Proposals

Scavenger Hunt!

You'll get the list at the start and then we'll all meet up at the end and see what we found!

Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Tastes of Skill Swaps Past

As requested, I will attempt to teach folks how to make the sesame rice salad with tofu and greens that has appeared on at least one past Skill Swap menu. Have I ever made it for <90 people? No! Has a recipe ever existed in written form for this dish? Also no! Do I know how everyone on the NYT cooking/Bon Appetit/King Arthur instagrams are making their cooking demos look so good, and/or do I have their videography capabilities? Definitely not! Like Annie, I'm not sure if I can really do this, but I'm willing to try.

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
make rice salad
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
Adults
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
INGREDIENTS: rice, tofu, cooking greens, mushrooms (optional), onions (optional), garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar/citrus, sweetener (optional). EQUIPMENT: 2 burners (or 1 burner + rice cooker), cutting surface, sharp non-serrated knife, pot, frying pan, jar, 2 containers, heatproof spatula.
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Basic Retirement Planning Literacy

I am not a financial expert and have no qualifications of any kind, except for doing a million-tabs-open-at-once-self-directed crash course in retirement saving. I'd be happy to share my knowledge and at least get you oriented to some of the language (what's an IRA? 401k? Roth account?), some of the basic theory (how much do I need to save to retire?), and some ideas on where to start (what should I read next?) With the caveat that you should do your own research and talk to someone with real expertise before doing anything with your money.

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
start thinking about retirement saving
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
Adults
What online tools or platforms, besides basic video conferencing, do you need for your workshop?: 
I might point to some websites, but no special software or anything.
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
Nothign
What virtual resources should participants acquire in advance?: 
Nothing
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Learn to meditate!

Learn the basics of meditation! A time-tested tool for strengthening our minds to make them more flexible and useful to us so we can stop fixating on things that aren't helpful, and more fully enjoy the moments of peace and happiness in our lives, among other things. We'll work with a simple Tibetan Buddhist method, and if there's time and interest we can get into some Buddhist thought, or talk about how to incorporate regular practice into your life!If people are interested in one-on-one sessions to talk more in-depth about meditation, Buddhism, their personal practice, or whatever, I'm open to that as well!

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
Meditate
Workshop Format: 
I'll lead a group workshop AND be available for one-on-ones
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
What online tools or platforms, besides basic video conferencing, do you need for your workshop?: 
nada
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
nothing
What virtual resources should participants acquire in advance?: 
zlich
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Make Your Kitchen Tools Work Better

Your kitchen has things with sharp edges. If you aren't maintaining them actively, they're probably dull. Dull tools require more effort for the same cuts and are often unsafe. Want to fix 'em? It's easy. You probably already have the tools you need.You'll need a tool with a dull edge (usually knives or scissors), a factory-made ceramic mug with a smooth unglazed base (or ring around the base), a Sharpie, and some paper. Bonus points if you have a protractor and some cardboard, a leather belt, a "sharpening" steel, etc. I've taught basic sharpening a bunch of times at ESS, and several people have recently reached out asking me to teach it again. Seems like a lot of folks are spending more time in their kitchens than they used to, thanks to COVID-19, and it might be a good time to make sure your tools are sharp, safe, and ready to go. There are some ways in which this might actually be easier to teach at ESS_remote than at ESS_Wilmot, since people will be at home with their knives, etc., and can also point the camera directly at what they're doing.This workshop is based on the premise that, although sharpening tools really well relies on precision surfaces and abrasives, often uses custom-built jigs and fixtures, and demands rigid adherence to grit-staging, "good enough" sharpening is often a HUGE improvement over the default state of edged tools, and that good-enough sharpening rests on a foundation of use-whatcha-got and can-do mindset and aims for "better" rather than "perfect". This is a great approach if you're wanting to sharpen your chef's knife; less good if you're wanting to sharpen your scalpel, straight razor, or bagpipe reedmaking gouge.

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
Sharpen kitchen knives using mugs and belts
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
Dull knife Factory-made mug with smooth unglazed ceramic on the base Sharpie marker Protractor Cardboard Paper Leather belt
What virtual resources should participants acquire in advance?: 
Resilience of spirit
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Have a Not-Primarily-Technical Music-Making Practice

Kurt Vonnegut advised attendees of a class to go home and write a poem and fold it up and carry it in their pockets for a week and never show anyone. He said, "just do it to make your soul grow."Music has no upper limit on the technical competence it can require. One composer, confronted by his violinist who admitted, with embarrassment, that they were unable to play what he had written, said, "I know. It is impossible that anyone could play what I have written. What that section of the score is intended to elicit is the sound of someone attempting, sincerely, to play it." This is not a class that requires or aims, primarily, to cultivate technical competence. As your facilitator, I'll simply ensure that you have what's necessary to get out the front door and begin your adventure, and I'll stick by you long enough to ensure that adventure finds you and you get home safely that night, and that have what you need to go out again.

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
Record without judgement, listen with ambition, re-record with hope.
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
Musical instruments are not required but, as might be imagined, useful.
What virtual resources should participants acquire in advance?: 
Audacity, which is free recording software. Garage band works great for the same purpose if you have a mac.
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Cooking A Indian Vegetarian Dish

In this workshop, we will learn how to cook a healthy vegetarian dish called 'Chana Masala' i.e., Spiced Chickpeas. All you need are a few locally available ingredients (list will be provided beforehand). This dish is often a party favorite.

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
Cook Channa Masala
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
Adults
What online tools or platforms, besides basic video conferencing, do you need for your workshop?: 
None
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
Ingredients, A pot, cutting board
What virtual resources should participants acquire in advance?: 
Ingredients shopping
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Transformative Activism - What is it?

Ever feel like protests just don't work for you? Don't understand the use of rallies and marches? OR have you ever attended these events and left wondering how you could possibly ever make a difference in a world so large and so complex? This workshop will spend a some time on social change theory to ground in some shared langauge and then create an opportunity to open up into facilitated discussion and other ways of expressing oneself (think body movements, song, and journaling). If conditions feel right, there will be room for our own tenderness, reflection, and deep questions.     

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
show up in their unique gifts to social change making or support others who are doing so in this time
Workshop Format: 
I'll lead a group workshop AND be available for one-on-ones
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
Participants should bring a pen and paper.
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Dance the Shim Sham

The closest thing swing dancers have to a line dance, the shim sham is often done in the middle of a swing dance while the band is on break.  As a solo jazz routine that is usually done communally, it's a great way to feel the shared-ness of dance without having to be physically close together.  Come get moving and learn it! If you want a sneak peek, here's the dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2FyvoAi2ew (Please note, though it originated as a tap routine, I will be teaching the variation I learned from swing dancing.  No tap shoes required!)

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
dance the shim sham!
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
What online tools or platforms, besides basic video conferencing, do you need for your workshop?: 
None
What physical materials should participants acquire in advance? : 
I suggest that you wear comfortable clothes to move in.
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

Fixing the Food System

The COVID pandemic is making the cracks in our modern food system painfully aparent. In the US, the cheap and unhealthy foods we consume make us sick, while the system that produces them exploits workers and degrades our environmental. Up to 40% of food produced and shipped in this county goes to waste, while globally an estimated 10% of people suffer from chronic undernourishment. We can do better. I've spent years dreaming of a just and sustainable food system, and I'm sure many of you have as well. Come to this workshop to engage in a structured conversation about the food system we have now, the one we would like to build, and how to get from here to there. 

In this workshop, people will learn how to...: 
Work toward food systems transformation
Workshop Format: 
I'll offer my skill as a group workshop
What age range is your workshop aimed at?: 
All ages
Yes!Maybe...Probably not

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