Dec 5, 2009
Dojo
Dave ‘Bully’ Bjorn and I have been working on something for most of 2009 that we hope will change more than just Phoenix. We hope it will change the lives of kids and families that reside there. We haven’t been talking about it a lot because we have a long time line and a lot of the details to work out still, but after Friday night’s opening preview of fractal on Grand Avenue, we have a lot going on earlier than we thought.
Through working on Phoenix Design Week together, Bully and I became really good friends, and eventually realized we had the shared vision of helping kids in a multi-use space. We’d both long had the dream and found an outlet and path through the inspiring idea of the 826 Valencia Pirate Shop. This TEDtalk by Dave Eggers explains, and will most likely inspire you to do something great as well.
My goal was to open a Design Book store similar to Magma or another niche bookshop, and then use the books and customers as a resource to help get kids to appreciate the path of becoming a designer, that there was a viable career option in such a pursuit.
Bully had a similar idea of opening a multi-use space that had co-working during the day and then transformed into an after-school mentoring center for kids to learn and grow, supported by the people working in the space. Conscious co-working, contributing to the community you live in and helping its children realize a better future.
When we first had this talk, we both had a giddy moment of realization that we could combine these ideas into something amazing. Bully, using the tools that have made his career, (more about them on his blog) and with me creating a curriculum and involving the creative community, we’d be able to put together a truly inspiring space and do some real good, and thus Dojo was born.
Having seen some of the pitfalls of similar endeavors (and since we were still trying to pull off Phoenix Design Week) we decided to make sure we’d set a reasonable timeline (and by ‘we’, I of course mean Bully. I think we all realize I was like “OMG LETS DO IT TODAY!!) So, we plan on opening our space in early 2011, after doing all the paperwork, finding a space, etc etc.
Then, a month or so ago, Zack Newsome, of Methodlab Media and communitasPHX, met up with a few people who are doing things downtown, including Bully and I. He was renting a space at the old Bragg’s Pie Factory and wanted to see about involving more people to help it become a community resource. We jumped at the opportunity to start our endeavor in anyway possible.
So now we’re at fractal and we get to test run our mentoring curriculum and at the same time help Zack and the Grand Avenue neighborhood with all their various activities. There are going to be some amazing things that come out of all of these groups, be sure to keep up with all of us!
Zack’s been doing some amazing things downtown, and I am excited to see where your collaboration leads. Cheers!
I am so stoked about what you folks are doing, it’s juggernaut awesome. Getting cool people to mentor kids is th’ first step in preventing wackness in the next generation!
I am excited to see fractal open its doors, and where you all take it as it grows. Taking risks and stepping outside your plans is where awesome things happen. Plus, it’s in a pie factory. Can anything but pure cosmic awesome happen when pie is involved?
seriously.
Bully, Dudlik, and Newsome.
I’m WAY excited for what all of you guys are doing.
thanks for being you.
This is exactly what a growing city needs, support for education, art, culture, and kids.
I’m excited to see how things pan out for the next few months.