Starting your own Free Learning Exchange.

[Michael Fisher]

This is an idea from John Holt's book "Instead of Education".

This FreeLearning group matches people who have skills, abilities, and knowledge to share with those who want to learn.  Our goal is to bring people together for a mutually-beneficial learning and teaching experience.  By teaching our talents, abilities, and knowledge, we help others improve their own lives, create new local social groups, and strengthen our communities.

Another benefit of using FreeLearning is that it encourages us to share skills and promote community involvement and volunteerism.  Strengthen independent learning in your community by starting a Free Learning Exchange!

Here's the first group in Newmarket, NH:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewmarketNHFLEX/

Feel free to start your own local groups.  Starting a Yahoo or Google group is very easy, but you can organize a Free Learning Exchange any way you want! 

Please contact me if you need any help or questions answered.

[Kat Kanning]

Hey Mike, it sounds great, just like what we're trying to accomplish in Keene.  Is there somewhere online I can read more about it?

[Michael Fisher]

Hey Mike, it sounds great, just like what we're trying to accomplish in Keene.? Is there somewhere online I can read more about it?

FreeLearning is based on the same concept as FreeCycling.

http://www.freecycle.org/

The only thing their website does is:
-Tell people what it is and how it works.
-List the groups.
-Explain how to start a new group.

The idea is so simple that it's amazing, and the FreeCycle movement has grown in a very short time to over 2,000 groups with 700,000 members worldwide.

So I took their idea and applied it to learning, just like in Holt's book.  It's not an original idea but the time and money required are minimal and it is based upon the strongest business concept around - networking.  Tell your friends, family, and neighbors, and soon many people will be a part of the group.  There's no need to spend money on advertising because the strategy is based on referrals and it's all on the web.

Previous movements have been organized through central phone systems and advertised through newsletters.  Thanks to the internet, we do not need to use either of those things.

[Russell Kanning]

 

[jgmaynard]

Sounds like a GREAT idea, Mike.

You guys get that going, while we get the Liberty Tree Learning Center going in Keene, and this could grow!

Working with one another, while still remaining decentralized, could be great for both of us! Keep up the great work!

JM

[Michael Fisher]

I've invited dozens of people from the Seacoast region into this group, including local business leaders, business organizations, homeschooling groups, and school-to-career partnerships from local public schools.  Next I'll try to find the contact info for various school groups in this area.

Of course e-mail and mail are nearly useless in getting new things started in the real world.  I'm sure each and every one of these people will have to be called within a week.

It's going be a loooong week...

[Michael Fisher]

Hey, is there a way to contact local libertarians?  Libertarians?  NRA groups?

We definitely need some liberty-oriented classes.