academy

Outreach Committee Meeting and Dinner Feb 16th at 5:30pm

Submitted by jesse on Sat, 01/28/2012 - 13:36

The Academy outreach committee will meet on February 16th 2012 at 5:30pm.

The outreach committee will focus on the following:

A) Diversity
B) New Member Relations
C) Support for Event and Program Promotion

The outreach committee is open to all Academy members and will support the work of the programming committee.

Participation via web teleconference is open to Academy members who are not able to physically attend the committee meeting, or are out of town, although dinner will not be available for these remote participants.

If you would like to join the committee please contact us via email, twitter, facebook, or the contact page on this website. Let us know your food preferences and dietary requirements in advance of each meeting.

Self-Defense Study: Beta-testing the Dojo at the Academy

Start: 01/28/2012 10:30 am

End: 01/28/2012 12:30 pm

New members welcome!

Beginning a regular self-defense study class at the Academy, taking place every Wednesday after work, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and Saturday morning, from 10:30am to 12:30pm.

For more information about the classes, please click here.

Participation

Participation in the dojo is open to members of the Academy of the Impossible as well as instructor-approved guest participants. Classes are free to members, though students with the means to do so are encouraged to give a pay-what-you-can donation if they enjoyed the class.

Participants have several ways of taking part:

a) Those who wish to study any of the physical forms of self-defense should come dressed in comfortable work-out clothing, or, if possible, a piece of martial-arts clothing called a "dogi". Warmup will typically take place for the first half-hour of a scheduled class, followed by basic forms and positions, breakfalling and finally focused study of a given technique or set of techniques.

b) Those who wish to learn about Aikido, who may want to see a class or two before participating on the mats, or perhaps who are interested in the ideas and philosophy in these martial systems but don't feel able to participate physically, are invited to attend as spectators. Classes will have a comfortable viewing area set up, and will include visual demonstrations, performances of techniques in both slow-motion/broken-down form, as well as in "real-world" scenarios. Instructors will also endeavour to incorporate multi-media supporting materials, and if there is interest, host special-topic forums, guest talks and movie nights to follow the Wednesday evening class.

the Impossible Dojo

Academy of the Impossible in its Dojo configuration

Human dynamics laboratory for the study of self-defense and social change

The dojo form of the Academy will incorporate up to 430 sq. ft. of mats with spectator and multi-media presentation areas, suitable for martial arts training, improv theatre, dance, role-playing, CPR training, and other activities.

Aikido & Self-Defense classes
Every Wednesday (6:30-8:30pm) & Saturday (10:30am-12:30pm)

Programming the Impossible

Submitted by jesse on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 21:24

This past week our programming committee met for the first time and it was a joyous occasion to reflect on how far we’ve come in such a short time. A number of great programs have been submitted. Expect to see them appear on the calendar in the near future.

Lily Ames produced a segment on the Academy for CBC Radio. In the piece Emily describes achieving the impossible as involving a lot of small steps.

Off To a Great Start

Submitted by jesse on Sat, 01/07/2012 - 10:24

We're still in the process of getting the Academy up and running, yet we're thrilled with the response we've had from friends and the public. For example Joshua Errett wrote a great article in NOW magazine emphasizing our desire to adapt education for the internet age.

We also had a wonderful first event to kick off our Impossible Ideas series, with Rick Salutin joining us to discuss popular uprisings and protests around the world. Video from that event is now available via YouTube.

There are currently two programs active at the Academy, the Street Writers who meet on Tuesday evenings, and the Hacking Reality program presented by Metaviews, which meets Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. There are four other programs currently in development, and we have received several other applications for programs that we hope will start in the weeks and months to come. Keep an eye on this site and our events page for updates.

Hacking Reality: Tactical Technology and Social Media

The Hacking Reality program is designed to help people engage their environment by any means necessary. Participants will learn and share a wide range of skills while studying an equally wide-range of subjects. Our method is to take the hacker ethic of exploring and understanding technology and apply that to our communities and society.

Co-ordinated by Jesse Hirsh and Metaviews.ca the program offers events on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. These events are organized according to the following thematic configuration:

Impossible Ideas
A screening, debate, or interview followed by facilitated discussion regarding ideas or subjects that merit greater attention and focus.

Play the Impossible
A brief discussion about a game or concept followed by play.

Test the Impossible
Invited guests showcase or demonstrate emerging applications, services, or products, followed by critique, cross-examination, and feedback from program participants.

Improv the Impossible
Improvisation and role playing exercises, followed by performance, and then an open mic.

Hack the Impossible
Free and open source software provides a starting point for these hands on hack sessions. Come to learn, come to hack, come to observe, help us build the infrastructure of the academy and talk about computer, network, and mobile security.

YouTube School
Group discussion analyzing, dissecting, and enjoying YouTube as a platform and as an ecosystem. Taking place every two weeks this relaxed and informal session is designed to teach participants how to produce and use online video.

Campaign School

Pre-Warming Organizational Development Meeting

Start: 12/14/2011 5:00 pm

Our next organizational development meeting will be at 5pm on December 14th, 2011. Tentative agenda includes:

- "Warm the Academy" event prep
- Painting committee report
- Storage needs and solutions
- Membership structure proposal
- Program committee creation
- Planning for New Year's Levee
- Insurance update
- Report back from Atkinson Summit

Calendar

Warm the Academy!

Start: 12/16/2011 5:00 pm

Curious about what we're up to? Want to find out how you can get involved?

Join us this Friday, December 16, 2011 (5-9 pm) at 231 Wallace Avenue, Toronto.

We know it's a busy time of year, so just drop by for a mug of coffee or a glass of wine and help us brainstorm how to accomplish the impossible, hear a couple short presentations by Academy members, join a rousing conversation, and check out our brand new storefront that's already bursting with creative ideas.

And why not sponsor a chair ($10)! Or a table ($50)! Or a bookshelf $40)! Or a divider ($250)! Or the paint ($400)! Or wifi for the year ($1250)! Or, hey, why not a month of rent ($3000)! Or a better future for all (priceless)! We will thank you profusely on our website.

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday! If you can't make it and want to donate, please drop us a line.

--Academy Directors and Faculty

Calendar

An Open Source Social Enterprise

Submitted by jesse on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 10:50

The Academy of the Impossible is an open source social enterprise. I love that sentence, but what does it mean? Let's break it down.

Open source is a concept that helps define a relationship with transparency and intellectual property.

Open is one of the primary virtues of the internet, an embrace of transparency and the desire to share. The hope that through openness new people and ideas will emerge to make any project better.

Source generally refers to source code, but also implies where you're coming from, and what you use to build your project. It speaks to the role of intellectual property, and in this context the lack of secrecy or exclusivity when it comes to the ideas that are being tested and employed.

A social enterprise is a fusion of non-profit and for-profit business models that leverages the benefits of either entity to achieve a broader social goal.

Social, like open, is a primary virtue of the internet, and speaks to what motivates us, but also where technology and education are best focused. Social metrics and goals define us as an organization above and beyond any economic ones.

Enterprise speaks to the desire to boldly go where others have dared not. To venture into the domain of hope and potential and find a new means of sharing prosperity and discovery.

As an open source social enterprise we mix all sorts of organizational and operational elements that we feel best match our desires to achieve and share the impossible. We embrace transparency, so others may learn and do differently. We want independence and autonomy so will seek multiple revenue sources, focus on sustainability, and have a mixed bottom-line, defining ourselves as a social enterprise.