Anti-Oppression Freeschool visioning and planning weekend | November 8-9

This was the first meeting of the Anti-Oppression Freeschool - a weekend to plan and vision this freeskool series (read more about it below). The Anti-Oppression Freeschool is a community education series hosted by Food Not Bombs, in partnership with Aging Activisms and the Peterborough Independent Podcasters, and endorsed by a number of other community groups and organizations.

"This first weekend was a visioning/ organizing weekend to gather those who are interested in helping to create and deliver this freeskool series. We want to build together from scratch and work to include a wide diversity of voices and approaches in our planning.

Who: Food Not Bombs would like to extend an invitation to all people in the community who want to learn, to teach, to share skills, to share knowledge, to share teachings, to share creative approaches and who want to collaborate in creating community education around how to recognize, acknowledge, understand and dismantle interconnected systems of oppression to join us for a very special weekend.

What: Anti-Oppression Freeschool Visioning and Planning Weekend Over the next 6 months, gathering on the second Friday and Saturday of each month- the people of Peterborough are invited to attend, participate in and help to inform and bring knowledge to a series of free (and open to everyone) anti-oppression oriented workshops. Friday nights sessions will feature a different approach each month to looking at anti- oppression on the whole and Saturday sessions will be themed each month by focussing on different aspects of particular manifestations of oppression (class, race, ability, gender, sexual orientation).

This first November session is a chance for ANYONE who would like to be involved in helping to empower this very special community education opportunity….We are all teachers and we are all learners.

Calling all people with lived experience, calling all collaborators, all educators, all community teachers, all wise souls, all knowledge keepers, all those who are seeking ways to understand, all those who are seeking ways to teach, all those who want to learn to unlearn oppression…. you are welcome and expressly invited to help create a very special space for learning and unlearning here in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong.

Where: Sadlier House

When: Friday, November 8th from 7-9 pm and Saturday, November 9th from 12-4 pm

Why: The idea is to build a movement that collaborates towards widespread community education and capacity building. We want to draw out and bring to the table all of the teachers and teachings and skills that exist in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong and invite all community members to think about what they could offer as teachings. We want to inventory the resources, knowledge and skill that exist here and also asses and determine what skill sets, knowledge sets and resources we need that we might need to invite others from outside of our community in to share with us.

The hope is that over the next six months we can come together regularly to build strong and true relationships and commitments that are deeply rooted in anti-colonial, intersectional and anti-oppressive understandings and approaches. The dream is to bring together social, economic, environmental and cultural movements, to train and learn together, to identify the ways in which forms of oppression intersect and embolden each other, to solidify commitments of solidarity and to work collectively towards understanding and uprooting the interconnected ideologies and barriers that inhibit justice, equity, equality and dignity.

We want work together and get the skills and knowledge that we need to have- as individuals, families, workplaces, community organizations and society as a whole to acknowledge, understand, re-evaluate, unlearn, disrupt and transform cycles of oppression while developing meaningful strategies for engaging in recognition, reconciliation, reparation, restitution, relational repair and restoration of dignity, freedom and justice for all.

Other:

ENDORSE THE ANTI-OPPRESSION FREESCHOOL

Food Not Bombs is excited to invite community groups, organizations and the like to consider ‘endorsing’ this Freeschool series. We want as many people at the table as possible and for that to happen- we need people sharing with their communities. We would like to outreach far and wide with the goal of creating a multi-generational movement of diverse people who bring a wide array of approaches but who come together under one basis of unity: Educated ourselves to UNLEARN and uproot oppression in ALL of its forms and manifestations.

To endorse this educational series- all you have to do is email antioppressionfreeschool@gmail.com once you’ve gotten the thumbs up from your group/organization/workspace/business/faculty/union… and let us know to put your name on the list of groups that are endorsing. We hope that at least one person from each ‘endorsing’ group can attend the November Visioning and Planning weekend… but if not- it’s okay… the reason we want to create a sustained project is to allow plenty of opportunity for community involvement over a prolonged period.

SPONSOR THE ANTI-OPPRESSION FREESCHOOL

Food Not Bombs has been saving up and will cover rent and sundries for November. We are is seeking others in the community who might help us (group/organization/workspace/business/faculty/union) to secure funds needed for room rentals and appropriate funds to thank and honour teachers and facilitators. All sponsors will be thanked publicly for their contributions. Your organization is very welcome to Endorse and Sponsor. Be a part of the solution and share your resources! Email antioppressionfreeschool@gmail.com."