School DIY club

[redcannon]

at my school they allow students to form clubs, and i was thinking of making a DIY club. it would focus on how to be less of a consumer and feed the cappie machine less than needed, while protecting the earth and so forth.

i just need to know what I should teach. if any of you could think of a lesson plan (for lack of a better word) that would really help. I think I should start with what DIY culture is and why it is important, then things like how to grow food (which ones have the most protein and stuff) and make shelter if needed, and perhaps clothes as well.

if any of you have any other ideas that would help a lot, also, is there any DIY organization that I could just make a branch of in my school? one that would send me info and teaching supplies for that sort of thing?

[Mujer Libre]

Originally posted by hastalavictoria+May 05, 2007 01:05 am--> (hastalavictoria @ May 05, 2007 01:05 am) Thats pretty lifestylist.

Start a communist club, Marxist club, or Current Events Club that can discuss world issues and how capitalism plays into it and all. [/b]
Oh please get down off your high horse. Not every action has to involve preaching about Marxism.

Also, 'lifestylism' is not inherently bad. It only detracts from our movement when it's a distraction from or an alternative to political activity- and I don't see how this case falls into either category.

DIY can be fun (quite possibly more fun than discussing dry theory and 'current events', as you suggest- and would thus attract more people...), but we revolutionaries don't like fun, do we? I look to the Axel1917 quote in my sig for guidance on this matter.

Also, DIY, by creating a space that operates outside capitalism, can actually be very useful in educating people about anarchism, communism and anti-capitalism in general.

DIY also teaches people useful skills that might well come in handy in the future, especially if they're short on cash or just enjoy making/fixing things.


redcannon
it would focus on how to be less of a consumer and feed the cappie machine less than needed, while protecting the earth and so forth.
And see hastalavictoria, this completely blows your argument out of the water. They ARE going to be talking about anti-capitalism- it's not just a bunch of kids playing with stencils or whatever your condescending brain came up with. :rolleyes:

To redcannon: Your idea sounds great, especially the garden, because growing good, reliable food is a lot harder than it seems. Would you be able to get some land from the school? Maybe you could tie in some cooking sessions? Nutritious, cheap food is always good. And there's no point growing those vegies and not knowing what to do with them. :P

Sewing is a pretty useful skill, especially if the school has sewing machines students can use. I'm partial to a bit of knitting, but it's quite time-consuming, so I gues that could be limited to teaching the basics if you go with it.

Bike-maintainence usually goes down well (and is really, really handy), and possibly even a night-time dumpster-diving workshop/excursion.

That's all I've got for now, but if I think of anything else I'll post it later.

[redcannon]

Thanks Mujer Libre for your suggestions. to some of you, i don't know what the problem with a DIY club is. If you can grow your own food and make your own clothes, then your not depending on capitalism to live as much. Also, knowing how to survive on little pay is VERY important. my club will focus on anticapitalism, and you can all help me with suggestions

NOTE: I will also try to make a Communist Club, but that's not as likely to be approved by the administration as a DIY club

[anarchista feminista]

Originally posted by [email protected] 05, 2007 08:33 am
at my school they allow students to form clubs, and i was thinking of making a DIY club. it would focus on how to be less of a consumer and feed the cappie machine less than needed, while protecting the earth and so forth.

i just need to know what I should teach. if any of you could think of a lesson plan (for lack of a better word) that would really help. I think I should start with what DIY culture is and why it is important, then things like how to grow food (which ones have the most protein and stuff) and make shelter if needed, and perhaps clothes as well.

if any of you have any other ideas that would help a lot, also, is there any DIY organization that I could just make a branch of in my school? one that would send me info and teaching supplies for that sort of thing?
I do not see that as being lifestylist. Many people can be daunted by the politics concept. A fun DIY club may be more appealing. It doesn't necessarily teach politics but it's a good way to help deter the younger generations from conspicuous consumption. Sewing is a great thing to learn, or stenciling and screen printing. Making your own clothes is great fun and can take away alot of profit from the major corporations who use sweatshops. Handmade clothes aren't appealing to all people. But it's satisfying and fun. Cooking, growing vegetable gardens/compost heaps, woodwork. Think about the age group you are targeting and what they are most likely to need or will be interested in. Also, keep it simple and inexpensive. Op shops and dumpsters are a great resource. You can get plenty of info from the DIY forum and Crimethinc. to put together a small zine. Try not to overload people with the politics about consumerism and the DIY ethic right away. Just little bits of information about how people can save money, have fun and also by cutting down on production of products therefore save natural resources and decrease pollution.

[redcannon]

this is for upper-middle class high school students by the way. however, i know several anticappies that said they would join.

thanks to all of you that contributed, keep 'em comming. I bought a garden box today, that way I can grow onions and edamame for myself, and educate others how to do the same. I'm learning how to silk-screen, and I'm researching some ways to make a makeshift shelter with little materials. i think it could do a lot of good in my community. Suppose 10 people join my club, and each makes $10.00 worth of materials by themselves instead of buying them. that's $100.00 not going to capitalism, and that's from my school alone. If every school in the US did that, then that's 10.5 MILLION dollars not going to corporations that support child labour and the exploitation of earth's resources.

Thanks a lot, all of you

(P.S. I'm not trying to be a lifestylist, I won't impose any ideas on those that join the club. However, the results would stay the same even if the kids don't know the full politics behind it)