Lifelong Learners: The Education Committee (Rojava Excerpt)

Neighbor Democracy

*This is the audio version of a video originally made for Youtube: https://youtu.be/d-TT4qAKM4w* An excerpt from my previous video The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self-Direction (https://youtu.be/cDnenjIdnnE). I'll be releasing several other excerpts over the coming days covering each committee of the commune system. Can students and teachers learn together as equals? Are students capable of directing their own learning without coercion, rewards or punishment? These questions guided the creation of this video. In the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (Rojava), education is one of the most essential pillars of life, and there are a wide-range of places to learn, from more project-based schools to specialized academies to frequent self-organized workshops open to people of all ages on a wide variety of practical subjects in every neighborhood. The common theme uniting the community educational initiatives in Rojava is a diffusion of hierarchy between staff and students and room for flexibility and self-direction based on the learner's interest. Their seems to be a general self-image amongst the people of Rojava as "life-long learners. Rojava makes an excellent case study for those interested in self-directed learning, especially those of us in the West who often oversimplify or stereotype cultures in the Middle East. In building any self-directed society, a self-directed education paradigm is absolutely essential. Given the chance to build a society based on autonomy in all aspects in life, the exact opposite of life under Daesh (ISIS) and the state, the people of Rojava have embraced education as a means for preparation towards a free, communal life. If you've seen previous excerpts from my Communes of Rojava video, feel free to skip to 2:25 to get past the introduction. I. A Short Introduction to the Commune System: 0:00-2:25 II. Lifelong Learners: The Education Committees (the main presentation): 2:25-8:39