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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
"Ethnography," writes Henry Glassie, "is interaction, collaboration." In this month's newsletter we reveal the enthographic field research students are undertaking and their interactions in doing so. We also ask you to collaborate with us to support the next class of Free Minds students. Read on to find out how and why!
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It's Time to Amplify Free Minds!
Austin's city-wide day of giving is fast approaching, and this year, all funds raised for Foundation Communities will go to support Free Minds students. Plus, the St. David's Foundation has generously offered to match every $1 raised with an additional $.50, so your gift can go even further!
See this month's Final Word to hear from our community on why they support Free Minds. Check out our Amplify page to learn more and pledge your support.
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Anthropology Unit Explores Subcultures
What do a dance hall, a filmmaker's studio, and a grandmother's garden have in common? For the Class of 2014, these are all potential openings into the world of a particular subculture, and they are all places students have explored in writing for this spring's anthropology unit. Through assignments that ask the class to examine their own social positioning, to conduct interviews, and to reflect on the significance of place, students are practicing the kind of hands-on field research that anthropologists do on a regular basis.
Dr. Polly Strong, who heads up UT's Humanities Institute and serves as the Free Minds anthropology instructor, has pointed out that the skills of field research can be put to use in countless other contexts. Current student Estephania LeBaron agrees. As a freelance video editor and producer, Estephania is currently at work on a documentary film for the Welcoming Your Soldier Home Project (aka WYSH). The film features stories of Iraq veterans returning home, and as a result, Estephania conducts interviews on army and navy bases all over the country. She says, "The class is helping me understand how to have better interviews or go back and say this is why this one worked and this is why this one didn't work."For Estephania and her fellow students, these tools of observation and inquiry resonate in the classroom and far beyond.
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You are cordially invited to an evening with the Writers of Free Minds.
Join us for a reading and celebration, as members of our Spring Writing Workshop and the Class of 2014 share their original works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Saturday, April 12, 7 pm
Malvern Books (613 W. 29th Street)
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Remembering Kylie Stellar
 It is with sad and heavy hearts that we mark the passing of Kylie Stellar, a member of the Free Minds Class of 2014, who died this month in her home. She was 32 years old.
Kylie was a valued member of her class community. Though soft-spoken, Kylie was not one to shy away from asking difficult questions and showed a rare determination to get to the bottom of challenging ideas or assignments. Kylie exhibited a great enthusiasm for Free Minds and was usually one of the first to arrive on class evenings. In her application essay, Kylie wrote, "I am not afraid to try my best in the midst of others..." and "after introspective and existential analyzing of my life, I have decided that my primary goal is continuing my education."
Kylie is survived by her mother and father, who currently reside in New York state. The Free Minds class will hold a private memorial service in Kylie's honor later this month.
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Special Thanks Last month's college fair was a great success, and we owe a big debt of gratitude to everyone who helped out. We couldn't have done it without you! Hector Aguayo Capital Idea Richard Allen Concordia University Geoff Bahre Free Minds Volunteer Andrea Black Free Minds Volunteer Tera Bock Children's Home Initiative Christina Chapa Austin Community College Kellee Coleman Free Minds Class of 2008
Julie Cuellar-Reck Austin Community College Jennifer Dungey Free Minds Class of 2012 Alice Graulty Cash for College Program Jarmesha Harris Free Minds Class of 2012
Sarah Hennes St. Edward's University Clair Norton Free Minds Volunteer
Alexander Plotkin Huston-Tillotson University Hilda Rivas Free Minds Class of 2011 Laurel Starr Cash for College Program
Rachel Trembley Texas State University in Round Rock
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.
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Minds in Motion Archive February 2014 We've got our sights set on college, as alums make strides in education post-Free Minds.
January 2014
One student heads to Cambridge and another unlocks new opportunities on the job.
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The Final Word
Why support Free Minds on Amplify day? Our graduates and volunteers offer their favorite reasons.
As a graduate of Free Minds, I can say the program acknowledges those of us who never had the chance to pursue education and self-development because of barriers. Free Minds gives us a place to break through the barriers and get down to some real learning, real growing, and real success. Invest in human potential and the return on your investment is far-reaching, multiplying and exceeding anything you've ever imagined. If you believe that every individual regardless of how much money they have has a right to learn, contribute to Free Minds today. --Rachel Caballero, Class of 2012
Supporting Free Minds means supporting lifelong learning, creativity, and access to higher education. The atmosphere in a Free Minds classroom is unlike any other classroom I've encountered. My students are creating work that is lovely, poetic, daring, and honest, and I always leave class feeling both inspired and energized. --Mary Lavallee, Spring 2014 Writing Workshop Facilitator
Free Minds cares about people in the community and making it a better place. Through education, they transform communities by enriching minds and adding value to people's lives.
Both the creative writing workshops and the college program have greatly impacted my life. Free Minds provided me with love, support, cheer, and the best education possible from UT and ACC professors. Not only did I gain the tools that I will need while I complete my degree at ACC, but I also gained a family. --Tasha McMillion, Class of 2013
In my own opinion, Free Minds should be supported because when you are accepted, you will have to work hard, invest time in getting it done, and commit to the program. But the support, encouragement, and care that is provided by the educators involved will give you that step to further education when you didn't think it was possible. --Antonio Bustos, Class of 2009
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A program of Foundation Communities, in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College, Free Minds offers a two-semester college course in the humanities for Central Texas adults who want to fulfill their intellectual potential and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Free Minds Project
Foundation Communities
3036 South 1st Street
Austin TX, 78704
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-610-7961 F: 512-447-0288
www.FreeMindsAustin.org |
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