List of classes in alphabetical order (And info also in google calendar at bottom of list)
Our summer calendar goes from the summer solstice (June 20th) to the autumnal equinox (Sept 22). We will have two rounds of submission deadlines to add your class to our calendar. The first submission deadline was June 7th and the second was mid-July. All classes will follow the recommended covid precautions. Please email questions to: freeskoolsantacruz@gmail.com
-Audio Engineering Basics – Mondays, June 28, July 26, August 30 / 6:00 – 7:30 pm with Tig
Location: Westlake Park, 149-111 Bradley Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: We will cover the fundamentals of audio engineering including hardware/software overview, basic acoustics, studio setup, developing a workflow, client relations, basic editing and mixing, and more! The class can be adapted to the experience level of the students and the tools they have access to.
Bring: A laptop with music software would be helpful but not required. I’d suggest at least something to take notes with.
-Aulinta: Building and Un-Building – Tuesday, July 13 / 6:30 – 8:00pm with Blaize
Location: Meet at the corner of Mission St. Ext and Natural Bridges Drive, across from the Westside Farmers Market
Description: Come on a tour of the Westside as it exists in Aulinta, a parallel-present Santa Cruz that is both similar to and different from where you live now. Travel through the portal to visit the post-scarcity world made possible by the Social Justice and Renewable Energy Anti-Colonial Revolution of 1973. This tour will focus on local industries, waste management and what we do with our leftover stuff, and coastal prairie restoration, among other topics. Contact: stblaize@gmail.com for more info.
Accessibility: The tour in July will cover up to .75 miles of ground and take up to 1.5 hours during which time we will either be walking or standing with no benches or seats available. The tour route will be on either city sidewalk with regular curb cuts, or along the paved bike path alongside the railroad track. The tour will be conducted in spoken English and there is no sign language interpreter. The starting location is about 50 feet from a westbound route 20 bus stop, and the ending point is about 300 feet from an eastbound routes 18, 20, and 40 bus stop.
-Aulinta: Civic structures and appropriate technologies – Monday, August 30 / 5:30 – 7:00pm with Blaize
Location: Meet at the corner of Walnut and California Streets
Description: Aulinta, a parallel-present Santa Cruz that is both similar to and different from where you live now. In this tour we will talk about the town hall, the train station, and the town mainframe computer. Contact: stblaize@gmail.com for more info.
Accessibility: The tour route in August will cover up to .75 miles of standard city sidewalk, with regular curb cuts, and will take up to 1.5 hours, during which time we will either be walking or standing with no benches or seats available. The tour will be conducted in spoken English and there is no sign language interpreter. The beginning point of the tour is within 50 feet of a westbound routes 40, 41, and 42 bus stop. The end point of the tour is is within 80 feet of a routes 18, 40, 41, and 42 bus stop.
-Astrophotography – Tuesdays July 13 and July 20 / 8:30 – 9:30pm (due to darkness needs) With Rachel Wisotsky
Location: Your Place Farm to Table, 1719 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: Astrophotography is hard and complicated but so amazing and fun. We have the telescopes and can explain the process to use and set up.
Camera and telescope 🔭 helpful but not required.
-Basic Santa Cruz Tenants Rights – Thursday, August 12 / 6:00 – 8:00pm with Tenant Sanctuary Staff
Location: The Santa Cruz Hub for Sustainable Living, 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060,
Description: This class is intended to give an overview of tenants rights as they exist in the city of Santa Cruz. It is adapted from the training given to tenants rights counselors who volunteer at Tenant Sanctuary. Attendees will learn about things like rent raises, evictions, getting repairs made, and the right to organize. Any donation welcome but not requested.
NOTE: It is preferred that participants email or call to register before attending. 831-200-0740 or email tenantsanctuarysc@gmail.com The class will be taught in English and will use some visual aids.
-Cultivating Relationships with Wild Places: a form of defense for upper campus – Saturday, September 18⋅/ 2:00 – 4:30pm with Nadia
Location: Meet at the North Remote Parking lot at UCSC
Description: This class will get into an indigenous perspective of cultivating a relationship with place with a focus on land tending, and the implications that that land tending coupled with land-memory can have on protecting places threatened by development or resource extraction. The focus will be on how to build effective ally-ship and relationships of support to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, a brief history of resource extraction and genocidal indigenous violence on this land, and then a focus on developing a relationship with the place called “north campus” north of North Remote Lot on the UCSC campus threatened with development by the proposed 2021 LRDP.
I will be requesting a 5-20 dollar donation for my class for my time, energy, and stories. 20% of collected donations will go to the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.
Bring: Pen and Paper, Water, comfortable walking or hiking shoes, your own snack. Smoke in the air from wildfires will cancel the class no matter how much smoke is present.
Accessibility: The Upper Campus class will be on fire roads and small foot paths. We can just stay on the fire roads to make it accessible for the whole group if people(s) who wants to come are unable to be on small footpaths. The fire road is still rocky and would require well pumped wheelchair wheels or bigger tires to handle the terrain. There is a steel uphill before it flattens out. The class is in English and will not have much or any visual or reading material, it is more story based and non-linear. I can speak up for people who are hard of hearing, but there will be no sign language for the class. I ask that people who can walk wear comfortable walking shoes and bring their own water. It may be hot that day, so a hat and sunscreen are recommended based on peoples’ comfort levels.
-Embodied Movement Practice – Every other Monday until 9/20 – 12:00 – 1:30pm with Meg Schneider (they/them)
Location: Ocean View Park, 102 Ocean View Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, USA
Description: A movement class to wiggle, dance, and groove however makes you feel good! Using techniques of movement improv and sensory processing to help participants develop and restore the connections of the body/mind. This class aims to introduce folks to the practice of embodied movement. We will be dancing on the grass which is mostly level (no hills) or ideally the paved basketball court depending on availability. https://instagram.com/big_mes.maker
Accessibility: For accessibility the park is mostly flat with dirt paths and large grass areas with paved ramps on the hilled areas. As far as accessibility for the class any and all are welcome and encouraged to engage in whatever capacity they are comfortable with! All movement exercises will be optional with opportunity for alternative exercises and participation. Also, folks should plan to bring comfortable clothes to move in and water as well.
Pandemic protocols: I will be requiring masks to protect an immunocompromised family member, even if people are vaccinated this feels best to protect everyone participating. Bring Something to write with if you’d like.
Bring: Something to write with if you’d like.
-Fábrica Open Hours – Weekly on Sundays and Fridays / 4:00 – 7:00pm with Fábrica Collective Members
Location: The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
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 other arts. The workshop is operated by volunteers and funded by donations from participants. 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. Contact: stblaize@gmail.com for more info.
Accessibility: The Fabrica events 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.
–Fábrica Summer Knitting Series – Sunday, August 1, 15, 29, 12 / 3:00 – 4:30pm (Every 2 weeks on Sunday, until Sep 12, 2021) with Fábrica Collective Members
Location: The Fábrica703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Description: This is a class series for beginner knitters, covering basic knitting topics with time for practice. These include the knit and purl stitches, casting on, binding off, piecing, and tension. Participants will make a potholder (or two) throughout the series. Suggested 5-20 per session. No experience or supplies necessary. Materials will be provided. We recommend (but don’t require) that participants attend all 4 sessions.
Accessibility: The Fabrica events 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. https://thefabrica.org // https://www.facebook.com/thefabrica/ // https://www.instagram.com/the_fabrica_/
-Fábrica Yard Sale – Sunday, June 27 / 12:00 – 4:00pm with Fábrica Collective Members
Location: The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: Come one, come all! Fabric, yarn, machines, tools, and notions all at yard sale prices. Help us clean out the shop and keep the project going. (while technically not a free event this yard sale will help the Fábrica be able to offer no one turned away services). Contact: stblaize@gmail.com for more info.
Accessibility: The Fabrica events 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.
–Jessie St. Marsh Naturalist BioBlitz – Wednesday, June 23 / 6pm with DSA Santa Cruz Ecosocialist Working Group
Location: Corner of Barson St and Jessie St
Description: Join the DSA Santa Cruz Ecosocialist Working Group in the Jessie Street Marsh on Wednesday, June 23 6pm for an iNaturalist BioBlitz event. We’ll be using the iNaturalist app to record observations of plants and animals in the freshwater and saltwater marsh habitats in this little-known city greenspace (see https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/jessie-street-marsh for more info.) Why do we want to document the species in the Marsh? For over 20 years, the city of Santa Cruz has shirked its legal obligation to preserve and restore this urban wetland and instead has managed the habitat to the specifications of the police department. Rather than wait for the city to conduct a full biological survey of the wetlands habitat it has mismanaged over the years, we can take collective action to create a research-quality record of the biodiversity there.
-Lacto fermented hotsauce and more – Saturday, July 17 / 11:00am – 12:00pm with Sean
Location: 811 Broadway, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, USA (backyard)
Description: Use the friendly microbes we all have in our kitchen to create something different. Using peppers and salt we will go over how to ferment a basic hotsauce safely, and possibly more simple veggie ferments.
Bring: A small container if you would like to take home what we make.
Pandemic protocols: Per conversations with my house community we feel it would be within our guidelines to host 10 masked people who are preferably vaccinated (would have to be honor system to not violate privacy) in the large backyard of our house trying to maintain safe distance between households.
Accessibility: There are several one to two steps to be able to get into the backyard where the class will be held, and there is soil and wood chip paths that may make it hard to navigate with movement assistance devices.
-Learning in Community: Spanish Language – Wednesdays and Fridays through end of July / 4:00 – 5:00pm With Téotl Hernandez
Location: Friendship Garden, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: Through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, students will be empowered to develop Spanish language use. As a heritage speaker and bilingual educator I am very excited to teach and learn from this summer class. Contact holaprofeteotl@gmail.com –
Virtual class begins on July 3rd two sessions, 10:30AM and 12:30PM. If folks want to sign up please fill out this google form or email me directly.
Bring: Notebook, writing utensil, attention. Any donation appreciated.
-Let’s Fly Kites! – Wednesday, July 28 / 5:30 – 8:30pm With Blaize and Zav
Location: Twin Lakes State Beach, Twin Lakes State Beach, California 95062, USA
Description: Bring a kite and fly it with us. Kites are great, and flying kites with friends is even better! Bring your own kite. Contact: stblaize@gmail.com for more info.
Accessibility: This activity takes place on a sandy beach bordered by regular parking places. There is an eastbound bus stop servicing Route 68 on 5th Ave, approximately 800 feet from the beach. We have a limited number of extra kites, so if you have a kite you should bring it. No previous kite-flying experience is necessary for this event and you can chose your level of participation. You can be crappy at kite flying and it’ll be ok. Spoken English language is not necessary for the event, and the event can probably be enjoyed by people with low vision or blindness.
-Line 3 Pipeline Report-Back – Tuesday July 13 / 5 – 6:30pm with Will
Location: SubRosa Community Space – 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: People from across Turtle Island are mobilizing against the Line 3 pipeline, which is being built this summer to bring nearly a million barrels of tar sands bitumen per day through Anishinaabe land and the Mississippi Headwaters (Northern Minnesota). Hear from Santa Cruz locals who recently traveled to Minnesota about their experiences.
-Natural Dye Workshop (indigo) – Saturdays 1 – 3pm – June 26 (indigo) // July 10 – 1-2:30 pm at beach Flats community garden (indigo + cochineal + flowers) – POSTPONED BECAUSE NEEDED MATERIAL FOR WORKSHOP NOT ARRIVED YET // July 24 (solar dyeing with kitchen scraps) // August 14 (eco printing with leaves) // August 28 (iron + tannin magic with green persimmon juice) – with Vicki Winters
Location: Riverside Gardens Park, San Lorenzo Blvd, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA (note: July 10 at Beach Flats Community Garden – AND THIS CLASS POSTPONED)
Description: Workshop to explore techniques in natural dyeing, including indigo and indigo resist patterns, ecoprinting with leaves on fabric or paper, iron + tannin magic with green persimmons, and dyeing with kitchen scraps. NOTE: I’ll need to limit the class size so please rsvp at onyourleft2@gmail.com
Students may bring small items of natural fiber clothing or fabric to indigo dye workshops, or natural dye materials (depending on workshop topic). Pre-scoured and mordanted fabric will be available for those who don’t have their own item.
$3 – $10 donation suggested, any leftover $$ will be donated to support an indigenous weaving studio in Oaxaca (https://botanicalcolors.com/donations-for-porfirio-gutierrez-weaving-studio/) and an indigo farm in Mali (https://botanicalcolors.com/donations-for-aboubakar-fofanas-indigo-farm/).
More info: June 26 (indigo) , July 10 – 1-2:30 pm at beach Flats community garden (indigo + cochineal + flowers), July 24 (solar dyeing with kitchen scraps), August 14 (eco printing with leaves), August 28 (iron + tannin magic with green persimmon juice)
–Polysecure, a discussion – Monday, September 20 / 7:00 – 9:00pm with Penske
Location: SubRosa Community Space, 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Description: Ooooh, have you read one of the hottest books of the summer, Polysecure by Jessica Fern?! If so, come talk about it! You haven’t but you’re interested? Pick up a copy, read some or all of it and join us in discussing the intersection of attachment theory and nonmonagamy! With Penske // Contact: penske.pocket@gmail.com
–Queer Magic: Intuitive Movement Practice – Wednesdays, July 21, September 15 / 6:30 – 7:30pm
Location: Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, USA (exact location below)
Description: A brave space for queers to tap into their magic via exploring the ways our bodies intuitively wiggle, groove, deep dive , connect, and process our emotions/sensory experiences through movement. This will be a guided improv exploration. We will begin with a free write/grounding, so that we may work from internal to external. No movement/dance/yoga experience necessary, all you need is an open mind — AND to remember to treat yourselves with gentle loving kindness. Located by the Seabright cliff (on the side furthest from the boardwalk).
Accessible by either going over the fence and scaling the cliff, or the most accessible way is entering through the main entrance and walking over.
Donations to Groundswell Black Trans Fund https://groundswellfund.org/donate-btf/ (no one turned away for lack of funds)
Bring: Journal/pen! And (optional) yoga mat and shoes to move in
Contact: chloe.m.rosen@gmail.com
-Queer Plant Club – Every other Tuesday through July / 6:30 – 8:00pm – with Elijah Rowan Pernicano
Location: Coffee Lane Park, 979 17th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, USA
Description: A meet-up for LGBTQIA+ folks of all ages with an interest in learning to garden and/or share tips – from a seed+start group with regular online check-ins to support you as your seedling emerges and beyond, to biweekly meet-ups to chat about troubleshooting our gardens, pruning and soil amendment, pest+mildew management, plant cloning and harvesting, and so much more!
I will be doing a biweekly in-person meet, and in between weeks, an online check-in for the seed+start group on discord (see below about that). The times will both be the same, 6:30pm to 8pm. The in-person dates are:
Pay what you can! I appreciate any help in covering materials but it is not required.
For accessibility: There are no stairs at or near the park. There are sidewalks, a basketball court, and a parking lot, so wheels can traverse the terrain, or people can park up close to go a shorter distance. There are picnic tables across a flat portion of ground that I’m thinking could be used, though I was also thinking of sometimes setting up on the lawn where there is a small incline.
I have a discord group set up where the club can message each other. You can just message me on instagram or text me and I’ll invite you to the group!
My info: Elijah Rowan, he/they // discord: dirtgemini#0689 // instagram: @dirtgemini // text: 831-612-2285
-Radical Mental Health – Weekly on Mondays / 5:00 – 6:30pm (through mid-August) with Lavender and Mel
Location: 1st meeting at SubRosa Community Space, 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA (other meetings will announce location- most likely at SubRosa)
Description: This class is focused on expanding our perspectives on mental health and personal wellbeing by examining how structures of oppression and mainstream understandings of mental health impact our inner worlds and communities. Students will be introduced to different ways of healing and will have the opportunity to share their own tools with the group. We hope to create a collaborative and supportive space where we can all connect, learn from each other and build community.
Bring: A journal and pen
-Really Really Free Market – 2nd Sunday of month / 11:00am – 2:00pm with Really Really Free Market Crew
Location: SubRosa Community Space, 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: Really Really Free Market – ¡¡¡Mercado libre completamente gratis!!! No money. No trades. Everything is free. We all have something to share with each other… and to receive with gratitude is also a gift. ¡Todo gratis! No intercambio de dinero, no negocios, no trueques. Trae lo que gustes, toma lo que necesites.
-Saturn Returns, WTF?! – Sunday, August 29 / 12:00 – 2:00pm with Penske Pocketknife
Location: SubRosa Community Space703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060,
Description: Come join community astrologer, penske pocketknife, to learn about Saturn return in the natal chart. We’ll learn what the Saturn return is and how to engage with this fruitful 2.5 year period. This class will be geared towards those currently going through their Saturn return but may also be informative if you wish to better understand the concept and experience. Bring: A printed out copy of your natal chart (ideal) or a copy of yer phone/computer (less ideal) With Penske Pocketknife // Contact: penske.pocket@gmail.com
-Sewing Machines 101 – Sunday July 10 / 2:00 – 3:30 pm AND Sunday, September 19 / 1:00 – 2:30pm with Fábrica Collective Members
Location: The Fábrica – 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Description: This is an introductory class that covers sewing machine use and trouble-shooting. Topics include: threading the machine, winding the bobbin, proper use, stitches, tension adjustments, and an overview of the basic mechanics of a sewing machine. There are a limited number of machines and space available in the workshop on a first-come-first-served basis. Free or by sliding scale donation $5-10. Contact: stblaize@gmail.com for more info.
Accessibility: The Fabrica events 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.
–Star Gazing 101 – Saturday, September 11 / 9:00 – 11:00pm with Penske Starlover
Location: Empire Grade (at Mile 1306) California 95018
Description: Gather together in the waning light of the moon. We’ll learn some summer constellations and star stories. By the end, you’ll feel more at home in our galaxy and connected to the night sky! Bring blankets, chairs, and layers! You will need to park on Empire Grade Rd. and walk into the site. It will be night time! Bring a flashlight (suggested with a red filter! – but not absolutely necessary). With Penske Starlover // Contact: penske.pocket@gmail.com
–UCSC Radical History Walking Tour – Tuesday September 21 / 3:00 – 5:00pm with Will
Location: The Bay Tree Bookstore, 420 Hagar Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA – plaza
Description:UC Santa Cruz’s radical histories come to life on this walking tour from Bay Tree Plaza to the Trailer Park. You’ll visit sites, hear stories, and come away inspired by histories of Indigenous people, freedom fighters, feminists, labor struggles, communes, and more.
Bring: Sunscreen, hat, plenty of water
Accessibility: This walking tour will span a distance of approx. one mile. Contact me at willparrish2016-at-gmail-dot-com to request a shuttle. Also contact me if you’d like to join a carpool up to campus.
Pandemic Protocols: The tour will be entirely outdoors. Please wear masks and maintain social distance.
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