{"id":2088,"date":"2012-01-30T09:07:15","date_gmt":"2012-01-30T17:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=2088"},"modified":"2012-02-15T18:46:48","modified_gmt":"2012-02-16T02:46:48","slug":"web-exclusive-fernwood-launches-free-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2012\/01\/30\/web-exclusive-fernwood-launches-free-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Fernwood launches free university"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the projector and the seating, it’s not quite a classroom; it’s still a cafe. But for a couple hours every Tuesday night, the Cornerstone Cafe in Fernwood becomes a university. A university with free tuition.<\/p>\n

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Fernwood University's Lee Herrin presents to his "students" (photo by Dylan Wilks\/Nexus).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fernwood University, sometimes known as Fernwood U, is the latest inspiration from the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group (NRG).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hoping to use this to seed a broader conversation,\u201d says Fernwood NRG executive director Lee Herrin. \u201cNow it\u2019s a question of how to carry on that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation starts with a topic related to the NRG’s founding principles. And while that may seem like it could be too regional-specific, Herrin says topics reach further than just the borders of one Victorian community. His presentation focused on neighbourhood empowerment and control.<\/p>\n

\u201cControl has to be baked into the cake,\u201d Herrin said at a recent Fernwood U presentation, to a room full of mostly Fernwood residents. \u201cIt\u2019s fundamental. You can\u2019t just sprinkle it on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

After telling a story about how the City of Victoria fought the NRG a few times as the organization evolved, Herrin added that \u201ccontrol isn\u2019t given. It\u2019s taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, what the neighbourhood represents is an idea of self-determination,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s that kind of ideal that is, of course, never achieved, but it\u2019s what gets me up in the morning: how can we get ourselves further toward that goal?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fernwood U is just a 10-to-11-week course. It’s still in its infancy; it hasn’t got major plans in place for growth. But it offers free education to those who are interested in it, and if the last few weeks are any indication, many are.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really think that the model of higher education that puts students in debt slavery for the rest of their lives is bankrupt,\u201d says Herrin. \u201cPeople can learn a lot from listening to people who have something to say, and if we can provide a venue for that I think that\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite the projector and the seating, it’s not quite a classroom; it’s still a cafe. But for a couple hours every Tuesday night, the Cornerstone Cafe in Fernwood becomes a university. A university with free tuition. Fernwood University, sometimes known as Fernwood U, is the latest inspiration from the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group (NRG). \u201cWe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","category-webexclusive"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t