Skillshare

What it is

A multi-track, free, neighbor-taught event. Bike repair in one room. Sourdough in another. Improv comedy in a third. Mending. Tax basics. Storytelling. Capoeira. Solar panels. Composting. The classes are short (60 to 90 minutes each). The instructors aren't professionals. They are neighbors who know something and want to share it.

Skillshares have happened in dozens of communities. Somerville, Massachusetts ran an early model in 2014 that drew 800 attendees to 40 free classes.

Why it works

A neighborhood has more expertise in it than any educational institution can offer, and most of it goes unused because there's no infrastructure to surface it. A skillshare temporarily builds that infrastructure for a day. The result is people meeting their neighbors as teachers and learners, which produces a different kind of relationship than meeting as residents passing on a sidewalk.

The free, no-credentials nature of it also signals something about who gets to teach. Anyone with a thing they know well can offer a class. That redistribution of teaching authority does real work.

What you need

• Time: 150 to 200 hours of planning over 5 to 6 months. 8 to 10 hours on the day.
• People: 3 to 5 organizing team. 30 to 50 instructors. 20 to 40 day-of volunteers. 300 to 1,000 attendees.
• Space: A venue with 4 to 8 rooms or workshop spaces. Schools, community centers, large churches, libraries with annexes.
• Materials: Signage, printed program, instructor supplies (varies by class), name tags, refreshments.
• Skills: Event coordination, outreach, instructor recruitment, volunteer management, day-of facilitation.
• Energy level: High for organizers. Moderate for instructors. Low for attendees.

How to host it

1. Start 5 to 6 months out. Lock down the venue first. Schools, libraries, and community centers often donate space for a community event.
2. Form the organizing team. 3 to 5 people. Split the work: instructor outreach, logistics and venue, communications and promotion, day-of operations.
3. Begin instructor recruitment 4 months out. Reach out personally to local artists, crafters, hobbyists, small business owners, retired professionals, makers. A simple one-page submission form. Make it easy to say yes.
4. Curate the class list. Aim for 30 to 50 classes across a range. Practical (bike repair, mending, simple plumbing). Creative (drawing, songwriting, improv). Civic (organizing, public meeting navigation). Wellness (basic yoga, breathwork). Food (sourdough, pickling, knife skills).
5. Confirm instructors 8 to 10 weeks out. Assign rooms based on equipment needs. Send each instructor a one-page logistics sheet (what time, what room, what supplies provided, what to bring).
6. Build partnerships. A local library, school, neighborhood association, or business will often help promote in exchange for being a co-sponsor.
7. Open registration. Many skillshares are first-come-first-served on the day. Some pre-register popular classes. Hybrid models work. Free is essential.
8. Print the program. A simple booklet or fold-out map. Lists every class, location, time, instructor, materials needed.
9. Day-of: clear signage, greeters, breaks. Three or four sessions through the day with 30-minute breaks between. Refreshments and gathering space in between. Volunteers at every junction.
10. Close with a debrief and a thank-you. Group photo. Names of all the instructors read aloud. Decide whether to do it again next year. Most skillshares that happen once happen at least three times.

Variations

Mini-skillshare. Six to eight classes in one afternoon at a community center. Same energy, much lower planning bar.

Themed skillshare. Repair-focused (overlaps with [Repair Cafe](./repair-cafe.md)). Food-focused. Arts-focused. Civic-focused.

Apartment building skillshare. Several neighbors in a single building teaching short classes in the lobby on a Saturday.

School-paired skillshare. A skillshare held at a school where students are also instructors. Strong intergenerational draw.

Recurring weekly classes. Once a year's skillshare proves the demand, some communities run a weekly or monthly "Skill Night" with one or two classes per evening.

Stories from neighborhoods

Somerville, Massachusetts. The first annual Somerville Skillshare in March 2014 attracted nearly 800 residents to 40 free classes: urban beekeeping, storytelling, jewelry making, community organizing, printmaking, yoga, tai chi. The event was organized by neighbors with no institutional sponsor. It became annual.

Similar events have launched in dozens of communities since. The consistent finding from organizers: their neighborhoods are hungry for this kind of learning and connection.

Where to learn more

• A practical how-to: Shareable's Skillshare Guide
• Adjacent recipes: [Tool Library](./tool-library.md), [Repair Cafe](./repair-cafe.md), [Block Party](../01-knowing-your-neighbors/block-party.md)

Details

• steps: **Start 5 to 6 months out.** Lock down the venue first. Schools, libraries, and community centers often donate space for a community event., **Form the organizing team.** 3 to 5 people. Split the work: instructor outreach, logistics and venue, communications and promotion, day-of operations., **Begin instructor recruitment 4 months out.** Reach out personally to local artists, crafters, hobbyists, small business owners, retired professionals, makers. A simple one-page submission form. Make it easy to say yes., **Curate the class list.** Aim for 30 to 50 classes across a range. Practical (bike repair, mending, simple plumbing). Creative (drawing, songwriting, improv). Civic (organizing, public meeting navigation). Wellness (basic yoga, breathwork). Food (sourdough, pickling, knife skills)., **Confirm instructors 8 to 10 weeks out.** Assign rooms based on equipment needs. Send each instructor a one-page logistics sheet (what time, what room, what supplies provided, what to bring)., **Build partnerships.** A local library, school, neighborhood association, or business will often help promote in exchange for being a co-sponsor., **Open registration.** Many skillshares are first-come-first-served on the day. Some pre-register popular classes. Hybrid models work. Free is essential., **Print the program.** A simple booklet or fold-out map. Lists every class, location, time, instructor, materials needed., **Day-of: clear signage, greeters, breaks.** Three or four sessions through the day with 30-minute breaks between. Refreshments and gathering space in between. Volunteers at every junction., **Close with a debrief and a thank-you.** Group photo. Names of all the instructors read aloud. Decide whether to do it again next year. Most skillshares that happen once happen at least three times.
• file path: recipes/03-mutual-aid/skillshare.md
• variations: **Mini-skillshare.** Six to eight classes in one afternoon at a community center. Same energy, much lower planning bar. **Themed skillshare.** Repair-focused (overlaps with [Repair Cafe](./repair-cafe.md)). Food-focused. Arts-focused. Civic-focused. **Apartment building skillshare.** Several neighbors in a single building teaching short classes in the lobby on a Saturday. **School-paired skillshare.** A skillshare held at a school where students are also instructors. Strong intergenerational draw. **Recurring weekly classes.** Once a year's skillshare proves the demand, some communities run a weekly or monthly "Skill Night" with one or two classes per evening.
• ingredients: {"time":"150 to 200 hours of planning over 5 to 6 months. 8 to 10 hours on the day.","space":"A venue with 4 to 8 rooms or workshop spaces. Schools, community centers, large churches, libraries with annexes.","people":"3 to 5 organizing team. 30 to 50 instructors. 20 to 40 day-of volunteers. 300 to 1,000 attendees.","skills":"Event coordination, outreach, instructor recruitment, volunteer management, day-of facilitation.","materials":"Signage, printed program, instructor supplies (varies by class), name tags, refreshments.","energy_level":"High for organizers. Moderate for instructors. Low for attendees."}
• where to learn more: - A practical how-to: [Shareable's Skillshare Guide](https://www.shareable.net/how-to/how-to-organize-a-successful-skillshare/) - Adjacent recipes: [Tool Library](./tool-library.md), [Repair Cafe](./repair-cafe.md), [Block Party](../01-knowing-your-neighbors/block-party.md)
• stories from neighborhoods: **Somerville, Massachusetts.** The first annual Somerville Skillshare in March 2014 attracted nearly 800 residents to 40 free classes: urban beekeeping, storytelling, jewelry making, community organizing, printmaking, yoga, tai chi. The event was organized by neighbors with no institutional sponsor. It became annual. Similar events have launched in dozens of communities since. The consistent finding from organizers: their neighborhoods are hungry for this kind of learning and connection.