How The Multiverse School Works

What This Space Is

The Multiverse School is a building community for unconventional learners. We practice liberatory education—learning as the practice of freedom, not compliance.

What we're NOT:

• A traditional online course with lectures and grades
• A bootcamp with a fixed curriculum
• A therapy group or crisis intervention service
• A place where you passively consume content

What we ARE:

• A community of people building things together
• A space for investigating through experimentation
• Horizontal learning (everyone teaches and everyone learns)
• Mutual aid (we help each other)
• Grounded in liberatory pedagogy

The Core Principles

1. Problem-Posing, Not Banking Model (Paulo Freire)

Banking model = Teacher deposits knowledge into passive students (you memorize, regurgitate, comply)

Problem-posing = We investigate reality together through questions and experiments

What this means:

• Facilitators don't lecture at you
• We pose problems: "How does this work? Let's investigate"
• You build, experiment, discover
• Everyone contributes to the investigation

Example:

• ❌ "Here's how to build authentication. Memorize these steps."
• ✅ "Let's explore authentication. What approaches exist? Try one. What breaks? Why? What did you learn?"

2. Mutual Aid, Not Charity (Emma Goldman)

Mutual aid = We help each other because we're interconnected

Charity = Some people "help" others (hierarchy, dependence)

What this means:

• You give what you can
• You receive what you need
• Sometimes you give more; sometimes you receive more
• The circle flows
• No one is "just a helper" or "just helped"

Example:

• You're stuck on a bug → someone helps you debug
• Later, they're stuck → you share a resource you found
• Someone else posts what they built → you learn from it
• You post what you built → others learn from you

3. Voluntary Participation, Not Coercion

Everything here is voluntary:

• No required assignments
• No grades or completion tracking
• No compliance expectations
• You choose your own engagement level

Natural consequences exist:

• Don't build → don't learn
• Don't share → don't get community recognition
• Harm the community repeatedly → can't stay
• These aren't punishments—they're how community works

4. Recognition Through Contribution

How you get seen here:

• Share what you build in chat (working or broken!)
• Answer someone's question
• Share a resource you found
• Help someone debug
• Post your experiments

You don't get recognized for:

• Lurking silently
• Consuming without contributing
• Taking without giving

This isn't meritocracy (the "best" don't rise). It's contribution—the people who share, help, and build together get community recognition.

5. Horizontal Relationships, Not Hierarchy

Facilitators have:

• Experience in specific areas (web dev, AI, community building)
• Skills to share
• Responsibility for facilitation

You have:

• Lived experience
• Questions that drive investigation
• Skills to share (even if you don't know it yet)

Both matter equally. Facilitators aren't gurus. You're not "just a student." We're co-learners.

Power exists (Liz founded this, facilitators make decisions), but we try to make it transparent, not pretend it doesn't exist.

How Learning Actually Happens Here

The Cycle

1. A problem or question emerges

• "How do I build X?"
• "Why does Y work this way?"
• "What's the best approach for Z?"

2. You investigate

• Try something
• See what happens
• Share what you discover (in chat, show-and-tell, etc.)

3. Community responds

• Others share what they tried
• Someone debugs with you
• Resources get shared
• Questions get asked

4. Understanding deepens

• Not from being told, but from building
• Not from one answer, but from collective investigation

5. You apply it to the next thing

• And the cycle continues

What Exercises Are (And Aren't)

Exercises Are:

• Invitations to investigate
• "Here's a problem space. Explore it. See what you discover."
• Optional starting points
• Prompts for building

Exercises Are NOT:

• Required assignments
• Graded work
• Tests of your worth
• Things you "should" complete

You can:

• Do them
• Modify them
• Ignore them
• Create your own

The learning is in the doing, not the completing.

How to Participate

Minimum Viable Participation

• Show up to chat/sessions if you want
• Try building things when it interests you
• Ask questions when you're stuck

That's it. That's enough.

Active Participation (More Recognition)

• Share what you build (broken or working)
• Help others when you know something
• Post resources you find useful
• Contribute to collective investigation
• Show up to community events

What Doesn't Work Here

• Expecting to be taught (banking model)
• Taking without giving (extraction)
• Demanding immediate answers (we investigate together)
• Lurking indefinitely without engaging

You choose your level. Just know: contribution = community.

Facilitator Role

What Facilitators Do:

• Pose problems for investigation
• Provide resources and guidance
• Help you when you're stuck
• Model building and learning
• Hold space for the community
• Set boundaries when needed

What Facilitators Don't Do:

• Give you all the answers
• Grade your work
• Manage your learning
• Rescue you
• Operate on your timeline

Facilitators have boundaries:

• Office hours (usually stated)
• Response time (24-48 hours for messages)
• Scope (they can help with X, refer you elsewhere for Y)

This isn't coldness—it's sustainability.

Community Agreements (Code of Conduct)

We have a Code of Conduct that we co-created.

Core agreements:

• Respect people's boundaries
• Don't harm the collective (harassment, bigotry, manipulation)
• Participate in mutual aid (give and receive)
• Own your impact (when you cause harm, be accountable)
• Engage consensually (this is voluntary cooperation)

If you violate agreements:

• First: conversation (what happened, can you participate differently?)
• Then: pause or removal if you can't participate consensually

Removal isn't punishment—it's recognizing you can't be in voluntary relationship with the community right now.

What "Building" Means

Projects You Might Build:

• Web apps (to-do lists, portfolio sites, APIs)
• AI tools (chatbots, automation, experiments)
• Documentation (explainers, guides, notes)
• Art/creative work (if that's your thing)
• Tools for your own use
• Contributions to open source

The Point Isn't the Product

The point is:

• Investigating how things work
• Experimenting with approaches
• Discovering what breaks and why
• Sharing what you learn

A broken project you share teaches more than a perfect project you hide.

Recognition & "Success"

How You Know You're Learning:

• You build things
• They work (or you understand why they don't)
• You get better at building
• You help others build
• You ask better questions

Not:

• Grades
• Certificates
• External validation
• Completion metrics

How the Community Recognizes You:

• People respond to what you share
• Others build on your ideas
• You're invited to collaborate
• Facilitators notice your contributions

This is emergent, not awarded.

Money & Access

How Pricing Works

What You Pay For:

• Access to classes and their curriculum
• Facilitator availability (office hours, feedback)
• Infrastructure (chat, hosting, tools)
• Live class sessions via Google Meet

What You Don't Pay For:

• Grades or evaluation
• Guaranteed outcomes
• Individual tutoring beyond stated hours
• Rescue or crisis intervention

Scholarships

Scholarships exist for people who need them. They come with participation expectations — showing up to Go to Market standup or Make and Do Hour, staying engaged with the community. If you need financial help, apply. No shame.

Prices are stated upfront. No hidden escalation. No bait-and-switch. See the full Support & Pricing page.

No shame around money. This is mutual aid, not extraction.

Boundaries Are Necessary

Common Boundaries You'll Encounter:

Facilitator boundaries:

• Office hours (they're not available 24/7)
• Response time (don't expect instant answers)
• Scope (they can help with X, not Y)

Community boundaries:

• No harassment, bigotry, manipulation
• No recruiting for your projects without completing the 90-Day Grounded Visionary Track
• No dumping crisis in community spaces (use crisis resources, talk to facilitators privately)

Your boundaries:

• You can say "no" to anything
• You can leave anytime
• You can participate less or more
• You can protect your time/energy

Boundaries aren't rejection—they're how we sustain community.

Crisis & Mental Health

What We Offer:

• Crisis resources (hotlines, services)
• Compassionate referral to professional help
• Community support (not therapy)
• Space to be neurodivergent without pathologizing

What We Don't Offer:

• Therapy or crisis intervention
• 24/7 emotional support
• Treatment for mental health conditions
• Rescue from crisis

If you're in crisis:

1. Call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
2. Text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
3. See Crisis Resources
4. Let a facilitator know if you want (they'll connect you to resources)

We care about you AND we're not equipped for crisis intervention.

If This Isn't Right for You

This space works well if you:

• Want to build things and investigate
• Can tolerate uncertainty ("let's figure it out together")
• Value horizontal relationships over hierarchy
• Want community, not just content
• Can participate in mutual aid (give and receive)

This space might not work if you:

• Want a traditional course with lectures and grades
• Need constant validation or immediate answers
• Expect to be taught without building
• Want a therapist or crisis support (get that elsewhere, then come here)
• Can't respect boundaries or participate consensually

Both are okay. Different people need different learning environments.

Tools & Resources

On the Site

• Your curriculum - Course materials available after enrollment, accessed through the site
• Class day companions - Interactive tools that accompany each class session — exercises, references, and hands-on activities. Linked from each class on your path dashboard
• Interactive tools - Self-paced workbenches you can use anytime, even outside of class. Linked from your path dashboard
• Community Resource Commons - Community-contributed resource library for mutual aid — find resources, contribute your own

Community

• Matrix chat - Ask questions, share what you're building, help others
• Multiverse Campus - The virtual world — walk around, video chat, attend classes, talk to AI agents (full guide)
• Class sessions - Live on Google Meet (or on Campus), links sent via calendar invite and email

Reference

• Liberatory Pedagogy Framework
• Code of Conduct
• Mutual Aid Guidelines
• Crisis Resources

Questions?

"Do I have to participate in everything?"

No. Participate at whatever level works for you.

"What if I don't build anything?"

Then you don't learn through building. That's the natural consequence. No punishment, just... no building-based learning.

"Can I just lurk?"

For a while, sure. Eventually, if you're not contributing, you're extracting. Mutual aid requires give and receive.

"What if I mess up?"

Share it anyway. We learn from what breaks.

"Can I leave?"

Anytime. No shame. Come back if it feels right.

"What if a facilitator sets a boundary I don't like?"

You can disagree. You can talk about it. You can leave. What you can't do is ignore it.

"Is this a cult?"

See: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Communities

Transparently: We have strong opinions about education. We set boundaries. We're small and relationships can feel intense. Liz has founder power.

AND: You can leave anytime. We encourage outside relationships. We don't punish questioning. We refer you to professional support. We're transparent about power.

If we're not holding those commitments, tell us.

Welcome

You're here. You belong here (as long as you can participate consensually).

Build things. Break things. Share what you discover. Help others. Ask questions. Investigate reality together.

That's how we learn.

See Also:

• Liberatory Pedagogy Framework
• Code of Conduct
• Building & Sharing: How We Learn
• Mutual Aid Guidelines