VIllage Building DesigN Course
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Village Building Design Course
May 22-23, 25-26 Portland, Oregon How do we make a village in a city? Our lives are already filled with a strong network of interconnection, and the purpose of the Design Course is to enhance these connections and bring them to life. We learn how to work with the neighbors who live right on our block to craft our villages again! In Portland, Oregon, The City Repair Project brought the idea of "Placemaking" to common use. City Repair is essentially about "transforming spaces into places" -- thus, Placemaking is the process in which a Place in invested with value and meaning by the people who live there. The neighborhood is transformed to reflect the common values of the neighbors themselves. We're teaching the essentials found from the Placemaking Process for this course. About the course This course is for community organizers interested in starting and completeing a Placemaking project in their neighborhood. This may apply to social activists, artists, builders, gardeners, designers, stay-at-home moms, teachers, and anyone with a passion for the common good -- experienced or aspiring. Projects could take the form of anything you and your neighbors come up with: a garden, a communication station, a child-care-co-op, collective tool sharing, street painting, natural building project... this course is designed to teach you the skills to pull these ideas from the group, find the one that is perfect for your neighborhood, and create the place together. In this course, we will cover grassroots project organizing, working with neighbors you may have never met before, and basic project managment and design strategies. VBDC gives the background, insights and training needed to create Placemakers -- people who can return home and, with their neighbors, "transform spaces into places". We combine learning from experts with creative group activities, walk-a-bouts, and group sharing. We will tie in concepts of personal empowerment, how that is connected to placemaking, alliance building, and other strategies for cultivating village living in the city. We'll take a Permaculture design approach toward using the resources already present in an urban landscape, and how to bring out the unique skills of the people involved in your neighborhood. The Design Course happens at the front end of the Village Building Convergence (VBC), an annual 10-day Placemaking festival in Portland. You will have an opportunity to visit Village Building Convergence projects, and may choose to stay in Portland after the Design Course to participate in neighborhood projects around the city and continue your Placemaking experience. Location Awakenings Wellness Center 1016 SE 12th Ave, Portland OR Class Flow
Dates: Thursday May 22 - Monday May 26 Each class day we will go from 9AM sharp to approximately 4PM (some days we will go to 5PM, see below). Lunch is 1.5 hours from 12-1:30 PM. Lunch is provided. Please let us know of any dietary restictions during your registration process. Our class location is a lovely place to eat, with outdoor seating and St. Fancis Park and Ladd's Addition in walking distance. Because of the delightfully long lunch, be sure you are back at 1:30 PM, we'll start right away. Expect a class size between 6-10. Course Schedule: Thursday, May 22 9am - 4pm Introduction to Placemaking This is the essential starting place, context and tools to start the simplest forms of group process - understanding what Place means to you, to the group, and the basics of getting to know your neighbors and running meanings.
9am - 5pm VBC & Introduction to Permaculture
Solving Houselessness in Oregon: Opportunity Village Eugene With: Andrew Heben
Facilitation & Group Dynamics
Natural Building With: Bernhard Masterson
Saturday, May 24 Day off! Go explore the VBC Placemaking Sites! Sunday, May 25 9am - 4pm Patterns & Tools
Human Beings in Nature Relationship, from the viewpoint of Anthroposophy With: Beth Wieting We will talk about human development, and about gardening. About out relationship to nature spirits, and to other human beings in community. About our role in connection with the world outside of us, and our role in our own development, and what to develop. We will hone in on our purpose on Earth and how even the smallest actions of planting habitat for bees and butterflies make a big difference in the world.
9am - 4pm Storytelling, Myth, & Culture With: Mark Lakeman
We will work with each other to set goals and check-in systems to move forward with the information we've learned. Visualizations will help us understand what we're working toward and motivate us to take action on the inspiration and skills we have in our lives.
*This course includes one-on-one follow-up support from the instructor, and continuing online communication with your fellow Village Building Classmates. Kiddos? Unfortunately, childcare will have to be organized outside of us. If you have a homeschooler who is mature and serious about the course, they may enroll at full price or apply for scholarship. Cost Complete course is $350. A Paypal invoice will be e-mailed to you upon registration. Any amount paid greater than the minimum helps us generate scholarship money and gives us resources for making more educational content available for free. Scholarship may become available as regular attendance fills, so if you're applying for scholarship, please fill out the registration form so we can keep track of your information, and click "Yes" applying for scholarship at the bottom. We may also set up a payment plan. IMPORTANT: The course fee does not include costs for evening Village Building Convergence activities. (Daytime participation in neighborhood projects and workshops are always free!) Housing Coming from out of town? E-mail vbchousing@cityrepair.org and VBC Housing Coordinator, Serah Mills, will try to connect you with hosts in Portland. Questions? Please e-mail us at info@placecraft.org, or call 530-238-5237. The phone number printed on many of the flyers was incorrect, sorry for any inconvenience. |
