The Center is located on a 6 acre homestead in the Slocan Valley. In the future the center will be the home of a full-year facility open to home schoolers, un-schoolers and community members. The center will host special skills intensives and residencies. This year, in our inaugural year, we will be open for camp (Aug 24-31). Continue through the break down of our acronym to learn more about the values we hold.

 

Radical Education: Many of us associate education as something that happens within the walls of an institution as a part of a hierarchical structure of teachers and students. Our approach is radically different from that. We see everyone as a teacher, a student and all of the places in between including guide, mentor, seeker, apprentice, witness, scientist, explorer and change agent. We create a space where knowledge and skills can be exchanged, recognizing that that happens in an infinitude of ways. When every participant is empowered in their learning journey it means their passion and interest will set the course and the pace of that exchange. To achieve that type of flexibility the center employs a variety of approaches including:

Democratic Process- Every person, regardless of age, gender, orientation or ability has a voice in what happens at CREATE. Decisions about how space is shared take place in a meeting where every voice has input and value. To get some idea of what a democratic meeting can look and feel like, check out these videos.

 

Open Space- This method of organizing shared time operates on 5 guiding principles and one law. The principles are (edited from wikipedia):

 

1. Whoever comes is the right people ...reminds participants that they don't need a professor and 100 people to get something done, you need people who care.

2. Whenever it starts is the right time ...reminds participants that "spirit and creativity do not run on the clock."

3. Wherever it happens is the right place ...reminds participants that space is opening everywhere all the time. Moving an activity outside or up the hill or into the river is right if the people taking part decide it would be best.

4. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have ...reminds participants that once something has happened, it's done—and no amount of fretting, complaining or otherwise rehashing can change that. Take note. Learn. Move on.

5. When it's over, it's over ...reminds participants that we never know how long it will take to resolve an issue, once raised, but that whenever the issue or work or conversation is finished, move on to the next thing. Do the work, not the time.

 

And the guiding law of Open Space:

 

The Law of Mobility: If at any point you feel like you are neither learning or contributing, if you are not feeling engaged, move along or change what you are doing to work better with your passions, interests and needs.

 

Intergenerational Engagement- Participating at CREATE is something that is encouraged for folks of all ages. We recognize that there is immense value in the opportunities we have to learn from our children and our elders. We are excited about finding ways to engage small children in both integrated and parallel programming. Sometimes kids want to work along side their grown-ups, and other times their passions and interests will lead them elsewhere. To ensure that parents and guardians of little ones have the opportunity to engage in exchanges that they are driven to, we aim to have child centered play based explorations that parallel explorations and exchanges happening on site. Experienced Early Childhood Educators are an integral part of the CREATE team.

 

Access: We believe that in order to build strong resilient community there need to be opportunities for everyone to have access to the knowledge and skills they need to actively participate. For too long knowledge and skills have been gendered, classed and access has been restricted. The ways that sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ablism, racism and classism play out in technical training programs, colleges, apprenticeships and in the work force serve as major impediments to participation from folks who are marginalized. CREATE aims to hold space for knowledge and skills to be exchanged and developed in ways that recognize this while actively dismantling and replacing oppressive power structures. If you are interested in attending programming at CREATE and have specific accessibility needs please let us know what we can do to prepare the space for you.

 

Tech Empowerment: Many of our ancestors were familiar with the equipment and processes involved in growing, making, fixing and recycling the things they needed. Over the past few generations, as global economics have separated consumers and production, we have become increasingly dependent on things that are grown or made far away then shipped massive distances. We have become accustomed to the things we use being disposable, or at least un-fixable.  Products then are either buried in a landfill or sent on another epically long journey to be recycled. Our relationship to the equipment and processes involved in growing, making, fixing and recycling can be healed, and we can once again become empowered. We believe in a brand of technology that is low-tech, low-impact, user-friendly, modular, and flexible.