Unconference - A New Approach To Teaching And Learning

We hear about terms such as conferences, meet-ups or meetings all the time. Generally these are very formal and specific (to the point). But today I want to talk about an event that I had attended last year which I had never experienced before, called Unconference . Sounds odd, doesn't it?

As odd as it sounds, the space that was created was something I had never seen before!

It was an event created by a few individuals of varied professions to meet at a common and informal platform for interaction and exchange of ideas. The whole idea was to share and explore and help in creating an environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling space. It was about sustainable approach, organic food, recyclable stuff and much more which I will be talking about in a while.

People dancing to random music as a means of connection

A few days ahead of the event : Treasure Hunt

We had to find people with extraordinary stories or people who are still pursuing their dreams despite being in some other jobs and compile all this information in some book form. We decided to make a book plus paper bags for the event through which we could share the stories of such people with everybody.

Going around the city of Jaipur

Pile of paper bags made with brown paper

Setting up the display

Our display was also used as the cover page of our college magazine!

Back To The Event

There were many workshops (DIY - bottle painting, dream catcher, cooking etc) and discussions being held where everybody was free to come and go. The one thing that I loved about this space was that there were no obligations to do anything. There were kids doing their own thing, even leading groups! One moment you could be gardening and the next thing you know you are dancing on top of each other! :) Unfortunately I couldn't take many photos because to be honest I kind of forgot about my phone in that space!

Fun jam sessions

There were jewelleries made out of plastic, magnets, wood fibers, wires and other such materials that we would otherwise regard as useless and simple throw them away. There were lots of herbal things which, of course, were alternatives to the chemical products that we use on a daily basis. We created some things in the day, sang, ate and the event was wrapped up by a very funny dance!

I got to meet and connect with some amazing people with whom I am still in touch. This experience also made me realize that learning and teaching has so many ways. It's not necessary that it needs to be in a classroom with the same set of rules. This entire experience really helped me broaden my perspective.

After some months another Unconference was held at Udaipur which I attended and again, it didn't fail to surprise me. I was very happy to reconnect with those people and will definitely love to be a part of this again :) Hope you guys liked it too! Let me know what you think!

Lots Of Love <3