​HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR OWN WORKSHOP OR EVENT

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1. Team up. Two heads are better than one! It’s much better (and friendlier!) to plan an event with two or three or four. Reach out to a friend, family member, colleague . . . who can you call?

2. Find a location. If you own your place, you can host classes at home. If you don’t have space, other possibilities abound: granges, churches, community centers, public parks, local non-profits, fraternal organizations, art organizations - reach out to us if you are looking for ideas.

3. Consider Liability. Tarweed’s insurance policy can’t cover community classes, but most homeowner policies will cover basic liability. Waivers are good, though they might not provide as much insurance as we’d like against aggressive lawsuits. When in doubt, check with your insurance provider. (That said, we have teachers and friends who’ve hosted private workshops for decades with no lawsuits. Care and caution are definitely good.) 

4. ​Fees or free? Up to you. Free is always good, but in truth, sometimes people who say they’re gonna come don’t end up following through. A fee of some kind, even small, makes it a commitment. You can also choose to put a price tag on your event that reflects the true value, and offer scholarships or a sliding scale, and let people pay what they can.

5. ​Spread the word! The roots of connection still feed on personal relationship, word of mouth, and friendship. Ripples begin with the people you know: at work, in your neighborhood, in your own circles. From there, we can post or re-post your offering through our social media channels. You can also post to our list serve, which provides direct connections to people who have expressed explicit interest in community-based, folk school happenings.

6. Take registrations or RSVPs. Whether you’re offering a free skill share, or a paid class, consider asking folks to call in their registration. If you’re working out of your own home, you can say "location and other details available after registration". Consider reaching out to participants ahead of time with a phone call. It also gives you a chance to get a feel for folks. You can ask people to answer questions: "what do you want to get out of the class?", "What kind of related experience do you have?", and "Are you comfortable with [physical demands, outdoor accommodations, or whatever circumstances you may be concerned about]?". You don’t have to accept every person who calls, though it does help to identify criteria to participate prior to registration. It’s up to you who you invite to your party or into your home ("no" is still a complete sentence!). If you host an event in a public place, that may help you feel more open to welcome new friends.

7. Work parties are great too! Folk schooling does not only take the form of an organized class or workshop. Need help raising a timber frame, processing wool, scything a field, or sowing seed? Bring folks to gather, learn, and get the work done in community.

8. Think through the logistics. Parking, tools required, first aid, bathrooms, hydration and snacks, and other details - consider everything that participants should bring or what you will need to feel prepared as a host.

9. Plan the framework for the workshop or event. If you've never planned a class or event (basic schedule, process steps, general flow), feel free to get in touch and we'll be happy to have a conversation. Otherwise, we'll rely on you to figure out what will work best for your particular situation.

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WHY HOST YOUR OWN THING?

 

Why are we suggesting that you teach your own classes, and/or organize your own skill shares and work parties…? 

 

"Schooling" is, in fact and throughout history, simply what happens wherever people gather, wherever people talk to each other, wherever people listen to each other. Both experience and investigation reinforce that idea. 

 

It all boils down to the simple truth that talking is teaching and listening is learning. Everybody does it, all the time, and the fruits that ripen as a result make up the sum total of knowledge and culture. (Let us know if you want a folk school reading list…)

 

Tarweed focuses on the sharing of practical arts and place-based skills, but folk schooling has long abided by a principle that knowledge begins with questions, and that the best questions to start with are the ones that come from those who seek the knowledge.

 

In other words, it’s up to us to educate ourselves. We want to help everyone and anyone to answer their questions about how to do things, how to live better lives, how to nurture their communities. So if you have gifts to offer and things to teach or share, we want you to be able to do that, whether you need to be paid, want to offer a free skill share, or host a community work party. 

 

In a more ideal world, we’d have enough money to pay every teacher to teach every class. In reality, we have just enough support to cover a bit of administrative help and a small space in town where we can host a few folks to teach a few classes. It’s a little drop to feed an idea that includes everyone. And, in fact, including everyone is really the underlying goal of folk schooling. (To succeed, however, we’ll need to raise funds to keep covering those expenses so we can keep going! Any help is appreciated!)

 

We started Tarweed in part because we’ve been inspired by all the creative and knowledgable folks we’ve come to know in this community; we wanted those gifts to have a wider reach, but really, we’re here to help re-build a culture where everyone shares the work of schooling, and where schooling gives all of us the tools we need to live well, to support each other, and to feed what feeds us.