Free schools (a concept favored by anarchists) put the emphasis of education where it should be: on the information exchanged. Kansas City doesn't have a freestanding free school, but community organizer M. Dane Zahorsky substitutes the environmentally minded organization Movement of the Unified Voice, which has hosted a free-school-ish monthly activity called
Sustainability Sunday for about two and a half years. It's kind of a show-and-tell. Basically, community members share different types of knowledge, skills and experience with one another. This month includes a workshop on making sugar cookies, a lesson in using a letterpress (you can take home a holiday card) and an intro to roller derby. The learning goes down at the Kansas City Center for Ink and Paper Arts, located in the basement of the Hobbs Building (1427 West Ninth Street, 816-803-1515) in the West Bottoms. The free, nonalcoholic event also includes a potluck meal (locally sourced food is preferred). Search "Sustainability Sunday: A Very Motuv Christmas" for more information.
— Crystal K. Wiebe
