Welcome to Athens Free School
Welcome to Athens Free School, and thank you for joining us!
Founded in 2016 by a passionate group of individuals dedicated to creating accessible learning opportunities, Athens Free School is a decentralized skill-sharing network designed to foster a community of lifelong learners. Here, we believe EVERYONE has something valuable to offer AND learn— regardless of background or experience.
At Athens Free School, we invite community members to share their knowledge, skills, passions, and ideas with others, creating a space where students of life become teachers, and teachers become students. Our goal is to build an inclusive environment that encourages personal growth, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas.
By subscribing to our network, you'll receive updates, posts, and resources directly in your inbox. We’re excited to have you with us and look forward to learning, sharing, and growing together!
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Join the crew
Interested in organizing with us? Check out volunteer roles below and send an email detailing your interest to athensfreeschool@proton.me.
Class Ambassador (1-3 hrs/class): Ambassadors are encouraged to sign-up to attend AFS events, offer to assist teachers with set up or break down, take photos (with consent) for AFS social media, and ensure teachers are supported for events. Expectation of commitment for this role is only for the duration of an individual event.
Calendar Support (1-2 hrs/mo): Support for calendar includes reviewing submitted class information, proofreading for errors, and either handwriting or printing details for collage. Individuals in this role are required to attend calendar collage between the 28th-31st of the month.
Flyer Support (5 min-1 hr/mo): Support in this position involves only printing and posting flyers wherever it’s convenient for you! It can be as simple as printing one to post in your workplace, or several to post at multiple locations.
Social Media and/or Email Support (*most significant commitment*): Volunteers in this role promote AFS events and activities through our social media channels. This includes posting class reminders, engaging with our online community, boosting free events from other organizations, and helping to maintain a consistent online presence. Additionally, Social Media volunteers may provide email assistance by communicating updates, answering inquiries, and supporting event promotion efforts by email. This role is best covered by no more than 1-3 people at a time to facilitate communication. This requires the greatest time commitment and most consistency within a given month, but can be handed off at the end of the month.
Core Organizer (*most versatile commitment*): Core organizers work together to make decisions behind the scenes- from what platforms we post on, to how we can better support teachers. Organizers also fill in as ambassadors in classes without ambassadors and cover social media or other unfilled roles as necessary. Core organizers are expected to make an effort to attend calendar collage at the end of the month and other meetings as necessary. Commitment depends entirely on organizer availability and can entail a commitment as small as reading messages in the group chat to offer feedback when requested.
Organizing takes place via Signal group chat. Volunteers in all roles are encouraged to take breaks and combine or rotate responsibilities as needed.
In addition, AFS is an informal organization committed to mutual accountability and operates with a non-hierarchical decision-making structure based on the principles of restorative justice. Decisions are made through group consensus, and individuals in leadership roles are expected to consider the wisdom of the group, or step back from their organizing duties as necessary.
