Reskilling for Transitioning

Reskilling Workshops

A collaborative project of Sierra Club Cimarron Group and Transition OKC, a program of Sustainable OKC.

Tool Sharpening Workshop

Date & time: Sat., Nov. 5, 2-4 p.m.
Place: The Homestead School, directions provided after registration
Cost: $20.00 per person and can be paid at the class.
Registration: Limited to 20 participants; closes November 1. To register, please e-mail kimcooperhart@gmail.com or call Diane Perkins with questions at (405)229-6147.

Workshop description

Bruce Johnson (of the Homestead School in Spencer) will teach us how to improve the function of our tools by putting a better cutting edge on them. The class will include sharpening knives and many other home/farm implements but not scissors.

We decided not to include sharpening instruments as part of the tuition but registrants will be provided with information to purchase these items prior to the class. IT IS NOT REQUIRED TO PURCHASE SHARPENING SUPPLIES PRIOR TO THE CLASS. There will be supplies available for you to use during the class.

Specific details will be sent to registrants prior to the class.

More workshops
Information on more workshops coming soon -- stay tuned!

What is Reskilling?

Many people are choosing to become more self-sufficient and resilient by learning how to do things for themselves, their families and communities. Rob Hopkins, author of The Transition Handbook, coined the term "reskilling" to describe the process of learning how to do things for ourselves again.

Hopkins describes reskilling as:

"Re-learning the skills that our grandparents took for granted, such as how to use hand tools, how to build our own structures, how to mend and make clothing, how to make our own medicine, how to forage, grow, preserve and store our food."

Reskilling has many benefits -- because once you have more control over your own activities, you can save money, cut energy use, minimize or eliminate harmful chemical use, create less waste, learn how to rethink, repurpose, reuse and recycle. Because living with less energy is constantly evolving, it also gives you the opportunity to innovate -- to fuse heritage skills with the modern, using the latest in low or zero-impact engineering and technology. 

What are some helpful skills people are re-discovering?

• Gardening
• Permaculture
• Orcharding
• Solar Cooking
• Cooking Locally & Seasonally
• Weatherizing your Home

Transition OKC organizes and sponsors reskilling events, workshops and collaborates with other organizations focused on the same mission, shares lists of reskilling resources, creates videos of reskilling events, and fosters communities of people who are learning or practicing these skills. 

Check out our Skilling Up Resources page for books on emergency preparedness, gardening, solar cooking, and more!