This past May in Washington, D.C., people came together in the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle to teach each other everything they know. Literally.

Learn-a-Palooza is a one-day event in which temporary classrooms are set up across D.C., and regular people share their knowledge and skills with their neighbors for free. This is the second year for the knowledge bonanza, intended to bring communities together, and workshop topics ranged from everything from “Personal Finance for Young People,” to “How to Be a Brazen Burlesque Dancer.”

My friend and colleague at Idealist, Julia Smith, attended Learn-a-Palooza, and she brought her voice recorder along with her. She loved the idea so much, we on the podcast team decided to make a podcast out of it. Throughout the episode, Julia shares her experiences and insight, and lets us listen in on some of the workshops (including snippets from “How to Get Out of a Speeding Ticket” and “How to Green Your Home”). Packed with information on community-building, information-gathering, and knowledge-sharing, I also just think it’s a lot of plain old fun!

Click here to listen to the episode:
http://idealist.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=364215

Click here to subscribe to the Community Podcasts:

http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=207870198

There’s also been some buzz about hosting a Learn-a-Palooza in NYC in 2008 or 2009. If you’re interested in getting involved, email info@learnapaloozaDC.com.