Habitat for Humanity: HabitatLearns
The mention of Habitat for Humanity brings to mind images of volunteers on a construction site, in jeans and hard hats, carrying insulation and swinging hammers, sometimes awkwardly. The extent of what I know about the organization has led me to this idea of low-tech and small-scale. Almost akin to an Amish barn-raising [plus Jimmy Carter]: a small army of volunteers from within a community or region to provide shelter for a family through the non-specialized labors of many. I don't typically think of a unified knowledge base, or system of standards setup for accomplishing construction-by-volunteer.
Enter HabitatLearns. In the form of free, public online courses, this web portal supplies various information useful for the program, ranging from construction fundamentals to organizing a build. It makes accessible a modest amount of knowledge -- it's almost a much more humble, and less exotic cousin to the Open Architecture Network.
Volunteer-based construction teams will always need project managers with experience and skill to direct them, but think of the possibilities of a large-scale volunteer corps with all the on-line training they can handle? Essential knowledge that was once only available at an orientation-type program [presumably in-person] could be infinitely more accessible. A volunteer workforce with these online courses under their tool belts could drastically improve the effectiveness of volunteers, and give way to faster, smoother and safer project completions.
I like to think that what could really be transformative about making this information more accessible is that one day, roving bands of guerrilla construction workers might rove the streets of their communities making repairs, weatherizing houses, and building additions, [maybe whether property owners ask for it or not.] There could be productive minutemen that assemble and execute projects with the speed of pragmatic flash mobs, bypassing permits, building codes, and yes, architects. It could reshape cities and suburbs alike by way of incremental, constant and localized acts of volunteer construction.
Granted, these are far-fetched hypotheticals, but one never knows where these things could lead. With President Obama's [it feels great to finally be able to type that, by the way.] call for a return to public service and volunteerism, who knows what changes could take place. If the everyday citizen becomes re-equipped with the modern equivalent of the basic skills -- mechanical and otherwise -- that were commonplace 200, or even 50 years ago, we might feel less compelled to rely on the hired help of professionals, and more inclined towards lending a hand ourselves.
All this being said, back in the real world, through my limited personal experience with Habitat, [which involved signing up for a build group through Temple Architecture, which then couldn't get on a build,] I am convinced that the one resource which Habitat for Humanity and all charitable organizations ever really need is, predictably, cash.
Enter HabitatLearns. In the form of free, public online courses, this web portal supplies various information useful for the program, ranging from construction fundamentals to organizing a build. It makes accessible a modest amount of knowledge -- it's almost a much more humble, and less exotic cousin to the Open Architecture Network.
Volunteer-based construction teams will always need project managers with experience and skill to direct them, but think of the possibilities of a large-scale volunteer corps with all the on-line training they can handle? Essential knowledge that was once only available at an orientation-type program [presumably in-person] could be infinitely more accessible. A volunteer workforce with these online courses under their tool belts could drastically improve the effectiveness of volunteers, and give way to faster, smoother and safer project completions.
I like to think that what could really be transformative about making this information more accessible is that one day, roving bands of guerrilla construction workers might rove the streets of their communities making repairs, weatherizing houses, and building additions, [maybe whether property owners ask for it or not.] There could be productive minutemen that assemble and execute projects with the speed of pragmatic flash mobs, bypassing permits, building codes, and yes, architects. It could reshape cities and suburbs alike by way of incremental, constant and localized acts of volunteer construction.
Granted, these are far-fetched hypotheticals, but one never knows where these things could lead. With President Obama's [it feels great to finally be able to type that, by the way.] call for a return to public service and volunteerism, who knows what changes could take place. If the everyday citizen becomes re-equipped with the modern equivalent of the basic skills -- mechanical and otherwise -- that were commonplace 200, or even 50 years ago, we might feel less compelled to rely on the hired help of professionals, and more inclined towards lending a hand ourselves.
All this being said, back in the real world, through my limited personal experience with Habitat, [which involved signing up for a build group through Temple Architecture, which then couldn't get on a build,] I am convinced that the one resource which Habitat for Humanity and all charitable organizations ever really need is, predictably, cash.
2 comments:
My only question for you would have to be will this free online information help you be a better Brazilian for me? I hope this isn't considered too racy for a comment.
No I think it's quite alright -- I'm sure I could benefit from the 'Power Tools' course...maybe they have a special section on impact-drivers?
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