Self-Directed Learning Center: Self-directed education is defined as “education that derives from the self-chosen activities and life experiences of the learner” (Alliance for Self-Directed Education). All people engage in self-directed education at times, whether they are in public school, private school, home school, or well past school aged. When we are interested and engaged with a subject we are intrinsically motivated to learn about it and will actively seek out information and experiences to educate ourselves. Many areas of interest and learning fall beyond what is traditionally offered in schools, and this is where our Learning Center can fill gaps and inspire further exploration.

The Learning Center will be a beneficial resource for community members, whether they are school-aged kids in public/private schools or home-schooled, in college, or beyond any formal learning. We seek to provide intergenerational real-life experiences and classes as well as open-ended materials so that community members can learn and explore a wide variety of topics. The Learning Center will include quality playroom spaces, an outdoor adventure playground for younger kids, and tech spaces and programs for virtual-learning and tutoring. All learning spaces will be staffed by adults who are knowledgeable about asking open-ended questions and engaging in play in a way that encourages the intrinsic inquiry process. Some examples of community classes that may be offered are: health literacy, communication, computer programming, cooking, woodworking, life-skills, social justice activism, community organizing, and many others. These classes will be offered both by our partner organizations and by community members themselves. Ultimately, we aim to create an accessible and inclusive community resource center, help our children learn and grow, and better our communities.