable will be posted around the 13^th February.

Sign up to our newsletter at https://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/londonfreeschool for irregular updates on upcoming events in London.

This Week in London…

A bit short notice as it has already begun, but a lovely bunch are holding a week of free workshops and the such like in mayfair starting today until the 11th January. The timetable of events can be viewed on their website (http://www.temporaryschool.org/) and will be updated throughout the week. If you want to get involved, help out, organise a workshop or something then contact them on 07532072087, persons_unknown [at] hotmail.co.uk or just head down to 39A Clarges Mews, Mayfair where it’s taking place…

Also, the London FreeSchool will be holding a meeting this Wednesday evening from 5pm at rampART Social Centre (http://www.rampart.co.nr) to discuss 2009 and future projects so if you want to get involved come along!