Spaces of Hope are grassroots design and planning schools dedicated to the benefit of all bei...

Spaces of Hope are grassroots design and planning schools dedicated to the benefit of all beings. From OCT 19- DEC 14, we will host workshops at Auroville Youth Center. Workshop Description - Across the world and especially in places and projects rooted in hope for new kinds of future, ordinary people are experiencing powerlessness and grief due to the suspension of rights and freedom. The freedom to imagine and create a vision for our world is not a luxury, but the food that fuels our existence and gives us the courage and hope to build a different future that can ensure the well being of all. Young people play the most important role in building new imaginations for the future and inspire every other generation with their energy, bravery and creativity. Spaces of Hope invites this incredible youth energy to shape the future of the places around us for the benefit of all beings through the power of art, design and planning - practices that need to be used to build a democratic society for all and that can be used powerfully to develop and share your collaborative vision for the future. Spaces of Hope is a grassroots planning, design and art school in a long tradition of street schools and community led popular education. We will develop art work, policy recommendations and a youth vision platform to share with the wider community as an exhibition and discussion series. We will organize film screenings, guest discussions from experts in the field that will be open to public and art build activities to bring the youth of AV together to envision a new and hopeful future through creative tools. We will also learn about similar projects and movements around the world. 10 participants invited - applications open with full scholarships. A serious commitment to attending all sessions is necessary. Youth between 15-25 may apply, no prior experience needed. We welcome involvement from all generations and the youth that never ages. Girls - do not hesitate to apply! Start and End Date - 7 weeks/ Oct 19 - Dec 14 on Sundays, 2:30 pm-6:30 pm Forums co-led and curriculum designed by Masoom Moitra, an urban planner, designer, artist and architect with 15 years of experience with participatory design, policy and planning and how citizens of all generations and backgrounds can use these skills to make our cities liveable for everyone. She has taught for over a decade at leading design schools in New York City (Parsons and Pratt), Mumbai (KRVIA) and worked with community groups, non profit organizations, people's movements and governments across the world. Workshops will be co-led and organized by Dingbawi, coordinator at Youth Center and longtime youth resident of Auroville. You can join these workshops if you are interested in being a civic leader, or want to explore a future career in community based design or planning that is in service of people and committed to making our world a better place, or even if you are simply a concerned neighbor or community member of any age who wants to work with us to make our towns, villages and cities better places to live in for all. We will focus not on developing building skills but on critical thinking, strategizing and visioning. Sessions will be conducted in English and Tamil translation will be available on request. Guest lectures will be free and open to the public. If you have any further questions or inquiries, please reach out to us at [email protected] before October 10, 2025. You can find the very simple application form here and via the QR code - https://forms.gle/PQRfZHVzd6DqCwh16