The Franklin House is pleased to offer, as a service to the community, and to ourselves, Saint Charles’ first ever, FREE University! The FREE University, or F.U., is a community sustained and operated school, for children of all ages, ranging from youth to our prized elders. Classes will range from knowledge sharing to skill sharing, and pretty much anything that you can ever wish to know or share. For thinkers of the abstract to purists of the most high levels, this school is place for growth within our community. All of this is offered for FREE! Participation is the only requirement to attend. Classes are limited for space, to allow for more direct conversation. The best person to learn from is not always one holding a degree, but often times the one willing to teach without benefit. What exactly is a free school? It is just as it sounds, and a little more than it implies. A FREE school is a school that requires no money to attend and offers no money to lead, yes, that is true. What it also offers is a freedom from arbitrary constraints placed upon other schools in the interest of the moral sanctity of the people. What I mean to say is, we do not tolerate any sort of censorship of information, whether it is what you want to hear or not. There is no agenda to be met and no lobbyist to please. We are FREE from accountability to any body of people or corporations that wish to delete segments of truth. For instance, you will learn the truth about Columbus, how he ravaged and pillaged and murdered, and you will also hear the truth about Che Guevara, how he too murdered to reach his goal. Nothing is sacred outside of the truth. You will learn, also, that there have been amazing and beautiful people all along the road to this enlightened state. Ever heard of Eugene Debs? Emma Goldman? Arthur Rimbaud? There are countless examples of the ways that our schooling, whether private or public, has served to disenfranchise us from our nature. We say enough. We are willing to recognize when we may be wrong, and will constructively hash through the years of subservient crap to find what we will come to understand as a better knowledge of self and others. That, and we will learn how to make a kick ass dinner as well. Or how to sew your own handbag, or make paper from the trash which fills our rubbish bins weekly. We will learn the ins and outs of coffee, beer and wine. The possibilities truly are as endless as there are ideas. The classes are led by the students, each taking turns at sharing skills or knowledge and having serious discussion about ideas, with the presupposition that most concrete ideas are weights on our creativity and must be ground into a fine powder before being reformed. We are not relativists, however, nor are we purists. We are contradictions and glowing examples of confused puzzles. Each of us has something valuable to share, or at least a yearning to understand something a little deeper. Let this be the forum for that understanding. Classes will be held based upon schedules of the leaders of the particular classes and the students schedules. This will be something you should make time for though, as classes will not resolve in one sitting and building ideas and communities will take time. Be willing to commit yourself to the class if you are interested. Classes so far in the works are: Art History - a study of lives of select artists throughout history that have shaped the way the world sighs. Class led by Angela Franklin, including field trips. History of Rebellion – Making use of the works of Howard Zinn and the information of independent media, we examine the forgotten or deleted history of revolution. Class led by Michael Franklin with a special messages from Howard Zinn through out. The Romance of Dying – A class on how not to write poetry, rather how to read and embrace poetry. Ranging from Rimbaud to Whitman, Rumi to Kaufmann, Class leader Sean Arnold will take you on a poetic odyssey. The Art of Making It All Up – After years of being pestered, Michael Franklin will welcome you into the kitchen for a crash course in throwing together delicious, healthy meals, with little or no money. These are just a few examples of the classes offered, and the list will only grow with your participation. Please consider taking six to eight weeks of your life back and attending the classes. Child care will be available for certain classes. This is happening in your own community, so you really have no reason to miss out on a opportunity to build ties to one another and to your self. Nothing reclaims the soul like heuristic living, and nothing can be free unless it is given away.If you would like to get more information on F.U. or would like to enroll, email the franklin house at franklinhousecollective@gmail.com or just come on by the house on a Sunday evening for a vegetarian potluck dinner. Be Well – the Franklin House
