List of classes in alphabetical order
A radically different approach to living and learning, Free Skool Santa Cruz is a grassroots educational project beyond institutional control. It is an opportunity to learn from each other and share what we know, to foster communities of mutual support and autonomy.
Here’s information for 20+ classes for Part 2 of the 2023 Spring/Summer Session of Free Skool Santa Cruz that goes from July 16 – September 30th.
Please email questions to: freeskoolsantacruz@gmail.com
-Access Is Love (a Disability Justice discussion) – Sunday, August 27th / 4 p.m. with Amber Vildekat (willowandalder@gmail.com)
Location: The Tannery, meet in the Garden Area behind 1040 Building, 1040 River St, Santa Cruz, CA / or might shift to Tannery Community Room if it’s too hot out.
Description: Access Is Love is a phase coined by Mia Mingus. This is a Disability Justice (DJ) discussion based loosely on Mia’s work: Access Intimacy, the Missing Link, but is going to broaden to discuss DJ applied to our communities.
Materials: Read “Access Intimacy, the Missing Link” if possible. https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/access-intimacy-the-missing-link/ Snacks to share are nice.
COVID & Accessibility information: Outdoors but bring masks because you may end up sitting close to someone or we might need to move inside. Location is wheelchair accessible for both outdoor and indoor options.
-Active Listening Skills – Saturday, September 30th / 1 – 3 p.m. with Piper Thomas (530-519-8123 – texting plz)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: This one time class will introduce the skill of active listening, offer some discussion time/Q&A, then create space for us all to practice the skill together. Folks with all levels of familiarity are welcomed to attend!
COVID protocols: The event will be held outdoors & masking will be required.
-Become a Jedi of your Emotions – TBD with Anjoli Kumra (wiseradicalaction@gmail.com)
Location: TBD
Description: I have been studying emotions for over 10 years as a human and as a therapist. It is our basic human nature to feel yet many people have developed resistance, numbness, or a sense of grasping to emotions. I believe there are basic skills in accepting, feeling through, and releasing emotions that I would like to share with the public.
COVID protocols: Please don’t come if you are sick.
-Big Blue Community Indigo Vat – Saturday, August 19th / 2 – 4 p.m. with Vicki Winters (onyourleft2@gmail.com or @1marshwiggle on Instagram)
Location: My home – participants should contact me for address.
Description: Bring your clean, natural fiber fabric items to dip in the organic indigo dye vat.Tools and materials will be available for create patterns by bundling, tying, stitching or painting fabric with resist paste.
Materials: Bring your own clothing or fabric to dip if you would like – unhemmed fabric squares will also be available if you just want to experiment. Plant-based fibers such as cotton, linen, or hemp work best with the indigo vat.
Accessibility information: Class will be held outdoors, yard and pathways are somewhat uneven but there are no stairs.
-Bioregional Herbalism: Learn Your Local Plants! – Thursday, August 10th / 5 – 6:30 p.m. with Magic (herbalist@rootsinthecracks.com)
Location: Ocean View Park, 102 Ocean View Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Description: This class is a short intro to medicinal plants growing locally and thinking about how our local climate affects our health needs.
Materials: Folks are encouraged to bring field guides or foraging guides specific to the Santa Cruz area.
COVID protocols: We will be outdoors, people may wear masks at their discretion.
-Collage-a-palooza – Sunday, July 30th / 11:30 – 3 p.m. – drop in, you don’t have to stay the whole time with Vicki Winters (onyourleft2@gmail.com or @1marshwiggle on Instagram)
Location: My home – participants should contact me for address.
Description: Help me use up my collection of art and collage materials! Bring your own collage materials to share! There are no rules!
Materials: Bring your own collage materials to share if you would like.
Accessibility information: Class will be held outdoors, yard and pathways are somewhat uneven but there are no stairs.
-Communes of Rojava – Thursday, July 27th / 5:30 p.m. with Rojava Solidarity Santa Cruz (rojavasolidaritysantacruz@gmail.com instagram.com/rojavasc)
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: A people’s revolution has happened in our lifetimes and continues to struggle for existence today. Rojava means “West” in Kurdish and is a name given to the region of North East Syria that declared de facto autonomy from Syria in 2012. The people of Rojava formed an autonomous administration with a number of revolutionary founding principles like feminism, ecology, and participatory democracy. This course will provide an opportunity to learn about the communes of Rojava and provide a space to discuss what our own neighborhoods could learn from the Rojava model. No previous knowledge necessary.
COVID protocols: Masks preferred
-Critical Emergency Response Series: *Disasters” and community response- Monday, August 28th / 6- 7:30 p.m. // *Basic first aid and community health care- Monday, September 11th / 6- 7:30 p.m. // *“psychological first aid.”- Monday, September 18th / 6 – 7:30 p.m. with Avi Conant (831-588-7087)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Over the past several years, Central Coast communities have experienced numerous “disasters,” including fires, floods, and the Covid-19 pandemic. In response, government at the federal, state, and local levels have declared states of “emergency” and official “disaster.”
But what are disasters? What does it mean to “prepare,” “mitigate,” “respond,” or “recover” from them, particularly in the contexts of colonialism, stark social inequalities, political conflict, and ecological instability – even “crisis?” How do we move from theoretical concerns to practical organization, as well as from social isolation to collective action?
Topics include basic principles of mutual aid and community care, hazard identification and risk analysis, brief essentials of medical and psychological First Aid, as well as an introduction to core debates in Critical Disaster Studies and related fields.
Materials: I will have an online and printed syllabus, which I can email to anyone interested, but do not require additional materials or preparations at this time.
COVID & accessibility information: Class will be held outside on level ground. Masks welcomed and encouraged. Some activities will involve mobility and physical interaction, but are not required. Please reach out for further accommodation and accessibility needs.
-Cyanotype printmaking: Photography with the sun – Sunday, September 3rd / 11 a.m. with Giovanna Sainz (IG: in2thetides)
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Explore the cyanotype photographic printing process that creates a vibrant blue hued print. Utilizing pressed botanicals and other texturally interesting items, this workshop will provide an introduction to the technique. Join us as we create 2-3 one-of-a-kind prints on paper, materials provided. Limit of 15 people (DM: @in2thetides to reserve a spot).
Materials: Bring any botanicals you’d like to use to make your prints.
Accessibility information: Location accessibility will depend on location of the workshop. The workshop will be outdoors so masking is optional.
-Dérive: The Art of Getting Lost in Santa Cruz – Friday, September 1st / 8 p.m. with Will Parrish (willparrish2016@gmail.com; IG: @sandhillssagas)
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Take a plunge and explore the streets and alleys of Santa Cruz like never before. A dérive is a strategy for moving through an urban environment, wandering aimlessly without direction or destination, while taking note of one’s emotional and psychological response to what we see, touch, taste, and smell. In French, dérive literally means drifting. Developed in the 1950s in Paris by the Situationist International, a dérive aims to break down and renew your everyday relations with the spaces around you. Following the classic Situationist technique, we will walk and get lost, walk *to* get lost, drawn only by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters we find there.
Accessibility: After initially meeting up at SubRosa, we will likely travel in groups of 2-4, with a goal of sorting people into groups based partly on the speed at which each person wishes to travel.
-Dimensions of Mugwort – Wednesday, September 20th / 5:30 – 6:45 p.m. with Maya Elson and Michelle Glowa (mayacelium@gmail.com)
Location: House near the Buttery. Email for address
Description: Just as the mugwort plant can open a portal to other dimensions, we will work with mugwort as a way of exploring different dimensions of history, traditional herbal medicine, witchcraft, and energy work through a mugwort lens. We’ll work with mugwort directly as we learn harvesting practices, medicinal uses, ethics, and precautions. Participants are invited to bring their own stories and knowledge to this collaborative learning space. All ages and abilities welcome.
-DIY Hypertufa Planters + succulent exchange – Sunday, July 23rd / 2 – 4 p.m. with Vicki Winters (onyourleft2@gmail.com or @1marshwiggle on Instagram)
Location: My home – participants should contact me for address.
Description: Hypertufa is a lightweight porous faux-rock material that can be used to make rustic, textured plant containers and garden sculptures. We’ll be mixing up a batch from portland cement (leftover from a previous project), coconut husks, and perlite (the white bits in potting soil). All supplies will be provided, but you can bring your own container to use as a mold if you would like. Hypertufa pots make great containers for succulents, so optionally bring some succulent cuttings to exchange. No need to bring materials.
Accessibility information: Class will be held outdoors, yard and pathways are somewhat uneven but there are no stairs.
-Fábrica Open Hours – Saturdays / 2 – 5 p.m. and Mondays / 1 – 4 p.m. with Fábrica Collective (thefabrica@thefabrica.org)
Location: The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: The Fábrica is a community workspace where folks can come to learn and share knowledge about textiles arts. This includes Sewing, Knitting, Quilting, Embroidery, Crochet, and Bookbinding, among others. The workshop is operated by volunteers and funded by donations from participants.
Materials: We have sewing machines as well as generous amounts of fabric, zippers, notions, and the other tools and supplies one needs for most sewing and yarn-based projects. There is no charge to use the shop, but please consider a $5-10 donation to help with our operating costs.
Accessibility: Classes will take place in the courtyard or shop space of the Fabrica. The shop and courtyard are level with the sidewalk, with no steps up or down. A flexible range of participation is available and no previous sewing experience is needed. If you want to participate in the hands-on part of the class, it involves sitting in a chair at a table for 10-15 minutes at a time, some manual dexterity, and moderate to high visual acuity. The class will use spoken English and there will not be a sign language interpreter but you can bring interpreters or support people of any kind you may need. The Fabrica is approximately 450 feet from the Metro Station downtown, with city sidewalks with regular curb cuts between the station and the Fabrica.
-Horror, Feminism, Anti-Capitalism in the film “It Follows” – Tuesday, August 15th / 5:30 p.m. with Johanna Isaacson (johannais68@gmail.com)
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: We’ll watch “ItFollows” to explore feminist and anti-capitalist themes. We’ll discuss how horror films help us understand transformations in how heteropatriarchal capitalism works and how we can fight back.
-Intro to Crochet Class – Learning the Basics to create a Choker Necklace – Sunday, July 30th / 4 – 6 p.m. with Cat Linh Tran (catlinhtran67@gmail.com)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Come play with other fiber loving friends to make a crochet choker necklace. We will be learning how to crochet a chain and the slip stitch. Buttons, yarn, and hooks will be provided. Personal materials are welcome.
COVID protocols: Class will be outside, masks are optional!
-Knots 101 – Sunday, August 6th / 1 pm with Phoenix (pbuddeberg@protonmail.com)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Learn the basics of knot tying, with opportunity to practice. Introduction will also include basic terms and further learning/reference material. Does not include splicing.
Materials: If you have it, bring rope or heavy cordage to practice with. I have a limited amount that I can provide.
COVID protocols: masking recommended.
-Knots, a bit more advanced – Saturday, September 9th / 11 a.m. with Phoenix (pbuddeberg@protonmail.com)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Want to learn some more specialized knots? Have a task that you’re not sure about what knot to use? Just want to geek out about rope work? This “class” is meant to be more free form, so while I’ll bring a selection of knots to teach, feel free to bring your own ideas on what you want to learn/do. I’m willing to go over splicing or whippings (needle and temporary) if you bring materials. A basic level of knot tying skill is encouraged, such as from Knots 101.
Materials: If you have it, bring rope or heavy cordage to practice with. I have a limited amount that I can provide. If you want to learn splicing bring: laid rope to splice, optionally a sharp knife you can use safely and masking tape. If you want to learn whippings bring: rope to whip, thick twine, recommend sowing palm/thimble or similar and thick sowing needles.
COVID protocols: masking recommended.
-Nature Somatics – Sunday, August 13th / 5 p.m. with Amber Vildekat (willowandalder@gmail.com)
Location: Please EMAIL me with your access needs well in advance so I can determine the most inclusive location. Location will be publicized a week before the session.
Description: Classic “Nature Awareness” skills with somatic and relational intent. Animal tracking, bird language, deep listening and awareness games, plus somatic awareness and inquiry, based in my training as a Somatic Experiencing practitioner.
Materials: Please bring adequate water, snacks, sunblock, sunhat and tick/ poison oak protection, plus shoes that are comfy but stealthy. If you are allergic to bee stings please bring your own epi.
COVID & Accessibility information: This is outdoors but have masks on hand in case we end up doing something in closer proximity to each other. Location will be determined based on the access needs ppl express to me. I will do my absolute best to accommodate everyone’s. Please contact me with your needs well before the date! If last minute, I may not be able to accommodate.
-Protest and Revolution – Vision to Celluloid – Wednesdays, August 16th and 30th / 7 p.m. with Daphne Hanrahan
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Together we will watch Jean Vigo’s “Zero In Conduct” and Lindsay Anderson’s “If” – after each screening we’ll discuss the different cinematic approach each director took to visualizing protest and revolution. If the group dialog progresses, the next screenings could include “The Battle of Algiers” and also, collaboratively suggested films.
-Queer Radical Parenting Potluck in the Park – Saturday, September 9th / 12 – 3 p.m. with Baby Makers Social Club (jesseforrey@gmail.com)
Location: London Nelson Park, 301 Center Street, Santa Cruz
Description: Are you seeking a broader community of queer & radical parents in the Santa Cruz area? Come join us at London Nelson Park on September 10th for a potluck picnic in the park! We aim to fortify our network of parenting people, to share experiences, knowledge, resources, and most importantly, food! We especially welcome folks who are about to become parents- be it through pregnancy, adoption, or any other means of family making. Bring your kin & a potluck item to share if you’re feeling resourced.
Accessibility note: Please bring blankets and chairs as needed. This to be an accessible gathering; please contact jesseforrey@gmail.com if you have an accommodation request.
-Radical Political Theory Reading Group – Thursdays, August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st / 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. with Will Parrish (willparrish2016@gmail.com; IG: @sandhillssagas)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: In this reading group we are focusing on political theory in two senses of the word “radical.” First we are looking at texts on the edges of contemporary political theory – Zapatismo, decolonial feminism, Black anarchism, family abolition, Situationism, etc. – ideas of politics and the political that are original, that defy convention, and that challenge our notions of what is acceptable to say, do or think. The second sense is one that takes seriously the origins of the word “radical”, suggesting “roots” or the hidden networks underground that both give strength to the foundations of political activity, and that draw into it the necessary elements for flourishing. We will be looking at contemporary works of political theory that seek to transform the world from the (under)ground up.
Each week we’ll read one short book and have a discussion facilitated by our small collective. Almost everything we’ll read has been published in the last three years, giving us a chance to engage in a diverse collection of new ideas about how we change the world.
Please contact in advance to find out more about the reading group and to get our reading list! – willparrish2016@gmail.com
Materials: We’ll be reading a short book every week. It’s highly encouraged that folks get a hard copy of the books, most of which cost about $15 new.Anyone unable to afford this can get a pdf/ebook copy for free. However you do it, please read as much as you can before we meet! If you can only attend one or some of the reading group sessions, don’t let that deter you. Folks are encouraged to bring snacks, food or beverages to share.
COVID protocols: We will meet in the courtyard; feel free to bring a mask.
-Really Really Free Market – Every second Sunday, August 13th, September 10th / 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. with the Really Really Free Market Crew (SubRosa@riseup.net)
Location: SubRosa Courtyard, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Tianguis Realmente Gratuito. Todo es gratis. No money. No trades. Everything is free. This gathering is not about the “stuff” we give and take, but more about how we can freely give and receive from each other. This is a form of anti-capitalist mutual aid where everyone is invited to participate and share care. ¡Todo gratis! No intercambio de dinero, no negocios, no trueques. Trae lo que gustes, toma lo que necesites. Este mercado gratuito es basado en una economía de regalar. Learn more about the Santa Cruz Really Really Free Market (RRFM) and RRFMs in general – go to linktree in bio https://instagram.com/rrfm_
-S.C.U.M. x Free Skool Presents: Record Shares and Listening Lounge – Tuesdays, August 8th, September 19th / 6:30 p.m. with Ben Krasner & Jacín (repressionjones@gmail.com)
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Ben, Jacín, and friends will select and bring records (and perhaps other media) to share, listen, and discuss as a group in an intentional setting. We will begin by playing specific records/media, and then the session will be more open for you to share and play records/media you brought with you.
Materials: For gatherings we will encourage you to bring your own records or media.
Note on time: 6:30pm – soft start: gather and settle in // 7pm – hard start: let the music begin!
Accessibility information: mask optional, all welcome, QTPOC friendly space, safe(r) space.
-Singing – Sunday, September 10th / 4 p.m. with Amber Vildekat (willowandalder@gmail.com)
Location: Please EMAIL me with your access needs well in advance so I can determine the most inclusive location. Location will be publicized a week before the session.
Description: A variety of accapella singing including folk styles of Eastern Europe, and improv. No singing experience or “good” singing voice is necessary, all vocal expressions are equally valid.
Materials: Not necessary, but if you want to share a song, bring anything you need for that, i.e. lyric sheets.
Accessibility information: Location determined based on the access needs people inform me of, make sure you lmk well in advance of the class or I might not be able to accommodate, will do my best to accommodate everyones.
-Soul Liberation Art Cards – TBD with Yvonne Velasco Brock (yvonne.spiritual@gmail.com)
Location: SubRosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Serving the evolution and liberation of your and community’s Soul’s and Consciousness journey. Our responsibility to take action for the health and harmony of ourselves and community. The focus is on mutual support through creative expression rather than an art class. With this intention, we will gift the cards we created to each other. Create Whatever will support you to help you fly, put your crown on, express yourself, connecting to Mother Earth, elements, ancestors, spirit guides, light, love, hope, walking in your purpose, synchronicities, Truth, alignment, etc.
Materials: Bring paper images from magazines or other sources, scissors, magazines, quotes, poems, lyrics.
-SubRosa Open Hours – Tuesdays, August 15th, 22nd, 29th, and September 5th, 12th, 19th / 5 – 8 p.m. with Angela (IG: froggy.doll)
Location: SubRosa (inside and outside), 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Description: Open hours for SubRosa! Come by and check out our Anarchist Library and hangout! Different weeks we will have different themes, like movie night, Punk Cafe, or zine making! Feel free to come by with your own activities to share.
COVID protocols: Masks required indoors, optional in the courtyard.
Free Skool Santa Cruz 