Free Hobby Lessons, Art and Science Projects for Learners
Published: June 08, 2020 | Author: Haven Scott | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Community Education program and dozens of local experts have joined together this spring in creating a unique collection of fun learning opportunities for enjoying from home. The result is a collection of dozens of online lessons offering free, interactive activities in a series titled “Community Connect–Learn from Home.” From cooking, art and geology lessons to book group discussions and parenting classes, the library has grown by demand to include something for everyone.
Before taking its place in the new SUU library of community resources, each class streams live on social media. Now with more than 10,000 views on Facebook Live and through live Zoom meetings, the classes taught are now available to watch on the YouTube channel SUU Community Education. The online library features lessons in four categories: “Keep Learning” lessons teach new hobbies and skills; “Community Reads” features southern Utah authors and community leaders sharing favorite titles from their personal bookshelves; “Navigating Close Quarters” offers participants tips on relationship and family management; “Art and Science Toolkit” features fun art projects and science experiments for youth in cooperation with ArtsFUSION of Southern Utah and SUU’s Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative partnership.
Local author Todd Robert Petersen, Director of SUU’s Project-based Learning Program, said it was important for he and his wife, Alisa Petersen with the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, to give back to the community in any way they could. “We are all going through these tough times and learning along the way, so if there was something I learned with my own family, or at work, we wanted to help someone else if we could,” Petersen said. “Now that I look at the YouTube library of community education videos, it is amazing to see so many great, inspiring community members who also contributed to the effort and provided some great lessons and topics.”
The free Community Connect Series offers more than 50 lessons now uploaded to the SUU Community Education YouTube library for local, statewide, and even national residents to watch and learn something new.
“It was thrilling to see the community come together, it was amazing. Once we started the process of looking for presenters to contribute to this unusual community need, volunteers started pouring in,” said Susie Knudsen, Assistant Director at SUU Community Education. “And now that the lessons are offered on YouTube, literally anyone with internet access can participate, and we’re excited to see those in other communities who love to keep learning.”
Knudsen added that Community Education classes will resume in the fall of 2020 in partnership with Southwest Technical College in Cedar City.
A complete list of free Community Connect/Learn From Home classes is available at suu.edu/keeplearning, and on their Facebook page SUU Community Education. Classes are also recorded and archived on Youtube for non-live participation anytime, from anywhere with internet access. For more information, email bewise@suu.edu, or call (435) 865-8259.
Since 2017, SUU Community Education classes have been held year-round for the purpose of generating fun, cultural, educational opportunities and experiences for those who love to learn. Subjects including culinary, outdoor recreation, art, music, language and more are taught by local experts for the purpose of increasing participant knowledge and developing new skills. More than 2,100 participants have engaged in popular Community Education classes since the program’s launch in 2018.
Tags: Community and Professional Development