We Learn

Do you love learning?

Have you ever taken an online course? Have you ever started an online course with the best intentions, but life got in the way, and you didn’t complete it?

Was there ever something you wanted to learn – maybe even something really niche – and thought, “I wish the library had a class on that?”

Have you ever looked for volunteer opportunities that relate to your love of learning, but didn’t find anything that quite fit the bill?

Try We Learn

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you might want to check out We Learn.

We Learn is social learning at the library. The concept is very simple: A group of people get together and take a course, usually an online course, together. Because the expertise comes from the course material, there is no teacher; instead, the group is kept on track by a volunteer who the library trained to organize the group (and who may be learning right alongside the group).

We Learn groups occupy a sort of sweet spot between formal classroom training, which can be very effective but also more intensive than what a casual learner might need, and fully self-guided learning, which is flexible but can be tough to sustain. We Learn offers the social support of a group setting with the flexibility and variety of online learning.

There are a couple of different ways that you can get involved.

Let Us Know What You Want to Learn

The best ideas for new We Learn groups come from people in the community. If there is a course or topic that you would like to come and learn about with your neighbors, let us know. As long as there is a reputable online course available, and at least a few other people are interested in taking it, they can meet in a library meeting room for a We Learn group. What have you always wanted to learn?

Sign Up to Learn

Check the calendar for We Learn groups regularly. New groups start every couple of months. If you find a We Learn group that you would like to join, it is free and easy to sign up.

Volunteer

Don’t see any We Learn groups that interest you? Become a We Learn Volunteer! The training happens every few months, and once you are trained, you will receive periodic messages from CLP staff with opportunities to schedule We Learn groups. You will always be able to choose topics, schedules, and locations. We Learn Volunteers do not need to be experts – in fact, they can learn right along with the rest of the group.