course
description

Across mutual aid economies, humans work cooperatively to meet the needs of everyone in their social group. It's different from charity and centers the solidarity of resource sharing among a diverse group of people that share similar needs.

Rather than a top-down, one-way flow system of resource distribution, which is typically how charitable operations function, mutual aid networks build sustained decentralized networks of sharing between neighbors that center the accessibility of needed human resources like food & tools that become scarce in "trickle down" hypercapitalistic societies.

In this class, we'll critically analyze the journey that pre-historic humans started when they developed complex tools for manipulating their environments and the politicized evolution of tool & technology development through the Information Age.

Participants will get hands-on experience designing and building simple structural CAD projects in SketchUp Pro. They will have the opportunity to develop an action plan that outlines the steps they'll need to take to launch a mutual aid network and have the opportunity to incorporate their new CAD design skills into designing a physical feature for their potential project.

This class is meant to inspire our creative comrades who work in technology and yearn to leverage their skill sets into meaningful socio-political action that spans beyond gallery walls and directly affects community members who need creative problem solvers the most.

Additionally, participants will read excerpts from:
Pyotr Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution
Douglas Rushkoff, Program or Be Programmed
Angela Y. Davis, Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction & more

in this course you will be introduced to

· prehistoric to contemporary overview of human tool and technology development
· critical analysis on the Darwinian concept of "evolution"
· cooperative sharing economies
· technology literacy inequalities in hypercapitalist societies
· mutual aid action plan design
· SketchUp Pro (3D modelling)
· basic carpentry tool use & safety
· being creative with what you have

course outline

Week 1: Introductions

For the first class, we'll start by getting to know one another by introducing ourselves & our creative passions. After everybody introduces themselves, we'll begin contextualizing the theory and praxis behind global mutual aid efforts and their relationship to the evolution and mass adoption of tools and technologies by humans over time.

We'll wrap up the class with group discussions that imagine alternative histories of technological innovation that center accessibility and personal agency over private ownership and value-added profit.

Week 2: Cooperation and community

The second class centers concepts of "radicalized" actions and spaces in hypercapitalist societies. We'll explore decentralized means of producing and sharing, focusing on a number cooperatively-owned makerspace models that offer resources for identifying, building, and managing mutual aid projects. We'll also consider the cultural and financial benefits, as well as limitations, of cooperatively-owned makerspaces.

Class discussion will focus on participants sharing their experiences visiting or working in a makerspace (or some kind of community space) in the past. Did that space support any kind of mutual aid project or network? Ex. city-wide mesh networks, food waste redistribution, electronics repair, plastics recycling & manufacturing, etc.

Week 3: Design and modelling

The third class gets practical with participants learning powerful design software that enables them to quickly ideate and communicate their ideas to others.

Participants will get hands-on experience working in SketchUp Pro (there is a free 30-day free trial for desktop that participants can download). During class, participants will follow a simple modelling project that teaches the basic applications of CAD tools in the program.

Week 4: Theory and praxis

The fourth class ties all the concepts covered in previous classes together, both theory and praxis, and prepares participants for building their own mutual aid network plan. Participants will get to meet guest lecturer, Latisha Springer, who founded and has rapidly grown the popular free public food shelter network in Atlanta, GA, USA called Free99Fridge. Everyone will have a chance to learn how she's been creatively battling food insecurity & waste in Atlanta without governmental or institutional help.

Near the end of class, participants will begin to prepare their individual or collective action plans for executing the launch & growth of their mutual aid network project.

Week 5: Show-and-tell and feedback

In our last class, participants will share their mutual aid action plans to the class & everyone will receive constructive feedback on how to improve their plan's efficiency or identify and correct any glaring problems that could potentially arise.

Everyone will have the opportunity to ask final questions about theoretical concepts, tools, or systems covered in class. Participants will have the opportunity to stay connected with one another if a group of people would like to collaborate on modelling a mutual aid network and bringing it to life in their community (either in person or online).

who is this program for?

The class is designed for artists, hackers, and anyone looking to reprogram and redistribute their creative output for collective good. Come join us. Enthusiastic like-minded community included. No experience necessary.

about live classes

Classes are 'live' meaning that you can directly interact with the instructor as well as with the other participants from around the world. Classes will also be recorded for playback in case you are unable to attend for any reason. That said, we kindly ask that you please only purchase a ticket if you plan to attend regularly. For specific questions, please email us and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

about tickets

Tickets for this class are currently available via Eventbrite. If you would like to avoid Eventbrite fees, please email us for direct payment options. We kindly ask that all “pay-what-you-can” students register through Eventbrite. Due to reduced staffing, we’re unable to handle specific payment requests for these registrations.

about solidarity

We realise we're living in uncertain times. During this time, we are offering a limited number of pay-what-you-can solidarity tickets for this online class. Preference is given to women, POC, LGBTQ+ and persons from underrepresented communities in tech who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are a small organisation with no outside funding and like many, we are also in survival mode and we ask you to consider this when making your donation. We are greatly appreciative of your understanding and support.

meet the instructor